Wigflex City Festival: 5 Must-See Acts
Marking the legendary promoter's 15th anniversary, Wigflex City Festival returns with its biggest and most ambitious party to date
Off the back of an unprecedented 18-month gigging blackout, club and festival promoters could be forgiven for making up for lost time. That certainly seems to be the case with Wigflex City Festival, the Nottingham one-dayer that’s bringing a bulging list of electronic talent to the East Midlands this Saturday. Taking over no fewer than 18 venues, a handful of which will be used for the very first time, Wigflex promises the kind of messy, cross-genre antics unimaginable only a few bleak months ago. We’ve chosen five acts to keep an eye out for.
Anz
Manchester-based Anz might be the most exciting DJ on the planet right now. Effortlessly shifting from piano house to Baltimore club to grime classics, her sets encapsulate an anything goes, post-genre approach to the craft. Meanwhile her biannual mixtapes, made up entirely of her own edits and production, have become the stuff of legend.
Metronome, 11.30pm - 1am
Erika de Casier
It’s been encouraging to witness the rise of Erika de Casier over the last few years. Channelling 2000s R&B energy into something fresh and exhilarating, the Danish singer-songwriter followed up critically-acclaimed and aptly-titled recent album Sensational with a similarly stunning performance for tastemaker platform COLORS.
The Church, 6-7pm
Lone
One of a handful of local acts on the bill, Matt Cutler aka Lone is a UK dance music mainstay who has continued to evolve and stay relevant across a distinguished career. Making his name with era-defining releases on Werkdiscs and R&S Records, he has since launched his own labels – Magicwire and Ancient Astronauts – as creative outlets to match his prolific output.
Unit 13, 3.30-5pm
Willikens & Ivkovic
Salon Des Amateurs residents Lena Willikens and Vladimir Ivkovic have built a reputation around their weird-and-wonderful selections, expertly navigating the most bizarre and off-kilter sonic crevasses with skill and dexterity. Mind-bending dancefloor epiphanies inbound.
One Thoresby Street, 11pm - 3am
Yung Singh
It’s been difficult to avoid the meteoric rise of Daytimers, the South Asian party crew helping reshape tired dance music narratives. At the forefront of the collective is Yung Singh, a talented young selector with a penchant for obscure Punjabi garage bangers, who is responsible for one of 2021’s defining Boiler Room performances.
Non Such Studios, 10pm to midnight
Wigflex City Festival, Nottingham, Saturday 9 October, £40 + b.f. – tickets here