With over 35 of the world’s biggest DJ’s in house, techno, dance and drum’n’bass on the line-up, we were pretty excited to experience the first annual Mint Festival at Lotherton Hall near Leeds, one of the UK’s leading boutique festival sites. Hosted by the team behind Mint Club and Mint Warehouse and with the festival season coming to a close after a wash-out summer, we were hoping this to be a mad, messy and memorable one to remember and a success for all involved.

Feeling a bit worse for wear thanks to an incredible Rong at Venus the night before, we arrived back again a few hours later to meet 150 other festival-goers for our coach there – Jager for breakfast was on the menu! We rocked up at the impressive Edwardian grounds around lunchtime to no crazy queues, a field full of tents and plenty of wellies after some of the worst flooding in years – but thankfully it was no Creamfields, the sun was shining – maybe more festivals should be held at this time?

As part of their 6th birthday celebrations, Bitch were proud to host an arena and we headed straight there after stocking up on drinks from the bar in the tent – sensible idea to avoid missing your favourite artists/ DJs!. Dale Castell kicked it off, getting the crowd going with some decent vibes before B3 took over. We’re good pals of the 3 DJs that make up B3 and were hyped to see them for only their second set as a collaboration… and wow did they blow the tent up! Smashing out big tunes like Coldplay ‘Fix You’ and Otto Knows ‘Million Voices’, and remixing and bootlegging to get the crowd going crazy, they worked it and we were going mad for it. We’re already buzzing to see them again at Venus for the Halloween Bitch night – bring it on!

Genuinely our favourite party of 2012. Incredible atmosphere, really well organised, top notch DJs, crowd, music and beer.

The guys were followed by a string of more awesome DJs; Riley & Durrant, DOD and Felix Leiter, who all kept the Bitch tent raving as the crowd grew and the messiness increased. The festival was just the perfect size, you could easily get from one tent to another, bars were easy to get served in and provided a really relaxed party atmosphere. The Bitch tent itself was packed but not too crowded. It’s not the best when you can’t move and dance your wellies off but no such problem at Mint. Blasting out classics that everyone recognised but mixed, mashed and meddled with – in a good way of course! – everyone was having a great time.

By now hours of raving had passed, much alcohol consumed and we were still all going mad for it – especially as Kryder took to the stage, smashing out his trademark heavy tracks like ‘Scorpio’ there was no excuse to be stood still. And what a warm-up for superstar DJs, Michael Woods, Eddie Halliwell, Danny Howard and John Dahlback – epitomising everything Bitch stands for in the house music world. It’s fair to say this was the arena to be in at Mint Festival, even though of course the other tents also had so much on offer.

Our coach arrived a bit earlier than finishing time at 1.30am, but we were all smashed, raved out and ready to head back to Manchester… to carry on the party at Venus for Bitch’s 6th birthday – there really ain’t no rest for the wicked! If Mint Festival returns next year we will definitely be back for more awesome house / dance / drum’n’bass from some of the best DJs worldwide – may it get bigger, better and more… MINT!

Quick edit from James – We cannot stress any more, how much we loved Mint Festival. SpamellaB and myself partied with loads of friends from arrival all the way until the coaches left. Between us, we’re at most festivals, WHP gigs, Venus, Sankeys, loads of clubs and parties and this was our favourite night of 2012 by a country mile. The atmosphere, music, bars, food and crowd were phenomenal. Incredible to say that this was the first Mint Festival, bring on 2013. Huge thank you to the teams at Mint, Bitch, System and Flux, the DJs, the staff and anybody involved. Awesome night.

On another note, I text the B3 lads on the night to say how genuinely proud I was to just be their mates. They were simply outstanding.  They will be superstars, so watch out for them at Venus for Halloween, Warehouse Project in November and smashing clubs and festivals Worldwide in the near future. 

Check out this insane video from the festival, says a lot really: 

Check out Mint Festival on Facebook

Huge thank you to Eddy Gosht from Oh My Gosht Photography for the photos, one of the best club / festival photographers around, head over to Oh My Gosht Photography on Facebook or view the rest of the Bitch album here!

 

Michael Woods – Joins in Bitch’s 6^th Birthday celebrations.

An artist who has been there, done that and printed the T-shirts. Michael’s achieved so much in his career, countless hit singles, a legendary homegrown imprint, gigs in every corner of the globe and still, after years on the circuit, packs out events and can call all the industry’s greatest as advocates of his work.

No wonder Bitch Events, one of Manchester’s biggest house nights who have reached the 6^th anniversary of their conception, have chosen Michael as their headliner at not just the Manchester event but as they take on their first arena at the nationally renowned Mint Festival.

