Guest blogger Arianna Aan, aka DJ AAN reports on our first festival gigs of 2018 at Arcadia!
Guest blogger Arianna Aan, aka DJ AAN reports on our first festival gigs of 2018 at Arcadia!
Birds flying high, you know how I feel. Sun in the sky, you know how I feel. Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel. It's a new dawn, it's Saturday, it's LSA's time once again - and this time, off we're off to Acardia’s 10th Birthday…
Sun kissed shoulders, colourful attire and the sound vibrations of a pounding bass makes it clear the festival season is here to make us all feel warm and fuzzy inside once again. As the London Sound Academy crew begin to one by one enter the Arcadia grounds, phones are out coordinating meeting points and of course, half of us run to the wrong entry gates! The Adrenaline is pumping and the crowd is being analysed to ensure the tracks on those invaluable USBs are going to create the perfect blend of ecstatic auras and feet-stomping vibes. 27 degrees in the air and our first DJ duo is ready to hit the Bug Stage. Priest J and Krassus take control of the decks. A ready-for-summer crowd gather as the DJs kick off with the sweet sounds of house and disco churned together making all ears from the Spider and beyond draw in closer to the Bug Stage. It is clear this duo is set to impress. In no time, the crowds have gathered and the Bug stage is the place to be! It’s not 2.15pm yet and the bar is packed. Suddenly, I hear a sound, close to home coming out of the speakers. It’s our very own Priest J vs ICE’s rendition of James Brown’s Sex Machine – a huge winner with the audience. At this moment, I’m pulled into the middle of the dance floor by strangers whose wide smiles, closed eyes and tapping toes are evident of the LSA DJ’s accomplishment.
Here’s what Priest J and Krassus’s Own Words >
"When the opportunity to DJ at a festival as prestigious as Arcadia came up I jumped at it. For our b2b, we - me and Priest J - put together an upbeat house and house classics set, as per the music policy. It was great to get the crowd at our stage increase and really start dancing as we were second on in the lineup, a great experience and a lot of fun playing at a big event." - Krassus
“I felt the choice of songs worked brilliantly, when we arrived everybody was sat down on the grass, with only a very few standing and the area was quite empty. By the end of our set everybody was up and dancing! I had done what I was there to do... Make people dance” - Priest J
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Next comes Danny Buckley’s (D.Betz) b2b with Will Lewis. Their success no doubt compliments that of their colleagues. With some incredible build-ups to some of the hottest feel good tracks we know (and didn’t know – so thank you very much guys!) dropping into bangers that make people throw things up in the air. Whenever I feel in my heart my favourite moment of their set it around the corner, they just top it again with another incredible mix of dirty tech beats and vocal classics. Thirty minutes into their set, I’m saying ‘Yes’ to Luca Debonaire’s remix along with a couple of thousand others with our hands in the air and chanting on ‘da da daaaa’ to the famous tune. Their technique to play a mix of closely related house genres has filled up the dance floor to capacity – precisely what opening acts aspire to do but seldom achieve.
Here’s what Danny & Will’s Own Words >
“For our first time playing at at festival it was a brilliant experience. And a great opportunity given by London Sound Academy, thank you! As it was a daytime gig it was great to drop some classics into our set mixed with a good house vibe to keep people moving. Such a difference between playing in a club and a festival. When you look out and see a lot more people than any club. Loved every minute of it. I’m delighted I took the LSA course almost 3 years ago, I started off playing the smaller gigs with LSA and now I’ve worked by way up to this festival last week. When I think back to it I’m like that was unbelievable!
It’s really good to step back and take a look at the progress you make and actually admire it. And then plough on again with the head down and see what happens next! “ - D.Beatz & Will Lewis
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Follow Will Lewis Here On Facebook
It’s more than safe to say, when I was thinking ‘I want to learn how to DJ’, I chose the right place. From the organisers reviews to the crowds themselves, evidently, LSA are here to stay in the hearts of the Arcadia festival goers. It was a proud few hours to be a part of the most popular outdoor stage at the time and that’s all thanks to LSA founder Buster and his manager Jacob and our fine Disc-Jockey’s on the day!
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