Now stay away from White Ace kids.

As the scorching sun descended, we brushed off the cobwebs by running through our set back at the tents -- using 4 plates, 2 tupperware and 2 packets of pasta (Dolmio has surprisingly good EQs). A sound system consisting of an I phone in a cup in a shoe left much to be desired.

The festival lit up for the night, and we walked into the throng of 170,000 mentalists and headed straight for Arcadia

Arriving at Arcadia at 10.30pm, we were shocked to find the music and flames off. Panic and nausea ensued as we were told that due to a faulty generator everything kept on cutting out. 3 artists had had the set of their lives cut down to 5 minutes as a result. To our relief an emergency generator was wheeled in and the problem was fixed. Big ups to the Arcadia crew for keeping so calm (unlike us!) and getting it sorted.

Hostage, Freefall Collective and Wonka-Vision all worked up the crowd with some big beats and bass. We set our gear up on stage and we’re off!

Walking up the ramp onto the stage was a breathtaking experience. 8000 people crammed into a field dominated by the huge futuristic spider shaped Afterburner structure. 50ft flames belched from the stage. Electronic animals moved above the crowd and belched fire. Performers spun in mid air, shot flame throwers and fought using bolts of electricity. A huge Funktion One surround sound rig provided perfect sound to the whole field. Powerful lasers scanned the skies. Every time the flames soared into the air it illuminated the field and you could see a sea of festival heads stretching as far as the eye could see.

The excellent MC Carasel was on hosting duties. It was a busy day for old Cara -- he had to rush back from Dance Village after hosting High Contrast. Luckily his voice was still in good nick!

We opened with our own Elephant Man / Prodigy bootleg (Their Law riddim), before cranking up the tempo with Vitalic’s La Roc 1 double dropped with a Ms Dynamite classic. Epic! We’d worked for 6 weeks solid on this set, creating the most intensive multi-deck turntablist journey we could manage, and then re-editng the tunes even further to maximise impact.

We were told afterwards the security had to close the entrance to the Arcadia field off 5 minutes into our set as the place was so overcrowded. Friends of ours queued for an hour to get in!

Set highlights included our Deadmau5 / MIA / Dune triplets mega-mash, Dunkelbunt, Noisia’s massive Messiah remix, our Nirvana / Doop double drop, the ever rinsing Recycled by Eskimo and our favorite -- our Insomnia / South Rakkas live bootleg.

We did encounter some serious technical issue in the middle of the set. We were the 1st ever DJ act using turntables they had put on the stage. Whenever the massive flame cannon on the top of the structure shot out a 50 ft fireball, it sent a shock wave reverberating down to the ground which shook the whole stage. It literally felt like a giant stamping on our decks. We ended up sorting the problem fairly quickly, but that was a particularly scary moment for us.

We closed the set with “Fire” by the Prodigy, with the Arcadia flames going into overdrive.

Big ups and massive thanks to James, Becca and the rest of the fabulous Arcadia crew. You guys absolutely smashed it this year. We first experienced Arcadia on a much smaller scale at Glade 2009 as ravers. It blew our little brains out then. At Glasto this year it was on a whole different level. The sheer amount of money and technical genius that went into creating the Arcadia that we played on this year is just staggering. The most amazing thing is that Arcadia Glasto 2010 is only a part of the stage’s evolution. Arcadia is still relatively young as a concept -- only a few years old. By the time we left on Monday rumours were circulating that bigger things were planned for next year. From seeing the dedication and vision of the people behind the spectacle, we know that the more budget and space Arcadia are given, the more mind blowing the will make the whole experience. There is no limit. Bring on Arcadia at Glastonbury 2010!

You can catch Arcadia at Electric Picnic and Bestival this summer.

Our McMash Clan Arcadia set will be available for download soon. And hold tight for the FOO Magazine film of our Arcadia set.

Check the official Arcadia Glastonbury 2010 video:

Visit the ARCADIA WEBSITE

Pictures for this blog courtesy of Foo Magazine and Glastonbury Festival.

Anything that is funny enough to make me cry, even a little, gets a massive amount of appreciation from me. Boom.

And maybe next a Crab that sings like Akon…

Braindrop family!

The time has come. Tomorrow Saturday 3 July we hit the 7 seas for an EPIC voyage down the river Thames.

Just a few tickets left – FOLLOW THIS LINK to snap up the last few.

** IMPORTANT INFO – MEETING PLACE AND TIMES! **

> Nearest tube: Tower Hill

> The boat leaves from Tower Pier at 9pm sharp. Please arrive for boarding NO LATER THAN 8.30! If you arrive late we will have to leave without you

> Tower Pier is a short walk from Tower Hill tube. It’s right next to the Tower of London and is signposted very well. However please leave plenty of time to get your bearings.

> The merry ship is called The Dutch Master.

> We will be having pre-rave drinks from 5.30pm in local pub the Liberty Bounds if you fancy coming to say hi. It’s right next to Liberty square, which is right next to Tower Hill tube station. Liberty Bounds is a Wetherspoons, so expect decently priced pre rave booze

Check the map below whihc shows you how to get from Tower Bridge Station to Liberty Bounds (marked with a star) and then to Tower Pier (marked with a Braindrop)

> The boat docks at 2am.

> Fancy dress: Robo-Pirates! Go as crazy as ye dare. Prizes for the best dressed!

> The boat’s bar does not accept cards. So PLEASE remember to bring enough cash with you.

