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One of the best festivals in the UK calendar begins today, for the very last time. With the cream of the electronic crop assembled for its final showdown, Bloc promises to be a complete blowout of ridiculous proportions. The venue, Butlins in Minehead, will feature pool parties with The Egyptian Lover and pool tournaments with the legendary Steve Davis; just to give you a flavour of the antics in store. Sets will range from forward-thinking producers Slackk, Evian Christ and Holy Herndon, to techno talismans Jeff Mills, Carl Craig and Surgeon all performing amongst the festival's super-eclectic line-up. Here are ten sets that you simply cannot miss.
The Steve Davis Pool Tournament
This may not be a set in the traditional sense, but watching hungover DJs take on Steve Davis at his own sport in the Bloc pool tournament will be something to behold. It might be a slight step down in quality from the rest of the festival's performances, but you can bet it'll be damn hilarious!
Floating Points — Dollop, Friday, 10:30pm
Producer of one of the finest albums of 2015, Elaenia, Floating Points will set the stage for Bloc on the Friday night and gear you up for a weekend to remember, with a full live show from his 5-piece band in tow.
Holly Herndon — Bloc Stage, Saturday, 9pm
Doctoral student-turned-post-internet technologist, Holly Herndon will be blending thumping techno with her incredible capabilities with sound design in her early performance on the Saturday. If you want to be impressed with new, avant-garde sounds, this is one to head to.
Slackk — Boxed vs R&S @ The Jak Stage, Saturday, Midnight
Boxed founder Slackk has his new Aviary EP coming out soon on R&S, and the Boxed vs R&S showcase at Bloc is one that you must attend. The three-year-old London club night will rightfully be celebrated alongside one of electronic music's leading labels.
Ansome & Defekt — The Pub, Saturday, Midnight
They may be clashing with Four Tet and Slackk, but when else are you going to listen to banging analogue techno in a pub in Minehead on a Saturday night? Both are standout live techno performers and Ansome landed techno album of the month in Mixmag last month—so this is not to be missed.
Evian Christ — Leisure System, Sunday, 1am
Trance anthems and euphoria galore from the Phillipe Coutinho lookalike (have they ever been in the same room together?). Expect Evian to be weaving magic of both the Balearic and brutal type on the Leisure System in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Jeff Mills — Bloc Stage, Sunday, 4am
Prepare to get blown out of the stratosphere by the godfather of techno as the sun rises. The exhibitionist himself shows no signs of easing off in his quest to send techno into the future and beyond.
Amy Becker — In The Pool, Sunday, 2pm
Amy Becker's rise as one of the most skilled DJs in dance has led to her warming up for Skepta in Sweden (among others). Her sets are as icy as said country, but this promises to be a much wetter, more hungover pool party experience with selections wavier than the wave machine in the Butlins pool.
Omar-S — Autumn St., Sunday, 9:30pm
This Detroit legend has a new album out at the end of the month called Best. And there are no doubts that his set will be the best way of finishing the festival on a very dazed, hi-hat-laden high.
