The Social Festival: Top Five

Set in the grounds of Kent County Showground, The Social is gearing up to celebrate its fifth birthday with a whole host of world renowned DJs who will descend on the relatively small capacity festival between 29-30th September.

The Social Festival 2017 line up is an A-Z of some of the most in demand names, from house titans to techno royalty, which is no surprise given that the event is curated by Maidstone local Nic Fanciulli himself.

The perfect chance to see huge dance music artists in a boutique festival environment, we have picked out who we think will be truly unmissable this year.

5. Sasha & John Digweed

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Having reunited for their first planned show in eight years at The Social last year, the the progressive house pioneers and minds behind the Renaissance and Northern Exposure mixes will return this September for another highly anticipated set.

Both have been enjoyed equal solo success throughout the years; Sasha conquering some of the biggest club and festival stages in the world, and Digweed cementing his status as one of dance music's most authoritative names through his Bedrock label, but the coming together of these two titans is something that should get every dance music lover salivating. 

4. Monika Kruse

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A true pioneer of European techno, this producer, DJ and label boss was born in the home of the genre, Berlin, and has since dedicated her adult life to music. From organising raves in abandoned WWII bomb shelters in Munich to creating the revered Terminal M label, Monika Kruse has done it all and continues to maintain a packed touring schedule, a true professional who should not be missed.

3. Helena Hauff

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One of the most exciting artists in the industry, Helena Hauff is taking dance music by storm. The Hamburg based producer and DJ is known for her stripped back minimal sound, recording strictly on analog and putting out records on the likes of Ninja Tune. She effortlessly translates this to an unpredictable live experience, seeing her move seamlessly from industrial techno to acid house, with an anything-goes, punk attitude. Her set on the Fabric curated Barn stage on the Saturday is a must see from this year's Social line up.

2. Jackmaster 

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It's no secret that we're a big fan of the Glaswegian party starter, especially his festival sets. Your guess is as good as ours whether you'll get something more techno led, or house, or even disco, but one thing is guaranteed, it'll be good. 

Fresh off the back of his Circoloco residency and probably his busiest festival season to date, expect Jackmaster to finish your summer off in suitably epic fashion. 

1. Carl Cox

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Last year the talk was all about Sasha and John Digweed's pairing, and whilst the return of dance music's most feted duo is big news on the festival circuit (and has made it into our top five), we can't draw our eyes away from the king of techno as our top drawer this year, Carl Cox.

2016 was his year, with the teary-eyed goodbye to Space played out in gloriously nostalgic fashion, and he's continued to wow dancefloors across the globe this year. To kick off the weekend on the Friday there could be no finer pair of hands.