• Bloc at In:Motion


  • The Bloc team linked up with Bristol’s In:Motion series of clubnights for a night of dubstep, techno, acid and house across three rooms at the city’s skate park. With lauded artists across such a varied spectrum of music it was a reminder of the impressive array of acts Bloc has become famous for booking but we will have to wait until July next year to see the festival back in action after moving from its March date of five years.

    The In:Motion skate park offers few creature comforts – it’s got an atmosphere of an illegal rave with toilets housed outside the venue and a bar in a marquee for smokers that adds to its flavour along with an inside that’s part dark and dingy for the underground raver with a large main space for the bigger acts. On Friday, November 25th Bristol’s Subloaded took over the main space headlined by Joker with support from 2562 and Magnetic Man’s Artwork. 2562’s future dubstep proved engaging, though there was a lively party going on in the Border Community-hosted tunnel that proved impossible to ignore.

    The Border Community dancefloor was a constant mass heaving to Holden’s beat.

    Packed into a narrow dancefloor with a DJ booth at the end, the techno-lovers were getting down to the melodic sounds of Fairmont. He was the first of a trio of Border Community acts set to play during the night, and his hour set was a blissful ride. Next up was label head James Holden who had a smile on his face for the duration of his three-and-a-half-hour set which could be felt in his music as he bounded through house, techno, minimal and a splash of electro to majestic effect. The Border Community dancefloor was a constant mass heaving to his beat and though Nathan Fake was due to take to the DJ box at 4.30am, Holden was still at the controls when we left at gone 5am.

    Sadly the hypnotic music in the tunnel meant there was no time to catch the Bloc DJs Jo Hart and Al Tourettes or special guest Luke Vibert, but the whole venue was alive and kicking even in the early hours – much like the Bloc Weekend. They’ve got the knack for programming a kick ass party and there will be even more ravers eagerly awaiting the first details of next year’s two-day festival.

by Mike Barnard

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