As Michael Woods prepares to help Bitch celebrate in style, let’s take a minute of his time to find out what we can expect!

You’ve managed to make that enviable cross over and produced for some big pop acts like Example – how do they come about?

If I knew the exact answer to that I’d be knocking them out once a week haha! I don’t decide to do them they just come about. The main goal when producing is to try to make tracks I know will work well in the clubs and that will get the clubbers going nuts. If that track happens to cross over then that’s all good.


What’s it like working with people from more mainstream genres?

No different to working with anyone else, at the end of day people I work with have a passion for music and they want to share their talent and I’m happy to work with anyone who shows as much enthusiasm for music as I do.

What have you got going on at the moment, we’ve heard whispers about a new single?

Yes, I have a brand new release scheduled for release on the 21st October 2012 that features the vocal talents of Ester Dean. The single is called “We’ve Only Just Begun” and is a being released on Ministry of Sound. The video is really sleek and artistic and features the Team GB Gymnastics squad.

You’re a big advocate of pushing the boundaries and exploring where music can take people and run your own label Diffused, are you heavily involved in picking what it releases?

Yes as I want the label to represent the kind of music I play out and the kind of music I know people respond to. It’s really good to get so many cool demos through every day from musicians all around the world and all I can say to people is keep making the music and keep sending it through.

You’ve been a Bitch Events favourite for sometime, playing at their sellout NYD this year already, how was that party?

That party was incredible from the moment I entered until the moment I left, sometime the following day, it was awesome. Even Eddie Halliwell came along to the party, which is an experience in itself and I’m looking forward to the next Bitch event and can’t wait to play alongside Eddie for this one.

What should people expect from you in the Bitch Arena at Mint festival?

I’ll be dropping a lot of new music I’ve been working on lately, some really interesting collaborations in there, namely one with Chris Lake I’m really looking forward to road testing – Bitch will be getting a world exclusive as they’ll be the first ears to hear it.

Festivals vs Clubs – do you have a preference? You’re playing both the Mint Festival Arena for Bitch and their club night in Manchester, can you even compare the two?

It’s really hard to compare the two and I don’t really have a favourite as they both get me motivated in totally different ways. Festivals are great because you tend to be playing in front of a large crowd and the ambience of that is incredible – whereas clubs are more an intimate affair and you can literally reach out and touch the crowd – which is really cool.

What do you make of Leeds and its parties generally? Good vibes?

I love Leeds, and have done so for many years. My mates and me used to take road trips from London to Leeds on a regular basis because the party scene there is so vibrant – everyone wants to have a good time and party non-stop

And finally, anything you’d like to tease the Bitch and Mint crowds with?

Yes, I’m hoping they can catch because I’ll be throwing out a few of my read “MW” sunglasses in to the crowd!

For all the information on Bitch’s birthday weekend, tickets and details of the arena at Mint Festival visit – www.bitchevents.com

For those who can’t make Mint Festival, the Bitch Arena will be streaming live on Be-at.tv, between 5 and 9pm, with Michael Woods, BBC Radio 1′s Danny Howard, Kryder and D.O.D. so you don’t have to miss out completely!

 

 

 

On Saturday 29th September, Manchester’s biggest monthly house night celebrates it’s 6th Birthday with one hell of a party in store for those attending. We’re big fans of Bitch and Venus the Club at Dance Music Manchester and since we popped our Bitch cherry we’ve only missed one event so far. This is purely down to the fact we love the crowd, the club and the music so we massively recommend heading down to Venus on the 29th for what promises to be an incredible night.

Have we forgotten something? Oh yes… Not only have the Bitch Events team booked the legend that is Michael Woods to headline the event alongside the awesome squad of resident DJs for the club but they are also hosting a full arena at the brand new Mint Festival in Leeds, a one day event with some of the cream of the crop from the DJ World in attendance.

In June, the at the time unknown entity B3 was finally revealed, with Bitch residents Lempo, Russo and Pedro combining into a super-group that well and truly shocked the club with a stormer of a set. One of the best set’s we’ve witnessed at DMM, judging by the crowd reaction, atmosphere, variety and technicalities involved, the trio used their knowledge of the Bitch crowd and performed a memorable set to the Venus faithful. As their second ever gig together is at a festival, the lads will go far and have our every faith that they will make the festival-crowd go wild. If you missed their debut, make sure you head over to Leeds so you can witness B3 before they’re huge and in the future you can say, “Yes, I was there!”

The same night as the birth of B3, Bitch launched their new music label, announcing their first release as Felix Leiter‘s, “Your Future is Digital“. A track that made the crowd go wild and Felix’s set raised the bar for what was a truly memorable Saturday night. You can catch Felix at Mint Festival, to see what the fuss was all about.

