(04.06.08) ELECTRONIC music has always had an underground image. Illegal acid parties, warehouse techno raves, house revelry in derelict buildings; what about three days in a 1970s family holiday center? It might not be the immediate setting that springs to mind but welcome to Bloc Weekend, a three day festival on the English East Coast hosting an array of electronic artists and acts from across the globe.
Bloc Weekend was born in March of 2007, set in a Pontin’s holiday center forty-five minutes outside Norwich city near the sleepy, and quite forgotten, holiday town of Hemsby on Sea. With 2007 offering up artists such as I-F, DMX Krew, Marco Passarani; and Autechre, the second installment of Bloc Weekend was handed an immediate challenge, to equal, or better, the previous year’s line up. They did not disappoint, with names like Red Snapper, EDMX, Dynamix II, Underground Resistance, Phuture 303, D’Arcangelo, Bochum Welt and the infamous Karl Bartos jumping off the program listing, making Bloc Weekend 2008 a must for the electronic enthusiast.
Hemsby on Sea is not the easiest location in the world to get to, from Ireland is isn’t anyway. Bus journeys, early flights, connections and car were the modes of transportation for many of the Bloc followers. Nevertheless Bloc Weekend were there to add a helping hand, organizing buses from London and Norwich which meant that those coming from the UK, Ireland and the Continent alike could get to the music without too much difficulty.
On arrival at Pontin’s many the Bloc Weekender must have undoubtedly wondered, “what have I gotten myself into?” The park was built in the 70’s, and has pretty much retained many of the charms of the linoleum décor decade whilst sporting a general weathered visage. Booking into the camp did have its pains, bit of queuing and the unknown but this was to be expected and didn’t take anything away from the initial excitement. The accommodation, which is included in the 110GBP ticket and allows the holder three days of habitation, keeps the 70’s motif alive; with some chalets having showers whilst some decided that baths were the way to go. All chalets were decked out with cookers, fridges, TVs, bed, some blankets, cutlery, a table and some chairs. Overall, the chalets offered the 
denizen comfort, a place to relax, a place to sleep, and even a place to party; they were frugal but not overly sparse and infinitely more comfortable than any tent. The organizers hooked up one TV station with Bloc TV, a channel dedicated to Bloc Weekend that gave the viewer some weird and wonderful movies and programs not to mention live feeds from the shows within the three venues: Bassbloc, Tecbloc, Smashbloc. Bloc TV was a great concept, and, despite some Japanese cartoons becoming a bit wearing, gave the chalet occupant a taste of Bloc Weekend from the comfort of your own place. The accommodation was a stone’s throw from the music, housed inside a leisure style complex in three different venues; Bassbloc being the largest venue; Tecbloc being another large venue; Smashbloc being the smallest of the music rooms and part of a pub which gave great atmosphere. Beer was dished out on a 24hr basis with an all day, every day, alcohol license; libations which were doled out by very cheerful Norfolkians who were full of banter.
Right, enough about the mechanics of Bloc and into the gooey musical core. The Friday antics kicked off just before 8pm. First on any agenda was Legowelt, who came on in Tecbloc at 9pm. The Dutch virtuoso produced an hour set of squalid West Coast house, filled to the brim with tweaking action and dirty body jacking; a great way to get the weekend going. The terrifying visage of Manayst followed the Netherlander, as the gimp masked electronic artist pushed out his disturbed and addictive electro workings. It became immediately apparent that the crowd were not only loving the music, but were there to enjoy themselves; the Weekenders were approachable, friendly and up for a chat and a laugh. The partygoer was spoilt for musical choice, with Red Snapper playing in Bassbloc as Ed Chamberlain and then Mr Velcro Fastener followed in Tecbloc. With two days of travel and minimal sleep beginning to set in it started to dawn that the hopes of seeing EDMX at 6:00am were fading under growing eyelid heaviness. Nevertheless, Underground Resistance Interstellar Fugitives put on a show that would lead the happiest techno head to bed. Bassbloc erupted as five half masked men and an MC brought the aging holiday center to a standstill with a medley of deep Detroit techno and vocal stylings all backed up with an amazing light show. After such a spectacle, and eyeballs like golf balls the child size single beds of Pontin’s were a true luxury.
