Time certainly flies when you’re having fun, so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that the last three years since Luca Folco aka Candyman01 first relaunched Devon night DHF in London have absolutely flown by. With the countdown to the DHF 3rd Birthday Bash at JAMM on Friday 2nd December well and truly underway, HarderFaster shared some memories with the dirtiest, hardest and fastest promoters in London, Luca and Bubs…
Luca Folco aka Candyman01
Happy third birthday! I can’t believe it’s been three years since the first DHF party at the Mass in 2008. What have been the highlights of the last three years for you?
Bubs: My highlights have been meeting and working with so many awesome people! I also really enjoyed helping towards the collaboration party RAW. It was immense fun! I had taken a small step down with this party as there were so many promoters, but I still did my bit to represent DHF.
Luca: For me it has been to work and play with some incredible artists from all over Europe as we promote the Euro sounds and also to have made some incredible new friends from it! I hope to carry on welcoming more artists from all over the globe, definitely go global, hehehe!!
DHF was originally started in October 2000 in Devon by Jules, Rupert and George. Do you think you’ve managed to re-create the vibe of the early DHF parties, or is DHF v2 a different beast?
Luca: I think I carried on the DHF legacy quite well, maintaining the same vibe at all London parties and I can honestly say that the event settled pretty well in the big smoke. People across London are starting to recognise DHF and actually look forward to it every time it happens these days. All this hard work is finally paying off.
Bubs: I unfortunately never made it to a DHF when it was first started. I was living down in Torquay at the time and had heard about it, but sadly never made it to one.
What inspired each of you to start promoting events? Is it something you always wanted to do, or did you fall into it after falling in love with clubbing and raving?
Bubs: I started promoting to help Luca out, it’s not an easy thing to put on a party and especially if you’re doing it alone. It also helps that I love the music and the social aspect of it.
Luca: I have clubbed for over 15 years and found that now more than ever I wanted to promote. When the opportunity came I took it and gave it my best shot with DHF as it always had something pretty magical about it already back then, eleven years ago.
Bubs
Over the last three years you’ve stuck to your guns and brought some of the hardest and fastest DJs and producers to London. Who would you say has been the hardest and fastest?
Luca: Mark EG, D4RK Wragg and Log:One, SHOCK:FORCE, Nick The Kid and Nutty T and probably myself – Candyman01.
Bubs: That’s a tough one, I think everyone has been pretty hard and perfect for our parties. The craziest has gotta be Mark EG, especially his b2b set with Proteus when we hosted the room for Frantic on NYD.
From the Mass to Hidden to the legendary JAMM in Brixton, what’s been your favourite DHF party over the last three years?
Bubs: My personal favourite was our 2nd Birthday, it was such a fun night and the atmosphere was awesome. I also totally loved our collab party RAW – again the atmosphere was amazing!
Luca: The birthday parties are always the best because we tend to go and think BIIIIIIG!! Although to be honest I’ve loved every single one since I started back then in 2008. I am really excited to do the next one at JAMM as it has an amazing history of great gigs happening there.
When you first re-launched DHF three years ago hard trance was having something of a renaissance. Three years on, is this still the case? What motivates you to keep putting on such awesome parties in these challenging times?
Luca: I must say I love music and that is why I’m still promoting events, even in these hard current times. Euro hard trance has had a really strong comeback, topping the charts these days on TrackItDown week in and week out, which is really reassuring and amazing for the genre. I find that the Euro beats and the more techy sounds are really dominating the hard dance scene these days. Let’s hope its going to carry on like this.
Bubs: I think three years on hard trance is still looking strong with some awesome artists flying the flag for us hard trance lovers!
It’s definitely not an easy time though to put on a party with the recession, but our love for the Euro sounds keeps us going. There’s not a lot of Euro in London and it’s mostly slotted into a UK hard trance/hard house night, so we pride ourselves in sticking to our guns with keeping it Euro.
If you won Euromillions tomorrow and decided to put a million towards the ultimate DHF party, where in the world would you have it and who would you book to play?
