Steve Lawler

Sankey’s kicks off the Ibiza season…

“People ask what is Sankeys 3D. Well it is our 3rd year and therefore we are into the 3rd dimension of the club. Obviously we had an amazing season last year, so we need to come out this summer all guns blazing. We are again making quite a few changes around the club as we grow towards an organic development of the venue. We will be totally transforming The Box as we put in a brand new sound system designed by New York’s Anthem Productions set to blow your mind as we reconfigure the room with a 3D element. The opening parties are just the beginning of it all, but wait until you hear about the rest of the programme we have at Sankeys this summer to be announced throughout February. I am so excited that I am about to burst and want to tell you all now, but I can’t…” – David Vincent

On the back of a stunning second season last year that saw it become the go-to spot for cutting edge club sounds and raucous party vibes thanks to residencies from Enzo Siragusa’s Fuse, Solomun’s Diynamic Neon Nights, Steve Lawler’s VIVa Warriors and of course Carnival, Sankeys Ibiza returns for 2013 ripe and ready to deliver their finest summer of events to date.

Dishing up the finest shades of house, techno and electronica, proceedings will be kicked off with a double dose of opening parties in late May.
The new 2013 season of VIVa Warriors will see multi-award winning Steve Lawler further emphasize his pivotal role on the island of Ibiza over the last 15 years, where his bold musical dexterity and underground attitude is now securely installed in the Sankeys Basement ready to lead his suitably impressive array of Warriors talent.
He will be supported by Darius Syrossian who is an essential addition to the line-up, while the on-point Nina Kraviz also returns after a superb performance at last year’s closing parties. Joining them will be Mosca, Shadow Child and Waze & Odyssey, who’ll each bring their own take on house and electronica to the first opening party.

In Spektrum, Troupe Records will be hosting the hotly-tipped Finnebassen who’ll be making his Sankeys Ibiza debut after being the most requested artist in a Facebook poll asking fans who should play at the opening parties. Indeed, the Norwegian’s form was too good to ignore thanks to last year’s dancefloor bombs “If You Only Knew” and “Touching Me”. Playing alongside him is emerging DJ/Producer Charlie Banks, whose pin-sharp EPs for Hypercolour and Dirty Crew Recordings belie his 19 years of age.

Day two sees the hugely anticipated return of Diynamic boss Solomun, inarguably one of the world’s hottest DJs and producers having scooped a multitude of awards. The big man has a sixth sense for bringing the party and will be getting the Sankeys basement jumping alongside fellow label mates H.O.S.H and David August.
The legendary Cajmere will also be gracing the disco with his presence, after king-hitting dancefloors during two superb performances last year, during Radio 1′s Weekend in Ibiza recorded live at the club, and part two of the classic closing party in October. Adding a more percussive shade of house to the brew is Just Be (Bushwacka!) who delivers every time he plays, while U Wanna Escape’s Luis Groove and Alex Picone join the line-up alongside the highly touted Antonio Piacquadio, a regular at Sankeys Manchester and soon to be resident of Sankeys NY, which is set to open this summer.
With the club set to formally announce its seven weekly residencies throughout February and plenty of surprises in store, Sankeys Ibiza 2013 is only just warming up for what’s destined to be its biggest season to date.

Thursday 23 May – Opening Party 1: Steve Lawler, Nina Kraviz, Finnebassen, Mosca, Darius Syrossian, Shadow Child, Waze & Odyssey, Hot Since 82, Charlie Banks, Jonathan Cowan.

Friday 24 May – Opening Party 2: Solomun, H.O.S.H., David August, Cajmere, Just Be (Bushwacka!), Alex Picone, Bones, Antonio Piacquadio, Luis Groove.

Plus the party continues…
Sankeys and Together Holidays are offering you a unique opportunity to experience the Ibiza Opening Fiestas, with a Sankeys Holiday package.
This mini break is specially designed for those who want to jet over and rejuvenate with the splendour of the Sankeys opening parties, experience 48 hours of the world’s top DJs, catch a few rays and set to the sea with the Sankeys Boat Party, while having all accommodation covered at the Beach front hotel – Jet apartments. Only £130 per person including accommodation and entry to all events. Bookings Here.

WIN ENTRY
Guerilla Sounds has teamed up with Sankeys Ibiza to offer one lucky GS reader the chance to win a double guestlist pass to both opening parties. All that is required of you is to sign up to the Guerilla Sounds mailing list here and make sure you tick the Sankeys Ibiza option under the Competition Entry space. You will be automatically entered into the competition where, if chosen, you will receive guestlist for you and a friend to both opening parties.
For any GS readers who are already signed up to the mailing list, you will automatically receive an email with instructions on how to make sure you are also entered into the competition. In the event that you haven’t received an email, let us know by contacting us at info@guerillasounds.com.
Winner will be announced through our twitter and facebook pages on Monday 20 May at 13:00 (GMT)

Sankeys Ibiza | Together Ibiza |

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Lessons to be learnt…

Words: Mike Taylor

Saturday 02 March was a long coming date in many people’s calenders and was a date that was to set host to what could have been one of the best parties of the year thus far. It saw Vauxhall club, Fire hosting a star studded line up of superstar DJ’s; Steve Lawler’s VIVa Warriors. Finding its home in Sankey’s and after having a sensational season in Ibiza last year they have been riding the wave of success, having hosted some of the best parties on the island. Their ethos is simple and it is something that all the VIVa Warriors preach; Great music, great people and with a pioneer such as Steve Lawler hosting these events, with his extensive history in underground and illegal raves you can almost bet it would be a night to remember. Unfortunately this time around it was something of a very different reality, which was due to no fault of their own.

