Q&A: Bugged Out!

Tell us a little bit about the ethos behind Bugged Out?
John Burgess: "We were a cult techno magazine called Jockey Slut first, which the night evolved from in 1994. I think the night still has the ethos of a magazine; though we are rooted in acid house we evolve with time and still try and reflect what is happening at the moment."

The brand itself has been going for close to 20 years now, when did things start getting serious?
JB: "We’re 20 this year. We did a few small parties with Jockey Slut called Drinking Club and then Disco Pogo in Manchester. The owner of Sankeys Soap, Andrew Spiro, liked Disco Pogo, the music and crowd and invited us to host a weekly Friday at Sankeys. The first night was 24 November 1994 with LFO, Autechre and James Lavelle."

How has your taste evolved in that time?
JB: "Our roots are techno, acid house and their mutant variations. Every four or five years there are shifts within that culture and – as we’re fans of clubbing first and foremost – we get excited by these shifts as they bring forth new talents like Tiga and Erol Alkan in 2001, Justice in 2005, [and recently] Jackmaster and Daniel Avery."

This year sees the event move to the sunny shores of Southport. What was your thinking behind the move?
Charlotte Hotham: "We’re going back to our Northern roots. As we’re celebrating 20 years of Bugged Out it’s a natural fit for us to return to the North to kickstart our birthday celebrations. Northerners know how to party. Pontins Southport has such a huge history with music weekenders, the Southport started there, Tribal Gathering, Northern Soul weekenders, it’s a perfect fit for us… and the rave rooms look amazing!"

What was your approach when selecting this year’s line-up?
CH: "We’ve tried to have a good balance of all the DJs who have been synonymous with Bugged Out over our 20 years. Dave Clarke and Green Velvet were some of the first acts we booked in the mid-90s and we’re still booking them now. There’s loads on the line-up that we’re looking forward to, Todd Terje’s first UK live show is a definite must-see, the edibleskreamizm stage can’t be missed, Route 94 and Ten Walls. There’s just too much to mention! Oh and Kölsch’s Der Alte has become something of a Weekender anthem so we’re really excited to have him play."

Any other fun-fuelled activities are on offer?
CH: "Loads! Rave Karaoke, Pulse DJ Musical Bingo, Mixmag Secret Chalet Party, the famous Pool Parties are happening on Saturday and Sunday and there’ll be loads of secret pop-up surprises over the course of the event. And, of course, we’ve got The Skinny Pub Quiz too."

Ah yes, that could get messy. What’s in it for the punters?
CH: "Prizes beyond their wildest dreams. A year-long guest list to Bugged Out among much more!"

Eight Bugged Out! Classics Selected by Johnno

1. Underground Resistance – The Illuminator
"Most records played in the early years were from Detroit or Chicago and Underground Resistance were in their prime. Unsettling Motor City funk."

2. 51 Days – Paper Moon
"James Holroyd, our resident, used to warm up with some killer deep house records before the main guest arrived. This was one of the best – it used to get the first-on-the-floor dancers up – and still sounds like it was made yesterday."

3. Zombie Nation – Kernkraft 400 (Dave Clarke remix)
"Another monster from Dave’s purple period of remixes. This crossed over in 2000 and was heard coming out of every tent at Creamfields that year and Dave played it for the final time at that festival."

4. Green Velvet – Flash
"There are so many Green Velvet tracks to choose from but we’ll go for Flash as on the night he first played live for us we gave out 500 fun cameras on the door so the crowd were ready for the line, ‘Camera’s ready, prepare to flash.’"

5. Fischerspooner – Emerge
"This was huge with our then-resident Dave Clarke when we were at Liverpool. I remember writing it down on the back of a piece of paper to try and track it down. It ushered in a sea change in techno – electroclash which spawned DJs like Miss Kittin, Tiga and Ivan Smagghe."

6. The Chemical Brothers – Saturate
"We could have chosen one of their first, Chemical Beats or perhaps Acid Children but we think this is probably their finest and was played by DJs who perhaps wouldn’t normally reach for a Chems 12”."

7. Vitalic – La Rock
"A pioneering record at the time, visceral techno with a powerful energy that emulaes hard rock. Clearly an influence on Justice and their ilk."

8. Kölsch – Der Alte
"We first heard this played by Andrew Weatherall at the Weekender in 2012. I asked him the next day, What was that piano track? It had such an effect on the crowd who were perhaps a bit battle weary by Sunday night – it’s melancholic, but uplifting and was quite emotional."