After smashing it out at Creamfields, with SpamllaB, Kurt Lee, Party Animal and myself throwing some mad shapes at the front of the crowd, Manchester based DJ, Kryder, will be bringing the bass with what will be an unmistakably eclectic set, mixed with his new releases, remixes of classics and on-trend floor fillers, as he always does, whatever the venue. Hopefully, the Mint staff will have checked the smoke cannons are working or the fire extinguishers will be coming out once more!

Leading the charge the Bitch Arena, is the legend known as Mr. Eddie Halliwell after kicking the living daylights out of dance floors across the globe this year, from India to Croatia and at the end of September we will be graced with his presence in Lotherton Hall, Leeds. I don’t think we need to explain how good an Eddie Halliwell party is, do we?

A “special guest announcement” will be made shortly with another World class headline act that will impress even the most dedicated of ravers. We’re privileged enough to know who this is and my God this act is HUUUGGEEEE! Trust your DMM friends on this one! Radio 1 DJ, and Bitch favourite, Danny Howard will join forces with the incredible Third Party, Bitch regular D.O.D., Riley & Durrant, Dale Castell and Mikey Nelson completing the Bitch Arena.

Over the next few days, we’ll be doing a preview on each of the arenas, so watch this space as there are some awesome acts involved including Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler and Reboot (and that’s just the System and Flux Arena!)

Tickets for Mint are still on sale, if you’re heading over from Manchester, the lovely folks at Bitch are providing a coach from Venus, to Leeds and back again, just in time for Bitch @ Venus! As another gift, they’re packaging up a ticket to the festival, the return travel and a ticket to the club for just £60. Who fancies a party from midday to 6am? We know we do!

Follow Bitch on Facebook / Twitter
Follow Mint Festival on Facebook / Twitter
Book tickets for Mint Festival

A few weeks ago we  shared the news of a new festival launch in Leeds, hosted by the team behind the Mint Club & Mint Warehouse.  As you can see the from poster above, the line-up is sick.

Highlights for us have to be Jamie Jones / Seth Troxler in the System & Flux tent, Reboot and pretty much the entire Bitch tent. Eddie Halliwell is a known favourite of Dance Music Manchester’s, supported by Michael Woods, BBC Radio 1′s Danny Howard, Third Party, the man behind the visor Kryder, D.O.D and former DMM Track of the Month winner Felix Leiter. To top this off, Dale Castell, Micky Nelson and the INCREDIBLE B3 for their first live gig since their incarnation at June’s Bitch night at Venus, one of the best clubnights DMM have ever witnessed. Oh and the small matter of a very, very special guest to be announced soon. If we could share this, we would but for now you’ll just have to trust us, the final act is HUGE.

The first release are already sold-out but a festival with this collection of talent should not be missed. Get your ticket before they sell out, which they will.

Tickets
Tickets are currently available from Ticket Arena. More online outlets + paper tickets will be available soon

1st Release: £27.50 *SOLD OUT*
2nd Release: £32.50 *SOLD OUT*
3rd Release: £37.50
VIP: Info coming soon.

Buy tickets now from Ticket Arena.
http://bit.ly/MintFest2012TA

Fancy a lift?
For those living in Manchester, Bitch are running a coach pick up from Blackfriars Street, M3 2EG (outside Venus)  at 11am leaving from festival at 11pm arriving back to Venus, just in time for the monthly Bitch night! Package price is £50 but if you’re heading to the club for the Bitch after party, save a few quid on the club ticket with a £60 coach, festival and club ticket! For more info,  contact Ric Feingold on 07968461199 and party with us on the coach and through the night!

My Friday afternoon ended as per usual. A sneaky beer after work with the lads. That is where the normality ended as I was heading straight to Unity Radio, Manchester for #48HrsWith @IamLempo. 48 hours that anyone involved will remember for a very, very long time.

We were joined at the studio by his DJ / label partner, Japwow, alongside bitch residents Martyn Russo and Pete Mobey (Pedro) for what was to become, the birth of #48HrsWith. At this point, everyone involved knew it would be a big weekend,  consisting of music, banter, alcohol and a severe lack of sleep. However, I don’t think anyone realised quite how much we could squeeze into one weekend, where I would witness one of the greatest club-sets I’ve ever seen, meet some legendary heroes of dance music, chill with local but incredible musical talent and party with the best.

