Bicep (Live) | Fri 13 Mar | Boxxed | £24.20
Crate-digging, music-loving, Belfast-born house duo Bicep are the hottest property in dance music right now. Experimental yet energetic, their recent self-titled album is everything Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar stand for distilled down into fifty-so minutes: varied yet cohesive, it transmutes disparate elements of italo house, jungle and trance into something far greater than the sum of its parts. Bicep is the product of two encyclopaedic minds fully immersed in the sprawling world of electronic music, and in the past two years the pair have just about taken off into the stratosphere. Join them on their ascent this weekend. See our feature here. www.skiddle.com

Holi Rave Festival | Sat 14 Apr | Leveldigbeth | £22.25
Not often do the worlds of rave and religion collide, but this fun-filled afternoon and evening promises more powder paint explosions, Bollywood dancers and multicultural street food outlets than you can shake a glow stick at. This event really is for everyone – Hindus and non-Hindus, adults and children, hardcore ravers and fresh-faced clubbers alike. There’s a real emphasis on breaking down cultural and societal barriers here; the original rave generation preached unity and love, and no event represents these qualities more than this seven-hour celebration of arts, dance and music. See our feature here. www.ticketsellers.co.uk

Enter the Portal: Lee Foss | Sat 14 Apr | Lab11 | from £11
Lee Foss is the guest of honour at the first of a new series of shows celebrating some of the house and techno industry’s most respected stars. Alongside Jamie Jones, the Chicagoan has been instrumental in terraforming the decidedly alien techno landscape to support more melodic life, in the process synthesising their distinctively warm, emotive Hot Creations sound. At this inaugural Enter the Portal event, Lee Foss will be dipping into his diverse pool of influences (encompassing electro, hip hop and R&B) to serve up a sumptuous slice of synth-heavy house and techno. www.skiddle.com 

Arun Verone | Sat 14 Apr | Amusement 13 | Free
Deep, subby, sleek, tech-house goodness from Midlands man Arun Verone, up-and-coming DJ and producer whose tunes are already receiving airplay from the likes of Eats Everything and Steve Lawler. His is the sound of the zeitgeist – that unmistakeably bassy, rolling sound pioneered by melodic techno titans Jamie Jones, Mark Jenkyns and more, a sound with an infectious groove and an insistent, driving rhythm. And if your wallet can’t quite handle the price of some of this week’s other offerings, this free party ticks all the right boxes. www.skiddle.com 

Fri 13 Apr - Sat 14 Apr
Words:
Greg Woodin
Published on:
Thu 8 Mar 2018