Luca: Wow I would like to organise one in a forest with 2 main stages, I’d kit the whole area with amazing sound and I would have Carl Cox, followed by Laurent Garnier and Adam Bayer on one area and on the second stage all the best in the hard scene, inviting titans like Mark EG (playing two sets: a hard trance one and a techno one), Dave The Drummer, Chris Liberator, Organ Donors, Cally and Juice, Kutski, Asys, Luca Antolini, Andrea Montorsi, Sam Punk, Sa.Vee.oh, Nick The Kid, SHOCK:FORCE, Jon the Baptist and Chuck-E, S.H.O.K.K. & DJ Space Raven, Wragg and Log:One, Argy, Hardforze, Josh Lang, Dj Husband, DJ Xdream, DBS, Candyman01, Louk, Busho, Dean Zone, D4RK, Nutty T and many more.
Bubs: I like the sounds of Luca’s party, but probably wouldn’t have it in a forest… I’m a bit of a tree-hugger and think a party like that would destroy its natural surroundings. Maybe move DHF to Ibiza, somewhere that’s already catered for us crazy clubbers.
Given that promoting has now become something of a job for you all, do you still get the chance to go out partying much, or is it something you save for the notorious DHF afterparties?
Bubs: I think promoting is not just about putting on a party, it’s about going out and enjoying a party too. Going out, speaking to people, making new friends, being silly and having a laugh… and a few jaegers. On the night though there is hardly time for any of the above as I’m so busy running around, so I guess that’s why there’s those notorious DHF afterparties.
Luca: Very good question, yeah I still love going out to party, but I am quite choosy on what DJs I want to go out to see and hear. Yeah I still absolutely love partying after the DHF events, because I can then finally relax with my crew at home with some more quality music playing.
What up-and-coming hard and fast DJs and producers have caught your eyes and ears lately?
Luca: Wragg and Log:One, SHOCK:FORCE, Hardforze, Josh Lang, Dj Husband, Max Sa.Vee. Oh, ofcourse the godfather of Euro Luca Antolini, the mighty Andrea Montorsi, Nick The Kid, Louk – wow there are so many, but these are certainly my favourites.
Bubs: Josh Lang, Dj Husband, X-Dream, Argy, Loki, Hardforze, Nomad…. arrgghhh, I can’t think of everyone right now.
During the last three years you’ve worked with some of the top hard and fast promotions in the country, such as Hindsight and Frantic. Is there anyone you haven’t worked with yet that you’d like to do an event with?
Bubs: We’ve worked with: Frantic NYD 2011, hosting a DHF Harder Styles room; Hindsight vs Bionic vs DHF; RAW – DHF, Octane, Squelcher, Rebellion and Sinistry; and Riot vs Goodgreef in association with DHF and Trackitdown. I think Audio Surgery would be awesome to team up with, their line-ups are always pretty awesome.
I’d love to do a DHF tour in Oz though with Hard Kandy and Masif! That would be immense! And also take it to my hometown Durban, South Africa. and host a Euro room for Love-Tec Entertainment.
Luca: I’d love to play for Bionic in Wales and of course Goodgreef up north where it all started. I only collaborated with Bionic once at a Hindsight event, but the weather really played against us and half of the artists couldn’t turn up. Goodgreef asked us to collaborate with them and Riot! in September – that was pretty cool!! I’d love to host a Euro room for Frantic again. NYD 2011 was amazing for us and went proper off!! The Red Room had the best atmosphere in the whole of Hidden!! Rock on!!
The DHF crowd is one of the friendliest in London – do you think this is the secret to a great event, or something else?
Luca: I believe it is, yes!! It’s a fantastic bunch of ravers who I always like calling “Happy Ravers” because they always are! Everyone who comes to DHF loves the Euro sounds and is always up for a good laugh!! I hope it will always stay like this as it creates an amazing atmosphere. Ah for the record we never had a fight happening at our events!! Its all about Peace and Love and awesome beats!! Bring on the 2nd of December, the DHF 3rd birthday bash is what we’re all waiting for!!
Bubs: The DHF crowd is so friendly and I’ve never done a DHF where people weren’t happy and smiling. I think the secret is spending time with the people who come to the party as they make the party. You can’t put on an event without being connected to the clubbers… hence going out to other events and meeting friends and making new ones etc.
Is there anything that you now know about organising and promoting events that you wish you’d known three years ago when you decided to re-launch DHF?