The difference between chalet and tent festivals is immeasurable. Rather than waking up at the crack of dawn either frozen or sweating, the chalet inhabitant can get a temperate night’s sleep. A hot meal is an option, as is a hot bath (showers were a mod con not given to all), both bringing back humanity to the Bloc Weekender whilst recharging the batteries for another day of top-notch electronics. Saturday started early, with a total of twenty hours of live music available over the day. Electronica was served in the afternoon, with Christ., Ochre and Digitonal playing in Smashbloc, giving the audience some laid back down time before the sky bruised and the night took off. Bochum Welt entered Tecbloc near 7pm and by that time Saturday was in full swing. Gianluigi Di Costanzo has never been one to do live shows, but came out with some wonderful computer influenced electronics (despite some specters in the system.) The Italian was followed by two fellow countrymen and Rephlex veterans, D’arcangelo. The lasers of Tecbloc started and some choice electronica 
was followed with a pretty outstanding light show. The D’Arcangelo brothers played a good set of their new stuff whilst giving the crowd a “Shipwreck” classic and new piece to end on. By this time engines needed refueling. To keep the music going Bloc TV was flicked on with a live feed of the minimal Sleeparchive on offer. The tail end of Bitstream gave some electronics before The Black Dog entered Smashbloc, with Ken Downie being prominently absent. The Dust Brothers did what they now do, but it pales in comparison to original Black Dog material. Before any form of disappointment could set in Karl Bartos, the headliner of the weekend, was on at Bassbloc. The aging Kraftwerk member, accompanied by two other robots, offered up German electro classics and a visual show that had jaws falling to sticky floors. An amazing electro set that lifted the roof from its rusting hinges. Some choice Italo cuts filled the gap from Bartos to Radioactive Man, the latter playing some impressive tracks but the Kraftwerkian was a tough one to follow. As the hours blazed by and the speakers pumped venues began to mesh into one. The tempo rose, as did the basslines. Juan Atkins DJ’ed in Bassbloc, but there was an unpleasant undertone to the derelict techno pounders being churned out; Joey Beltram followed and was a bit more interesting. As the cock began to crow as Rephlex invaded Tecbloc, but the DJ’s that finished the night off just didn’t seem to have what was needed to really finish off the evening’s entertainment; then again it was after 6am and that could have been a factor.
Roll on Sunday. Peel the lids from sticky eyeballs, get into the bath, get a gin and tonic in the hand and get ready to go. The weekend definitely had a certain energy to it that seemed to stave off hangovers; perhaps it was the baths or something magical in the water of Hemsby? The final day had arrived and was planned as a day to trot about in your “Sunday Best,” a fun idea for the last day in an epic weekend. For most the head was not fully functioning until roughly 6pm, when Ceephax Acid Crew came out to host a bingo session in Bassbloc. The bingo fell apart quite quickly and things disintegrated into Ceephax doing an ok DJ set. Some heads were beginning to drop, but the party atmosphere was still on the go. Syntheme and A Guy Called Gerald entertained Tecbloc before. It was after 11pm before one of the legends of the Chicago House movement took to the stage: Phuture 303. The veteran jakker served up some choice cuts of deep bass and beats, with the crowd mirroring the music. Bloc Weekend was coming to an end, but there was one last party piece before the curtain drew: Ben Sims featuring Tyree Cooper. Every other stage of the festival closed and Tecbloc teemed to the seams with partiers. A classic set was served up, house, acid, techno and electro to a crowd streaming with sweat from exertion. As 2am rolled on t-shirts were stuck to weary, but happy bodies. Bloc 08 was over.
Bloc Weekend is not a generic music festival, not by a long shot. The organizers of this Southern England extravaganza successfully brought together some of the greatest electronic artists from across the globe, two years running. The festival is well planned, the accommodation comfortable and practical, the crowd friendly and trouble free, the music loud but perfectly audible, the venues close but soundproof, the bars running 24hrs and reasonably priced, the atmosphere near perfect for a festival. For the hardcore Bloc zealot there is an after party on the 26th of April in Paris. For Bloc virgins flirting with Bloc Weekend 2009, don’t; just book that ticket, go and ready yourself for a great music festival experience.
For more information about Bloc Weekend visit their website at blocweekend.com.