Room one was calling and the music could not be faulted, the DJ’s executed their jobs with precision and artistry, my brief encounter with the Martinez Brothers was quite inspirational, watching such young artists perform with such professionalism and energy is only to be admired. VIVa boss Steve Lawler then stepped on and continued the onslaught of rhythmic, latin inspired tech-house. Stand out tracks such as Guti’s remix of “You Don’t Have To Hop” and Lawler’s new, unreleased “Organ Track” received amazing response. Tiefschwarz finished up the night with a descent into the realms of abyssal darkness, dubby techno and minimalistic sounds were for dessert, with memorable tracks like “Oslo Museum” taking the roof off.

Unfortunately my love affair of the music does not correspond with my feeling for the event. VIVa Warriors pride themselves on hosting great parties, never losing touch of the atmosphere and vibe they aspire to create, but on this occasion it was far from a VIVa Warriors party. Getting inside the building was a struggle in itself, door staff were pushed to their limit; they were understaffed and had little to no control over the masses of people stampeding in the queue. They seemed to have no idea what was going on and it was apparent there was no communication. Guest list was obviously given away too freely and what should have taken five minutes to get in took over an hour, all due to poor execution. I truly felt for the ‘pay on the door’ customers who had been waiting for hours to finally be told they had no chance of entering.

Once inside it was clear the event was hugely oversold, hoards of people fighting to find any little space that was available, there was barely room to breathe let alone to dance. It meant you couldn’t fully appreciate the music and was part of the reason I never left the main room, I couldn’t bare the thought of having to try and move through the deep sea of people, even a trip a to the toilet would of taken at least half an hour. Moving through the multiple narrow corridors was chaos; walls of people were simply jammed with nowhere to move causing a handful of fights I saw break out that evening.

I don’t know who is to blame but in this case everything just fell apart, did Fire just want the money? I don’t know, but what could have been one of the best events so far this year turned into a nightmare as so many inside agreed. I will be returning to both Fire and VIVa Warriors events as this is a rarity, all I can do is hope they have learned from this and look forward to experiencing the true VIVa Warriors vibe in Sankeys Ibiza.

Steve Lawler brings his VIVa Warriors to London…

Steve Lawler and his VIVa Warriors were confirmed only last week to headline this summer most talked about festival, Vertigo. The news comes as an important move for VIVa Warriors, not only because the Vertigo will be set 1,500m high in the Italian Alps and provide a unique intimate experience never before done during the summer, but it marks a pivotal addition to VIVa Warriors notoriety. And if that wasn’t enough, on 02 March head honcho Steve Lawler comes to London, bringing his famous VIVa Warriors with him for a night of unadulterated music and a no-nonsense party at Fire. Including a special guest to be announced, Tiefschwarz, Darius Syrossian, Detlef [live], Franco Cinelli along with Steve who has been curating this very special London date to kick off 2013.

The VIVa Warriors parties quickly made a name for themselves last summer, after taking up a residency at Sankey’s Ibiza. Soon, the nights were highly regarded as one of the leading underground party’s in Ibiza. As part of the VIVa Warriors tour, Steve will be taking over one of London’s most exciting venues Fire, with its newly installed Funktion One sound system and long standing presence on the cities electronic music scene, there is no room for disappointment between this pairing.

The line up pulls together a host of talent from the summers successful series of parties. Joining Steve are the likes of Basti from Tiefschwarz, who knows just how to soundtrack a party; Whether it’s a rooftop day rave or an intimate night, Basti has his song selection down to a T. Sankey’s resident and label regular, Darius Syrossian throws it down with his finely tuned house sound representing the UK, he is a true slave to the music and last year has seen him rise to the upper echelon of the dance music scene.

As well as a very special guest still to be announced, the line up doesn’t even nearly stop there. Julian Perez has built a solid reputation around the world for his elegantly moving and absorbing groovy style, while Franco Cinelli’s DJ sets blend an exciting selection of different styles through his flawless mixing. Not to mention, Detlef who will be performing live, Anëk, Antonio De Angeles, Outart and Melt‘s very own Arnaud Le Texier who will also be sharing their mix of high energy, foot stomping house and techno.

