2013 Round-Up: Mike Warburton

With all the word coming thick and fast from DJs, promoters and voices of the music community for our End of Year features, we thought it was time to shine the light internally. Mike Warburton is a copywriter at Skiddle and has been one of the dominant editorial voices over the last year, so here's his thoughts on 2013.

How has 2013 been for you then overall? 

Yeah it's been a cracking year. I started working for Skiddle which was a definite highlight! And I've been to some cracking gigs and festivals. I've also discovered loads of cool new music as a nice side product of my job which has been a massive plus.

What highlights have you had?

One that sticks out in my mind was Loefah's set at 2022nq back in September. I've been a massive fan of his work and his record labels so seeing him in action was superb. I really enjoyed Wickerman Festival this year where I DJed with the Beats of Rage team for six hours in blazing Scottish sunshine. It happened to be my birthday too so in all it was a wicked weekend, minus the inevitable aftermath of course.

Having Justin Robertson play at Beats of Rage sixth birthday was unreal. The night went perfectly and was probably my favourite event as part of BOR. I also got to go to a few festivals with Skiddle that I wouldn't normally have done, so festivals like Weyfest, Shrewsbury Fields Forever and London Re:mixed were all really good fun, despite having to work at them. 

You’ve done a Spotify playlist for us (stream below), thanks! Explain the songs you’ve chosen and why?

It starts off with a few modern classical, ambient and experimental tracks from 2013 that have blown me away, then a few house and techno tunes, and ends in my favourite track from Jon Hopkins' Immunity album. I've bought more vinyl than ever before this year, so there's a lot of stuff that I've loved which I've not been able to include, like Joe's 'Slope' on Hessle Audio which is without a doubt my favourite electronic track of 2013. There's a bit of everything on the playlist. I've tried to put it in some sort of order so it doesn't sound too jarring and ridiculous.

What other music have you been into this year?

Joey Anderson has been the discovery of the year for me. Every EP he released was monumental - he's unsurprisingly appearing in countless best of 2013 charts. Boddika's 'Steam EP' was another highlight, as was just about everything released on Skudge records. Kranky released loads of good stuff too, my favourite being Grouper's 'The Man Who Died in his Boat' which is hypnotic, ethereal, creepy and beautiful all at the same time, which pretty much sums up my musical persuasion. There are too many to mention really, it's been an immense year for music.

What have you got planned for Boxing Day/New Year?

Boxing Day will be spent convalescing with my girlfriend at her parents' I expect. On New Year's Eve though we're throwing a Beats of Rage party with our friends at For No Reason. After six years of doing separate parties we've decided to come together and go all out for NYE. I can't wait!

And finally; any plans you can let slip for 2014?

Personally, to get to more gigs and festivals. I missed out on way too many this year! There are few things we're working on with Beats Of Rage which I'm excited about too, more details to follow...

Head here for your Beats of Rage & For No Reason NYE tickets

Check out our guide to New Year's Eve Events here

Tickets are no longer available for this event