Events

Our Venue - http://www.londonpleasuregardens.com/the%20site/

Just one year ago a group of friends and music lovers got together in a tiny basement in Hoxton as Clockwork made their UK debut...and what started out as a party has become a movement, a year long adventure across London taking in fabric, Village Underground and a whole heap of East London warehouses.

Along the way we have had some amazing guests…Tato, W!ld, Andrew Grant, Rodriguez Jr, Tuccillo, Willie Graff, Egal 3, Lilith and Tale of Us to name but a few...all of whom have fallen in love with the vibes you guys create on our dancefloors and in turn have become a firm fixture in our little AoD crew..many of them returning again just to party with us.

Above all though its the love and the togetherness which has created this underground revolution. We consider the party to be something which belongs to us all, and we will be forever grateful for the dedication which you have all shown, protecting the party and only introducing it to the right people...those with love and music in their hearts. This is what makes it special and its been built by all of us together since that very first night.

And so its time for us to celebrate one year as a family, and to look towards another exciting year together as we launch the Art of Dark record label, take in Ibiza, Berlin, Amsterdam and of course lots more warehouses over the next 12 months ;)

We're sure you will all agree that such an occasion requires both a special line up and a very special setting...and we're delighted to say that is exactly what we have as the sensationally talented Kate Simko, Robsoul boss and original house gangster Phil Weeks and our very own legend in the making Hector all fly in to lead us into an all day, all night midsummer Garden party.

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Kate Simko LIVE (Leftroom)

Getting her start stateside alongside Matthew Dear, Ryan Elliott, and the Spectral Sound crew, Kate Simko has quietly, yet consistently, established herself as one of dance music’s rising stars. A diverse musician, Kate's projects range from remixing Philip Glass, to composing film scores, to rocking jackin’ DJ sets, and producing her melodic, Chicago-flavoured take on house and techno.

Kate stepped in to the spotlight in 2011, releasing her first full-length album ‘Lights Out’ on Berlin's esteemed Hello?Repeat label. To accompany the album release, Kate unveiled a custom audio-visual live set programmed by video guru Jeffrey Weeter. The cutting edge set – featuring original HD video scenes from around the world, modulating to the rhythms of the dance floor – was debuted at Rex Club in Paris, then performed at top spots around the globe. 2011 also saw some noted collaborations for Kate, including her ‘Sit Back’ EP with Anthony Collins on Supplement Facts and her PolyRhythmic project with Tevo Howard. Meanwhile Kate’s remix of Guy Gerber's ‘Hate/Love’ and Laura Jones’ ‘Love In Me’ held their place in the DJ charts for months. Back home in Chicago, the legendary Smart Bar added her as a resident, where she joins the likes of Derrick Carter, DJ Heather, Miles Maeda, and Justin Long.

Up next this spring is a fresh collaboration EP with Leftroom boss Matt Tolfrey, a solo EP on Leftroom, a new PolyRhythmic EP with Tevo Howard, and a few other key releases in the works.

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Phil Weeks

DJ/producer Phil Weeks is a house music purist. His mixing is old school Chicago with a nu-school French flare going from the deepest house to the techiest. His production sounds like it could have been released in the 90’s partly because he uses the same gear: 808’s, 909’s, 606’s, even vintage keys. He prefers vinyl, likes his mixes dirty, and knows how to rock a crowd with a heavy hitting bass line. Phil Weeks is a house purist dedicated to bringing the world only proper house music with his Djing, his producing and his label, Robsoul Recordings.

A true lover of house music, Phil Weeks’ DJ career started 10 years ago. With skills comparable to the best and crowd-pleasing track selection it wasn’t long before Phil Weeks became a major player in the house music scene. He’s played some of the world’s most renowned venues like Queen’s Club, Sankey’s Soap, Circus, Ministry of Sound, Back to Basics, and Stereo.

By 2001 he was ready for the next step and Robsoul Recordings was born. Originally the label was meant as an avenue for Phil to release his own tracks the way he wanted to and the success was more than he anticipated. Phil Weeks’ early releases “Yeah I Like It” and “It Put Me Well” became classics in less than 2 months. Now Phil Weeks is one of the world’s most sought after producers saving his best work for his label and often releasing other tracks under monikers like PW.

It wasn’t long before this success lead to the decision to sign other artists to the label. Consequently Robsoul is now one of the world’s most renowned and respected house music labels featuring some of the world’s best like Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak, David Duriez, No Assembly Firm, Fries & Bridges and Chris Carrier. Releases are selling out in a time when many labels aren’t able to keep afloat. But Phil Weeks’ isn’t one to brag about this. To him it’s all about keeping proper house music alive. Which just goes to show Phil Weeks is a house purist.

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Hector

To talk about Hector with any of the original Art of Dark family is to speak of a legend.

From Fabric London over to Playa Del Carmen via Ibiza back to Berlin, Hector is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most exciting young producers and DJs on the planet, effortlessly balancing his will to experiment with commitment to the founding spirit of house. Mixing up styles and moods but always focussed firmly on the dance-floor’s needs and desires, Hector’s selections nod to house music’s past but engage fully with its future; his sets have energy, precision and soul.

Hector hails from Guadalajara, Mexico and began DJing at the age of 16 when he heard visiting European DJs play on their rare trips to his city. Inspired by the sounds of Carl Craig, Moodyman, the Timewriter & Terry Lee Brown Jr., Hector soon came to realize that his future lay in music. He began to dj in one of the best clubs in Mexico, Bar Americas, run by Ramon Gonzales who has since become one of Hector’s biggest supporters and a big influence on helping Hector get where he is today. After a strong start in his home country, Hector headed for England, fell in love with the capital’s music scene and has remained there for many years until his recent switch to Berlin.

Taking to the decks one mid summer night last year, Desolat’s fastest rising star delivered a 2 hour master class in house music which ignited the dancefloor and set a new standard for the party…..a few months later he returned to play a magical sunrise set after Andrew Grant…once again proving why he is such a firm favorite for us.

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The location we have selected for this is perhaps one of the most magical to be found anywhere in the world. During the day we will have the opportunity dance amongst giant art installations and sculptures in a very special open air garden setting…then at night we move into a custom built indoor festival style structure on the same site to party until the sun comes up. We have never been more excited about the setting for a party…and those of you that have been with us throughout the course of the year will know thats a huge statement.

Unlike our normal adventures we have decided to open this one up as a celebration which all of Londons underground community can join us for. The capacity for the party is 1000 but with tickets publicly available we would strongly suggest making your move right away.