VIVa Warriors
Fire, South Lambeth Road, London
02.03.2013
22:00 – 06:00

Steve Lawler leading the VIVa Warriors…

Italy’s newest and most exciting music festival Vertigo has today revealed a number of original bookings to its already innovative line-up, as well as details of its partnerships across Europe. Acclaimed DJ-producer Steve Lawler will unite with his fellow VIVa Warriors Guti [live] and Julian Perez for a night of forward-thinking music. Joining Sankeys for their first ever appearance at a festival will be New York duo The Martinez Brothers, who will no doubt excite partygoers with their huge library of club-ready dance tracks. Finally, heavyweight Italian promoter Club2Club has confirmed they will be involved in Vertigo’s inaugural event and will be curating a special Club2Club showcase at the festival. Vertigo Festival will take place from 15-17 August in Pregalato, Italy. Early Bird tickets are available now from here.

Vertigo Festival is a brand-new festival taking place in the stunning Italian Alps at the height of summer time. Brought to you by a team of dedicated promoters from both the UK and Europe, Vertigo’s mission is to deliver a cutting-edge and exciting electronic music program in the most spectacular hillside landscape. In fact, Vertigo festival will be the highest altitude summer festival at 1,500 metres above sea level and is certain to take the European festival experience to another platform. Revellers will have the opportunity to explore the old Olympic venue complete, take in breathtaking mountain views of Chisone and indulge in 18-hours of the finest handpicked electronic music.

One of Italy’s most prevalent promoters Club2Club, responsible for putting on parties headlined by the likes of The Knife, Disclosure and Nina Kraviz has also been confirmed as a main partner. Using their wealth of experience in the Italian club scene as well as their enviable artist connections, Club2Club will program an exciting showcase made-up of promising artists. In addition to this, Sankeys, Manchester voted DJ Mag’s number one club in 2010, will be taking their passion and expertise from the North-West to the Alps to curate a very special program indeed.

Other partners from across Europe include RHEINRHYTHMIK from Cologne, Panoptic from Malta, London collective Zombie Soundsystem, Solid Grooves, Real Nice, Select*Elect, Troupe Records, Pretty Ugly, White Jail, What Matters and Leeds-based Nest.

Vertigo Festival
Ski Jumping Hotel, Pregelato, Italy
15 – 17 August 2013
12:00 – 06:00

More Details |

From listening to Sade and Wham in Africa to Techno in Paris…

Soliman has been at the forefront of the Paris techno scene since finishing his studies in International Business and deciding to DJ and promote parties in Paris full time. Since then he has never looked back, DJing across Paris and starting up his own night, Minimalyse This.
Continue reading “Soliman – from Sade in Africa to Techno in Paris [Interview]” »

Steve Lawler leads the VIVa Warriors summer takeover at Sankeys Ibiza…

From 04 July VIVa MUSiC and Steve Lawler will invite carefully selected guests to create a brand new date in the Ibizan clubbing calendar, an exciting new curation of electronic music at the Island’s freshest underground establishment, Sankeys.

Continue reading “Steve Lawler & VIVa Warriors at Sankeys Ibiza” »

Steve Lawler & Detlef set to shake up the dance floor…

Steve Lawler has always remained all about the music, consistently evident as he presents his new single “Audition”; his first release since last year’s tightly knit vocal hit “Gimme Some More” a track that equally manages to squeeze every last echo of soul from a rough offering of percussion.
Like his DJ sets Lawler’s productions have always been intricately linked to both the sounds of house and techno and now the king of Space has decided it’s time to stamp authority over his imprint with “Audition”.

This co-production with VIVa Music’s Detlef recalls Steve’s churning productions yet still feels emblematic of his forward thinking musical nature. “Audition” is a deep throbbing release that adopts a very rhythmic feel through not just percussion sounds and tribal vocal cuts, but also a slick bass and some very creative sounds. Steve Lawler and Detlef have definitely produced a record that is likely to be shaking dance floors across the globe.
Davide Squillace provides his rework of “Audition”, which takes on a slight abstract twist, keeping very close to “Lovely Nightmare” title. Squillace conveys this title through a laidback pace that is as deep and effective as Steve and Detlef’s original mix, layered with the perfect selections of sounds and FX to boost the pleasant abstract feel embedded into the mix.

Release Date: 5th December 2011

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Steve Lawler’s 5hr set…

With the recent success of the Harlem Nights re-launch being a complete sell-out, Steve Lawler returns to Crucifix in London Bridge on Friday 24th June for the “Lights Out Decade” Album Launch Party. With last time round Steve playing a long set and the crowd refusing to leave the venue, this time round will be another chance to catch him play an intimate five hour set.

As ever, Steve is committed to recapturing the special vibe of his previous Harlem Nights events. Hence the party is making the switch back to Friday evenings; the spiritual night of the week of the original residency at The End. Joining Steve in Room 1 once again will be VIVa MUSiC’s Bearweasel with their warm, deep and dubby brand of house music.
Room 2 will be hosted by VIVa MUSiC Limited and will be the place to catch some of the finest deep house around. London-based James What and Chicago-born Dan Berkson are two of the most enigmatic producers currently on the circuit and are on the cusp of international recognition. With releases on Poker Flat, Crosstown Rebels, and Dessous, the duo will be bringing their captivating live show to the Harlem Nights tribe. Joining them will be legendary Secret Sundaze promoter and resident Giles Smith.
The party will be held in association with SW4 ahead of Steve’s set at the festival for the ‘We Love’ Arena.

Harlem Event | Tickets