Review: Faversham Garden Party 2012 Part 1 with DJ Sneak, Huxley and Ben UFO

Each one sells out well in advance, so tickets are always advised unless you enjoy queuing. You just have to look at the calibre of past guests to understand why, coupled with the outdoor setting that set these summer techno and house parties apart from the rest.

Upon arriving around 4pm with the sun still shining, it was surprising to see the terrace not as busy as expected. It seemed everyone was milling around enjoying a drink and a catch up on the pub benches in the ‘beer garden’ section. We headed straight to the terrace to catch the end of Jay Kilka’s impressive warm up set.

Having never managed to catch a Huxley set before I was more than intrigued to see what he had in store for us. Turned out, house - by the bucket loads! Makes sense when warming up for Sneak I suppose. After a thoroughly enjoyable set (the terrace now packed!) Huxley made way for the self- styled ‘original house gangster’ DJ Sneak.

Sneak is a true master of his art with over 20+ years at the forefront of house music production and DJing, playing the world over and commanding respect from DJs and promoters alike. His close ties with Circoloco at DC10 Ibiza and solid releases on Fabric’s label further add to his credibility. I have had the pleasure of enjoying Sneak’s sets several times to date and again he did not disappoint. Over the course of his two hour set he tested the terrace sound system, whipping the crowd into a crazy party atmosphere, dropping house bomb after bomb. Notable was a little nod to Leeds resident and house DJ/producer Darius Syrossian, as he dropped his new track titled ‘Side project number 1’ (out July 2012) and his massive remix of Hector Couto - 'Creampie' to a huge reaction from the already buzzing crowd.

As Sneak finished up we spent the next hour or so bouncing between David Martin on the terrace and Christian Maiden in the main room inside before deciding to take a breather in the outside area and have a good all catch up with friends.

Unfortunately the terrace’s excellent sound system finished at around 10pm (we're assuming because of sound restrictions due to nearby houses) and the packed terrace attempted to all squeeze inside to continue the night. The venue is never overly crowded during the day, but when this mass migration inside happens things can get a bit much for some, myself included. After careful consideration we decided to call it a day around midnight. After all -  it is a garden party! Unfortunately this meant we missed most of Ben UFO’s set which by all accounts top quality.

To recap; a thoroughly enjoyable day further building on the credibility gained in previous years. The opening garden party is a must in any clubber's summer calendar.

Words: Ronan Spoor

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