With their Distortion night set to hit Proud2 on February 17th, we caught up with Lloyd Innovation to talk all things drum & bass...

Tell us a little bit about your upcoming Distortion event...
Once again, we have pulled together the biggest possible line up to make our return to this epic venue as big as possible. We’ve tried to cover the full spectrum of drum & bass music in the main room, with DJs Hype, Brookes Brothers, Hazard, Sigma, The Prototypes, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, Grooverider, DC Breaks, Subzero and DJ Ollie. The second room is going to be a showcase of harder tech D&B, with artists such as Tech Itch, Dom & Roland, Audio, Lynx, Fierce, Cause 4 Concern and Detail.
 
What initially drew you to Proud2 as a venue and what made you come back for Distortion?
What drew us there was the fact that Proud2 is the biggest, most up-to-date and most high spec venue there is in London right now. It’s also one of the only venues in London big enough to hold the amount of ravers wanting to attend our parties.

 

After our first event at Proud2 back in August, our office was inundated with calls and emails from ravers asking us when we would be heading back there. The vibes at that party were so amazing, that there was no question about whether we were going to return there or not! The venue's management even asked us to stay open an hour longer, as the dancefloor was still full of ravers.

How much time goes into crafting the line-up for an Innovation event and what do you feel makes them so special?
Lots of time goes into planning line-ups, dealing with various agents and scheduling set times - it isn’t always easy. The logistics involved in booking artists for our In The Sun & In The Dam events are particularly labour intensive, as we have to factor in flights for over 100 artists, getting all those artists from the airport to hotels, then getting them all picked up from hotels and dropped at the venues in time for their sets, then getting them back again...

 

What makes our events so special? Well, first and foremost, we always put our all into making sure the line-up and production is on point. Our core team of staff have been doing this and working together for a long time, which makes things run smoothly. Finally, and probably most importantly, we get to know our audience on a personal level from our Spain and Amsterdam events.

Back in 2010, you launched Innovation Records. Have you got any releases planned for 2012?
We have a couple of projects in the pipeline for Innovation Records, from Modified Motion & Faction among others. Details should be coming in the next few weeks, so keep your ears open.

What else have you got in store for 2012, event-wise?
We already have plenty coming up in 2012. On 16th – 19th March, we team up with our friends at Random Concept for the Global Energy D&B Weekender, which is taking place down in Cornwall over three nights. In April we head out to Belgium for our debut event out there.
 
After that, it’s full steam ahead for Innovation In The Sun 2012, for another seven days and nights of raving madness. Once again, we have a host of yachts, foam and wavepool parties... this summer we are also introducing the world's first D&B silent disco beach party! Tickets are already selling very well for that, it looks like it’s going to be another good year In The Sun.
 
We also have events scheduled for August in London and we're back out to Amsterdam in November for another huge weekender. Keep your eye’s peeled to our website for details, as and when they are released.
 
Anything else you'd like to share with us?
Watch out for the exclusive Distortion T-Shirts, which will only be available from the merchandise stall at Proud2. Make sure you also subscribe to the monthly Innovation Podcast on iTunes, featuring the latest beats, Inno news & competitions. Finally, make sure you join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Related Links:

• Innovation NYE: United As One
• Innovation Relocates To Fire / Lightbox
• Rotation Presents Nine Years Of Ninebar
• Grooverider & Grace Return To The Den
• Innovation In The Sun 2012

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