> If you need to get any more info, or need directions on the day phone Chris on 07793 754 866.

** NEWS FLASH! NEW LINE-UP ADDITION **

Fantastic dub band THE DROP will be joining us on top deck for a rare acoustic, open air set. Weather’s guaranteed to be incredible! We’ve also go shisha pipes and live bongos outside in the fresh air x

See you there! x

We are down to our last 50 tickets for Saturdays boat party. So if you haven’t got round to buying yours yet, get on it quick sharp!

Get your ticket here.

Can’t wait to see you there…

Wow. Just got back from Glasto. What an amazing weekend – perfect weather, friendly people and no expenses spared on production / performances. And to top it off we played the set of our lives on Saturday night on the Arcadia stage. Watch out for a video courtesy of FOO Magazine coming soon.

So the Braindrop Boat Rave is only 3 days away – and the competition for free tickets PLUS a pair of free tickets to Shambala festival is now closed.

The challenge we set was to post the funniest Youtube video you could find up on to the Braindrop Loves Me Too Facebook group wall.

A quick disclaimer first – these competitions are obviously entirely subjective in nature. We picked the winning video because we felt it was the most original and it genuinely made us laugh the most. We also had to discount old favourites that we’ve watched 100s of time and clips that have been entered in our comps before.

So without further ado, the winner is:

Joe Sheldrick – Goat Screaming Like Usher http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPbvvRt5MoU&feature=related

Well done Joe. We hadn’t seen this surreal but genius video before and it made us all laugh more than any other entry. We’ll be in contact about your 2 free Boat Rave and Shambala festival tickets asap.

Thanks to everyone else who entered. Tickets are nearly gone for Saturday so if you haven’t got yours yet follow this link to reserve yours NOW!

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=379120

Big up!

———————————-

** BOAT RAVE LINE UP CHANGE – FLUX OUT, KANJI IN! **

Due to unforseen reasons beyond our control, Flux Pavilion will no longer be playing at the Boat Rave

However we’ve managed to negotiate an incredible replacement who will smash the Duth master to tiny little pieces –

–> KANJI KINETIC!!!

http://www.myspace.com/djkanji

Kanji has built up a big name for himself over the last couple of years with his no-holds-barred dancefloor destroying brand of bassline. His pumping 4×4 riddims, hands in the air hardcore nostalgia and gut-wrenchingly sickening wobble have seen him snapped up by the legendary Trouble & Bass label, and his remix skills have been sought out by the likes of Adam Freeland, Roisin Murphy, AC Slater and 16bit. Check out his massive remix of 16bit’s Chainsaw Calligraphy here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cao0JOti0D4

So the new line up for Saturday is:

Main arena:

16BIT
KANJI KINETIC
THE McMASH CLAN
L.A BOXERS
CELL SUICIDE
BASS6

On the top deck: live bongos & shisha pipes!

BASS / JOY / FUN / HAPPINESS . . .

With extra FUNKTION ONE bass!

More info to come

X

• Location: TOWER PIER (the boat is called The Dutch Master). Please note that this is not the same pier as last time, although it is nearby.
• Nearest Tubes:
  • Tower Hill
    
  • Tower Gateway
  • Monument
  • London Bridge
  • Fenchurch Street
• Times:
  • Boarding starts 8.15pm
  • Boat sets sail PROMPTLY at 8.45pm

Check out Google maps to see more.

Only 2 weeks til the Braindrop Robo-Pirate Boat Rave ft special guests 16bit and Flux Pavilion. Big ups to everyone who’s entered our competition for free tickets so far. Some hilarious entries!

We’ve been doing some negotiating our end and we’re very happy to say we can up the prize for the competition.

The lovely people at SHAMBALA FESTIVAL have given us 2 tickets to give away for FREE. So we’re adding them onto the prize for the winner of our Braindrop Boat Rave Youtube competition.

So now the winner gets 2 free ticket to Shambala Festival AND 2 free tickets to the Braindrop Boat Rave

Here’s a reminder of the competition:

Post a link to the FUNNIEST YOUTUBE VIDEO up on the Braindrop Loves Me Too Facebook group wall.

The one that makes us laugh the most wins!

We’ve also extended the deadline. Competition closes on Monday 28 June.

Good luck!

…………………………………

SHAMBALA FESTIVAL – Some facts:

Shambala is an amazing independent UK festival. It’s small (7000 capacity), friendly, green and packed with fun stuff to do. Having never advertised they’ve built up a MASSIVE following from word of mouth only.

It takes place on a secret site in Northamptonshire on August bank holiday weekend: 27-30 August.

The festival organisers hold it in the most amazing spot – a beautiful field facing a lake and manor house – and make a huge effort transforming the place into a pretty magical place. Make sure you check what they do to the forest at night – we spent hours and hours in there last time we went.

The music is always eclectic and amazing, covering everything from reggae and world music through to the fattest electronic music around. And it’s the perfect mix between big name acts and talented up and coming performers. Acts to have played Shambala over the last few years include The Nextmen, DJ Die, Horace Andy, The Bays, Dub FX, The Egg, Cassette Boy, The Correspondents and Nicky Blackmarket.

However Shambala NEVER announce their line up in advance, meaning people go for the party rather than the big names. The only secret we can let slip this year i that we (The McMash Clan) will be playing in the main dance arena on Friday night. Don’t tell anyone though!

Words can’t describe how amazing this festival is and how chuffed we are to be giving away a pair of tickets. For more info on the festival check their WEBSITE