Bubs: To be a bit tougher.
Luca: All the contacts and the experience I have built through out the years!! This comes only with time very hard work and absolute dedication to your event and the music. To be honest this has really been priceless for us in order to grow.
Over the last three years the DHF residents have gone from strength to strength, with them all producing some of the best new hard dance tracks around in addition to playing at the hardest and fastest events around the world. Does having such top residents make the job of promoting them a bit easier?
Bubs: Definitely! Our residents are on top form and they promote us! We’re very proud of all our residents, they’ve been playing all over the globe this year and have had some top productions!
Luca: It certainly helps and yeah I’m absolutely proud of all my residents!! Nick The Kid has been there for us from day one and I am eternally grateful to him. Learned a lot from the guy and he is also one of my best friends, but then I mustn’t forget SHOCK:FORCE and Wragg and Log:One who absolute smash it world wide now to some of the best and biggest hard events out there!! Nutty T has done very well as well and of course myself collaborating with Nutty T under the alias of Dirty Demons and working closely with titans such as Luca Antolini and Andrea Montorsi. I even had my vocals recorded on one of Luca Antolini track’s called ‘Rewind’, it quickly become a real hit here in the UK and Australia. Still now it’s pretty nuts to hear my voice in it, but I love it lol! SHOCK:FORCE found it worth remixing and they created a real beast of a track!!
The line-up for the third birthday is one of the hardest and fastest yet, with more international DJs at one party then some events will ever book. Is it safe to say that you’re planning one hell of a party?
Bubs: It’s most definitely going to be one hell of a party! We’ve had a few obstacles like with the venue change, and right now Luca and I can’t wait to get out there and celebrate our birthday with everyone!
As well as the internationals, you’ve also got Mark EG and Chris Liberator doing a rare birthday back to back set. Surely this is a must for any techno fan?!
Bubs: Hell yeah, its gonna be pretty special!
Luca: Of course, the don of acid techno b2b with absolute legend Mark EG doing a 90 mins exclusive Techno set!! Only this should draw the attention of any raver in London who loves the harder sounds and obviously all the true techno heads.
For those reading this who’ve never been to a DHF party, why should they come and celebrate with you on the 2nd of December?
Bubs: They should come and celebrate with us because a party is not a party without lots of happy people… we’re providing the best line-up and are expecting the happiest crowd to come celebrate with us.
Luca: Because we certainly know how to cater for an amazing party and production. Musically we really tailor our events to offer the clubber an amazing experience and this one is set to be pretty special!!
Thanks for your time! Looking forward to celebrating with you on the 2nd!
Ok guys & girls, have you even thought about christmas presents yet? Probably not! So here is one early present covered for all you lovely people...
A present from us at DHF HQ to YOU the clubber!!! The line up is the biggest we've had yet and we dare say one of the biggest for European related music that London has seen in recent times! Be warned...
You might need to take a seat for this!! Anyway enough waffling...
HERE IT IS!!! DHF 3RD BIRTHDAY
Main Arena:
Luca Antolini
Phil York & Fausto
Mark EG
SHOCK:FORCE
Jon the Baptist & Chuck-E
S.H.O.K.K. vs. DJ Space Raven
Andrea Montorsi
Sa.Vee.Oh
Nick the Kid
Candyman01
Second Arena:
Mark EG vs. Chris Liberator
Sam Punk
D4rk
Argy
Nutty T
Dean Zone
Scottish
We think the line up pretty much speaks for itself but as per usual we'll be fully locked and loaded with all the usual DHF goodies ranging from FREE CD giveaways to birthday sweets and christmas treats! So be sure to put this date down in your diaries and come have an early christmas with us and also help us celebrate our 3RD BIRTHDAY in style!!
FRIDAY 2ND DECEMBER 2011 @ JAMM, BRIXTON, LONDON
Tickets available from the following outlets:
More on the Door:
http://www.moreonthedoor.com/Event/DHF-3rd-Birthday.aspx
The Ticket Sellers:
http://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/tickets/dhf-3rd-birthday/10018191?ref=let_aft
Flyer:
-
Region:
London
Music:
Acid Trance. Euro Trance. Hard Trance. HardStyle. Techno.
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