Slammin Vinyl… The king of UK raves. Serving the party faithful since their very first event on October 21 1994, their ninth annual Westfest bash on October 27 will mark 18 years of dedicated dance hedonism. Fancy celebrating with them? We’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away. Read on to find out how you can get your paws on them.
First things first: the line-up. Like all Slammin Vinyls, it reads as a D&B dream with (deep breath…) Andy C, Friction, DJ Rap, DJ Hype, Delta Heavy, Loadstar, SL2, Micky Finn, Kenny Ken, Nicky Blackmarket, The Prototypes, Major Look, Hazard, Fred V & Grafix, Sub Zero, Crissy Criss and Original Sin all recruited.
If you’re also into hardcore and hard dance then the line-up across this seven arena spectacular is likely to make your head explode with Darren Styles, Gammer, Technoboy, Organ Donars, Scot Project, Dougal, Kutski and Hixxy all signed up to play too.
Massive, right? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can get the full details, plus travel and all necessary logistics right here. We’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away, but first let’s enjoy a rare insight into the hard work that goes on behind each Slamming Vinyl event as the promoters share some interesting facts about their business:
The very first Slammin Vinyl was: The Rhythm Station in Aldershot. It was primarily a hardcore event, although DJ Hype was on the bill and quite enjoyed himself.
The strangest rider request we’ve ever had was: We’ve had everything requested over the years, from a packet of Jaffa cakes (slightly chilled so they don’t melt) to the provision of a bodyguard (must be over 6ft and be able to handle himself). The recent one I like is from Loadstar, who have specifically requested ‘2 girls in bikinis to serve us drinks on stage, dancing compulsory’.
VIPs at Slammin Vinyl over the years have included: Soap stars and Dave Courtney (not a VIP but known to D&B people)
The average amount of staff a Slammin Vinyl needs to take place is: On a big event like Westfest, including security, bar staff, catering staff, management team and artists, you’re probably looking at 350+ people.
The average amount of beers sold at a Slammin Vinyl is: The local pubs probably take more in the lead-up to an event than what we ever take over the bar ourselves! There’s probably around 50 crew stationed on-site from the Monday to the Sunday so the local boozers get hit hard in the evenings leading up to the event. We like to do our bit for the local community.
The time it takes to organise, promote, hold and de-rig a Slammin Vinyl event is: Five to six months to promote and organise, a very short 11-12 hours to actually do the gig, and then a couple of days de-rig. It seems a massive shame that all that work goes into just one night, it would be much better if it lasted a whole weekend. Having said that, we have done three weekend festivals before, and it’s always pissed down with rain the whole time so probably better that we don’t go down that route again for some time.
The strangest behaviour witnessed at a Slammin Vinyl has been: I think all you need to do is watch any footage from our events, and you will see a multitude of odd behaviour taking place.
The DJ who’s played at Slammin Vinyl the most times is: On the D&B side of things, it must be Andy C, virtually every event since day one.
The best piece of fan mail Slammin Vinyl has received was: Nothing here of interest really, although we do get a fair few requests for music and flyers from those who are currently being held at Her Majesty’s Pleasure….
The weirdest Slammin Vinyl event was: Probably in an old Soviet-era power station in Tallinn, Estonia.
Westfest 2012 will be held at The Royal Bath & West Showground on Saturday October 27. Full details can be found on their website.
WIN TICKETS!
The Royal Bath & West Showground is more commonly frequented by…
A) Agricultural livestock
B) Clowns
C) Celebrity lookalikes
D) Politicians
SORRY. THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.