The Electric Disco.
Rotation 2024 - Everything you’re about to read is true!
As the dust settles from this year's Rotation Garden Party, Steve KIW shares some his favourite moments and standout tracks from another unforgettable weekend in the midlands
Words by Steve KIW • July 24, 2024
The Idjut Boys closing out Sunday night
A couple of weeks back Mark invited me to write a few words about the Rotation Garden Party. Having been to a few of these amazing gatherings I was happy to do so. People make the world go round, right, and insofar as Rotation goes I’ll do anything to spread the word to the right people.
Well, it’s happened. We spent the weekend in the lovely Carney Pools, surrounded by smiles, enjoying beautiful sunshine one day, rain the next, set against a brilliant, and seemingly never-ending soundtrack of incredible DJs.
I’m home again now. The bath salts have started to work on the weary muscles, and I’ve had a moment to reflect on what is, for me, consistently the best weekend of the summer.
"A brilliant, and seemingly never-ending soundtrack of incredible DJs."
With 36 hours dancing in the tank, my calves haven’t felt this tight since I tore one training for a marathon; with just four hours sleep each night I’ve only myself (for successive back-to-mine all night campsite sessions) and a punctured mattress to blame.
And yet, the glow of the weekend hasn’t shifted at all.
Here’s why…
Rotation 2024 lineup
With a DJ line up headlined by Tigerbalm, Ruf Dug and the Idjut Boys expectations were obviously going to be exceptionally high.
With Wrekin Havoc, Alice Palace, Jolyon Green, Andy Taylor, DIY’s Pezz all spinning extended sets throughout the three days, and the hosts Dean Meredith and Ben Shenton donning their various guises – Mind Fair and Chicken Lips sets started successive sessions – plus the added bonus of a Quinn Lamont Luke live set – anticipation was higher than ever.
A simple review in chronological order would be easy to do but wouldn’t really set the scene. The highlights were many and as I reckon we’re all music fans here I’ll do it with a few of the tunes.
Andy Taylor spinning 'Happiness' by Soul II Soul; Alice Palace dropping Break Machine early on and then wrapping up with Womack & Womack’s 'Love Wars'...
Jolyon Green kicking things off with the full 15 minutes of Scott Grooves’ interpretation of E2-E4 (all the more pertinent when the world and his wife have been wetting their knickers over the Alex Kassian and Mad Professor 12”)
The Wrekin Havoc boys’ spellbinding collection of new edits (inbox is open lads!) and Shazam-evading discoveries including one track – a vocoder led banger – that they made especially for the afternoon but that will now be locked in the vaults forever (it really demands a release and I hope they reconsider!)
And those headliners. Tigerbalm smashing the heckers out of things, especially when Sly Mongoose threatened to take the roof off.
"Ruf Dug’s entire set was incredible – genre-hopping from house to disco to afro rhythms and all points between"
Ruf Dug’s entire set was incredible – genre-hopping from house to disco to afro rhythms and all points between before bringing it down gently towards the end with a little bit of street soul, a deep-as-you-like dub smasher and then, by way of an encore, a (new to me) reggae cover of 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart'.
Sunday morning started brightly. The campsite crew were up most of the night but few were sleeping when Quinn Lamont Luke begun his acoustic set.
With his covers of Maze's 'Twilight' and Loose Ends' 'Hanging On A String' scattered among some of his balearic brilliance, including his forthcoming collaboration with Phil Mison on Highwood Recordings.
Quinn Lamont Luke's performs his acoustic Sunday morning set
A spellbinding lunchtime session closed with the timeless ‘Won't Wait For Yesterday’, which was, naturally, the perfect set up for the gents that remixed it so well a few years ago...
The Idjuts.
Before the event there was a smattering of discontent, something along the lines of “ten hours is too long”. Ha, you’ve got to love the internet. Ten hours wasn’t long enough, mate.
From their opening tunes – a beat-less version of Flayer’s ‘Wanna Get Back Your Love’ that melted into the original – they never dropped a beat.
Cliches about taking the audience on a journey can absolutely be used here because cliches come from truth. This was a tour de force.
Over the day they took us everywhere, loads of familiar tunes (or variations on them - check the last one on the list, you won’t regret it) and lots more that had the many DJs in attendance running over to each other and saying “do you know it?” and inevitably getting a negative response.
Dan and Conny controlling the dancefloor
Campers and day visitors filtered in slowly to start – the first in was a young lad who had travelled all the way over from Toronto just for the weekend, he got a round of applause when the Idjuts invited him behind the decks for a photo early on.
Two hours in and it was already lifting up, rather than starting slow they got the groove going almost immediately; four hours passed, then six and it was heaving – I stepped out for a bite and a costume change and missed about 15 minutes, returning to hear a fantastic cover of ‘I Feel Love’ (which may or may not have been the Psychemagik edit of Patience Africa’s ‘Sondela’)
And then the sun dropped and the yurt was bathed in red light, balloons fell, every next tune received a louder reaction and then as the clock struck midnight – the advertised finish time – and those organised souls caught cabs off site, the Idjuts took it down a notch.
Ballad-hour? Maybe…
From the wonderful peak of disco edits of ‘I Need You’ and Thelma’s ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ we were suddenly hugging to Barbra Streisand and Judie Tzuke.
Will this be the last track? Maybe? Dan and Conrad treated the hardcore to an hour of last tunes; it was one of the best hours I’ve ever spent on a dance floor and will never be forgotten.
My priorities when I got home were a long hot soak and an hour on Discogs. There are online threads a-plenty sharing lists of what the Idjuts played. I don’t know how they do it but they can take records that sound average anywhere else and make them sound like the best thing you’ve ever heard.
"There isn’t a bad spot in the yurt. Wherever you are, it sounds incredible."
I’ve pulled together a list of ten for anyone interested (at the bottom of the post) and I doubt it’d cost you £20 to grab a fair chunk of them.
Actually, I do know how they do it.
In the right hands the sound system at Rotation – very much Dean’s labour of love – is untouchable. The comparisons with Mancuso’s Loft come easily because they are deserved. There isn’t a bad spot in the yurt. Wherever you are, it sounds incredible.
In the best hands, whether they be rocking the Isonoe as Ruffy did, or the Pioneer set up like the Idjuts with all the echo and delays they specialise in utilising, it makes all the difference.
Entrance to the Garden Party
The sun sets over the Rotation
The strapline ‘Everything You’re About To Hear’ Is True has a dual meaning for sure.
And, of course, Dean and Ben, Oliver and Colleen are wonderful hosts. Not only do they put a year into each weekend, constantly tweaking things for continuous improvement but they are gracious and generous and work so bloody hard to make each event memorable.
The rumour mill is already ablaze with hints towards who is headlining and playing next year (no, not me - maybe one day hopefully!) and if tickets were on sale when we left the site yesterday I’d have a pair for us already.
The Rotation Garden Party absolutely delivered once again. Don’t miss it next time around, come and join the family.
10 from the Idjuts at Rotation
1. Barbra Streisand – Promises
2. Sylvester – I need you (possibly the Rahaan edit, can’t be sure!)
3. Odyssey – Hang together
4. Frida – Here we’ll stay
5. Stevie Winwood – While you see a chance
6. Bruce Hornsby and The Range – The way it is (instrumental)
7. Robert Randolph – I need more love
8. Bonnie Byrd – We can make it
9. The Lazy Eyes – Fuzz jam
10. Mamacita – Tu amor
And in true Idjuts just one more style...
11. Harold Melvin and The Bluenotes - Today's your lucky day (dub)
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