Following on from their well received festival in July, the Reasons team have a Halloween event of epic proportions lined up for us, dubbed ‘Reasons to be Fearful’ (subject to the kind permission of the Bailiff, of course).
With a theme based on an isolated community – once vibrant and well visited, but now firmly in decline and populated by more than a few odd characters (sound familiar?) – the team have vowed to transform a large section of Fort Regent into an interactive playground for grown ups. Expect a variety of areas (some of them hidden), including an 1800 capacity ’town hall’, cinema, curry house, salon (hosted by Liberate) and much more.
The lineup picks up the baton from the summer event, offering a wider variety of top quality electronica and roots music with a stellar cast of headliners, including the evergreen 2manydjs, technical wizard James Zabiela, turntable masters The Scratch Perverts, deep house hero Huxley, and the winning combo of Uk hop-hop hero Rodney P and Nice Up! records head honcho DJ Shepdog.
The event is also one of Austrian ski/snowboard/full on rave-up festival Snowbombing’s official launch parties – one of just a handful taking place in some of Europe’s hottest cities. This is a genuine coup for Jersey clubbing, and further proof that we can compete in this field on a wider level.
2manydjs and their band, Soulwax, have been active since the mid 90’s, but it was their 2002 mixtape “as heard on Radio Soulwax pt 2” that thrust them in to the public consciousness. A roller-coaster ride of party tracks that shouldn’t work together but somehow do (Dolly Parton vs Royksopp anyone?) it’s scientifically proven that it’s impossible to avoid smiling whilst listening to it. Obviously, we made that up, but you catch our drift. Whilst their sound is much more of a streamlined electro/techno hybrid these days, they are still renowned for their energetic sets – which always throw up a surprise or two.
James Zabiela is equally known for his unmatched technical prowess and unbounded enthusiasm for his art, always smiling and enjoying himself as much – if not more than – the audience he is playing to. Another sonic chameleon, James plays across a broad range of styles including house, techno, breakbeat and drum & bass – always with a forward thinking, progressive edge.
Huxley is part of the new school of British house producers. He manages to just about stay within the confines of house and techno, always pushing the limits – whether it be with skippy garage influenced drum programming or low down wobble that owes more to drum & bass or dubstep. His productions are always on point and he has proven himself as a DJ of repute, having played all over the world over the last few years.
The Scratch Perverts have been at the forefront of turntablism for nearly 20 years, cutting and scratching their way through more or less every genre of club music imaginable. Their Beatdown residency at Fabric brought together the best acts from a wide range of British music styles, and their sets are very much a reflection of this. Recently they’ve shown a fondness for sleek and deep house and will play two sets at Reasons; a classic hip-hop throw-down as well as a more refined house warm up in the main room.
Shepdog and Rodney P will perform together on the night, despite being better known as individual performers in their own right. Their set will take the shape of an exclusive performance in the back room. A match made in heaven – Shepdog’s party-starting selections will provide a bed for one of the lyrical content of one of UK’s most longstanding and important MCs. We can’t wait to see what they have in store!
