A matter of days remain until a sizeable wedge of the drum & bass community ups sticks and sets up a sunny side HQ on Spain’s Lloret de Mar for the award-winning, week-long chaos marathon Innovation In The Sun.
Seven days of yacht parties, beach bashes and good old fashioned club sessions kicking off on June 23, the line-up genuinely reads like a who’s who in all styles and shades of drum & bass and jungle… Andy C, Friction, Hype, TC, Hazard, Metrik, Mampi Swift, The Prototypes, Sub Zero, Majistrate, Guv, Crissy Criss, Logan D, Grooverider, Original Sin, Phantasy, DJ SS, Randall, Heist, Uncle Dugs…. The list of talent lined up goes on and on. And that’s before we get to the MCs who, in many ways, play the lead role of the event, hosting their own boat parties and unique events throughout the week.
With 11 years worth of legendary tales coming back from the Costa Del Brava every summer, we caught up with the promoters Phantasy and Lloyd and squeezed them for 10 of their favourite memories.
Fancy a last minute holiday? Grab one of the last remaining tickets!
PHANTASY:
The waterpark. The first time innovation hosted the infamous waterpark, the vibes from the 2000 people there was incredible. That’s all people were talking about for months and months. That was the highlight for me, seeing all them happy faces enjoying drum and bass in the sun.
The beach party. Last year was the first time the big beach party was launched and it rained incredibly hard for about 30 minutes but the D&B family did not let that stop them. They carried on partying and soon the blazing sun was out and they all dried off and never ice stopped dancing. Incredible.
The pool party. Skibadee hosted a pool party a few years ago and it was like a scene from a movie or a music video. Everyone dancing around and enjoying themselves with big smiles on their faces. Loved that party. Maybe that has to come back.
Checking in day. This one might seem strange but when you meet the thousands of people passing through, checking in and see their excitement for the week that lays ahead, this brings a massive smile to the whole Innovation teams’ faces. They know they’re about to have the week of their lives.
Harry Shotta Show 2014. During the Harry Shotta Show, there was a planned beach ball and inflatables drop from the netting in the ceiling and it was all timed to perfection. The roar from the crowd was something else. Goosebumps is an understatement. The video footage is also something that will always stay with me. Incredible vibes.
One yacht party. I was standing on wall by the beach front and the boat was about a mile out to sea and I could still hear the crowd shouting ‘boooo!’ to the MC. That was like a wow moment.
LLOYD Innovation:
The very first Innovation In The Sun when no one knew what to expect. The energy of the warm up party let alone the first night was electric!
A few year back before the venue’s capacity was increased, Andy C played the last night and all the ravers in resort came for his set. The venue got so full that people could hardly move in the club and in the courtyard but the vibes were immense.
Artists letting their hair down to the max….We won’t mention any names, but seeing them totally relax and become a raver again is always a good laugh. The best ones have to be; seeing an artist climb a tree for a dare and another diving into the sea fully clothed… Naturally he lost all his money and passport.
Last year the Evil B boat was anchored at the beach for too long so the police asked the captain to move the boat. Evil B wasn’t on the boat yet and the look on his face was priceless as the boat sailed off without him (the boat returned after 10 mins to pick him up)
No doubt this video from 2005 will bring back some memories