- With the UK bathed in wall-to-wall sunshine over the entire Bank Holiday weekend, Maidstone, a small town in South East England, felt a lot like Ibiza on Easter Sunday. Upon leaving the sealed off alleyway where several hundred people had danced away the afternoon, evening and night in their shorts and sunglasses, punters were then plunged into the dreamy redness of another beautiful summer's dawn. The event was curated by Saved Records boss Nic Fanciulli, who brought a stellar lineup of similar minds to his hometown for a celebration of house and techno from 2 PM to 6 AM.
After matured warm-up sets from Mark Fanciulli and Rob Cockerton, one of Saved's most promising developing artists, Andrea Olivia took to the stage. The Swiss producer took the energy levels up as the crowds lining the long and narrow alleyway gradually advanced to the main street, which marked the end of the space. As the murky light began to fade and night took hold, Circo Loco residents Matthias Tanzmann and Davide Squillace began their back-to-back set.
Although still warm outside, the sunshine had left and was replaced by blasts of deep red and blue lasers that illuminated the smog of the smoke machines that wafted across the crowd who now resembled a perfect mixture between a festival and Ibiza crowd. Tanzmann edged towards deeper house as Hideout boss Squillace indulged his techno sentiment, adding the drive and momentum to their set that straddled deep and tech-y flavours, but with plenty of the trademark loopy and hypnotic sound that fuels their Ibiza parties.
Nic Fanciulli took over the reins alongside Stacey Pullen for the next section of the night. Having worked in the studio together before—and with more co-releases and DJ slots to come—the pair worked with an unforced and natural unison, each sharing the decks to present an electrifying performance of rolling tech house, driving techno and rugged underground grooves. German duo Tiefschwarz closed the outdoor proceedings with a more minimal-influenced set, perfect for closing the outdoor stage whilst taking the crowd deeper into the night. At 2 AM, the crowds moved into Source Bar's inside area, where they were greeted by a special live set from Guti. The Argentinean played live keys as he created his immersive fusion of electronic music, jazz and Latin influences. And while Nick Liousias was on hand to finish off the party, Guti's set somehow seemed the perfect ending to a party that saw Nic Fanciulli bring a little piece of Ibiza to Maidstone.