Unity Radio #TheBitchShow – 8pm – 11pm
I’m not a stranger to The Bitch Show but Friday had a real family, party-like vibe to it. Starting an hour earlier, the show was a cracker, with mixes from the mysterious B3, Bitch headliners Kim Fai and Felix Leiter with D.O.D added in for that little extra flavour. As you’d all expect, the mixes from Kim, Felix and D.O.D were all of the highest standard and would have made an incredible show alone but after the B3 promo mix that was released online last week, there was the added excitement surrounding this unknown entity. That intriguing feeling of will this be an absolute smasher or fall at the first hurdle. Judging by the social media and the way the studio bounced for the entire set, we could not see it being anything but a huge success.

As Bitch were launching their very own music label last weekend, it was only fitting that the debut release dropped on air and what a track that is. Hearing it for the first time on decent speakers, highlighted to me the awesomeness and power it had. Felix Leiter has provided Bitch with an insanely huge first single, “Your Future is Digital”, one that will be a really tough act to follow.

On top of the already high standard of music, was the standard of banter. I had a really interesting conversation with the talented and lovely Japwow about her awesome experiences as a DJ, producer and label owner. Enticed by her stories of DJing in New Zealand, The US and pretty much everywhere there is a party, my eyes opened up to the fact that some of the nicest, most humble  people around have lead incredible, exciting lives of both highs and lows but also how much dedication it really takes to become a World class DJ and producer.

We also talked about the unbelievable lineup Bitch has in store for Mint Festival in Leeds. If we could share this, we would but what we can say is this is one festival not to miss out on come September.

The comedy highlight of the night comes from the off-the-cuff edit of Cedric Gervais’ Molly, replacing Molly with the tantastic absentee, Griff, which had everyone in stitches.

Has anyone seen Griff? – Coming soon from Lempo, Pedro and Russo!

Pre-party beers with Lempo and Japwow

After the show, we had a couple of hours spare before heading to Sankeys. The trio headed down to Venus to fulfil our thirst for a little bit of trance at one of the North’s finest trance nights, Rong, with Simon Patterson, Jordan Suckley and Heatbeat were leading the line-up.

Sometimes, trance can be a little heavy for most people but when it’s done well, clubs like Venus erupt and that’s exactly what happened when Cosmic Gate’s, Fire Wire dropped to the adoration of the Manchester revellers. If you’re a fan of your dance music, a little bit on the speedier side, the last Friday of every month always goes off with Rong at Venus, so head down.

Our next stop was Sankeys, with a slight detour in the direction of Socio Rehab for a chilled one before the madness really kicks in. A great bar with really cool music at the weekend, easy to chill and talk but ever so tempting to get up and move your feet, another highly recommended Northern Quarter venue that you will definitely catch Dance Music Manchester frequenting if you keep your eyes peeled.

Upon arrival at Sankeys, we were greeted with warm hospitality… and a bottle of Grey Goose vodka. Lempo and Japwow’s set started at 4, so we chilled upstairs in Spektrum then raved downstairs to main room sets from veteran DJ legends, Graeme Park and Todd Terry, who we had the pleasure to speak to in Spektrum, alongside our mutual friend the gorgeous Sarah Whittle. Happy Birthday for today Sarah! Again, an absolute honour to meet such a hero, my mind running through the idea of how cool it would be if the talented threesome combined on a track, blending their backgrounds together into something that would be pretty magical.

In the early hours of the mornig, almost as if they snapped into a DJ state, Lempo and Japwow hit the decks at 4am with a sublime set, a real showcase of their music, the label and their talent, still visibly enjoying themselves in the process. As relaxed as they had been all night, seeing them flick the DJ switch on, hitting every beat but still providing the banter, was a joy to see. As individuals, they are both impressive people. Together, something seems to click, a visible chemistry on the decks. The highlight’s including the Lempo and Japwow remix of Funky Beat by U.M. Project, out now on Applique and their forthcoming remix of “Hey Ey Ey” by Mark Starr on DBR.

By 5/6am, we headed back to the Lempo residence, for a couple more drinks (I began to think DJs are allergic to sleep) before passing out for a few vital hours before we started again. Friday night was an awesome party but Saturday had massive plans for ourselves and the rest of Manchester. With the Applique Music Label Showcase at The Yacht Club, another radio show, interviews on Bitch TV and live sets from Kim Fai, Felix Leiter and a ridiculously memorable set by B3,  it was a day and night to remember but we’ll cover that in the next chapters.

Read more from #48HrsWith @IamLempo tomorrow night only on DanceMusicManchester.co.uk

*UPDATE* – You can listen to the Lempo and Japwow set from Sankeys on SoundCloud on DMM!

Read Chapter 2 – Hangovers, Label Showcases, Off-The-Cuff B2B DJ Sets and Buskers

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