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Olivia Stock
30 May 2023, 17:51

Win a DJ set on Arcadia’s Afterburner stage

“It’s the stuff DJ dreams are made of”

Photo of Fleetmac Wood performing on the rocket-shaped Afterburner stage at Valley Fest 2022

Arcadia have announced a competition that will offer an aspiring DJ the chance to perform on their Afterburner stage at this year’s Valley Fest.

Entries must be over 18 years old, and will need to submit a mix (via Soundcloud or Mixcloud) of no longer than 40 minutes, along with a tracklist. They will be judged on both “ability to mix” and “choice of tunes to create the mood”. The deadline for submissions is June 5th 2023.

The winning DJ will play on Friday 4th August between 19:00 and 20:00 on Arcadia’s Afterburner stage. As the set will take place in the early-evening, judges of the competition have stressed that it “isn’t about playing bangers, it’s a warm-the-weekend up slot.”

Headlining the Afterburner stage across the weekend will be DJ Flight, Groove Armada (DJ), and Crazy P (DJ), alongside sets from the likes of Altern 8, Samedia Shabeen, Dunks & Flashman Funk, Krafty Kuts, Norman Jay MBE, Black-led female/non-binary DJ crew, Booty Bass, and 90s breakbeat pioneers, Plump DJs. The stage will also host Arcadia’s legendary Lords of Lightning show each evening.

Also performing across the August long weekend will be Soul II Soul, Ishmael Ensemble, Ibibio Sound Machine, Bare Jams, Shaka Loves You, and The Chemical Prodigies.

Other than Glastonbury, Bristol’s Valley Fest is the only other place in the UK to experience the world-famous performance-art collective, Arcadia. The two joined creative forces for the first time in 2022 to create the Afterburner stage, which was built from a Rolls Royce jet engine and surrounded by a circle of metal trees and flames.

Arcadia also recently announced the full line-up for its 2023 Glastonbury area, which will feature a huge headline slot from The Chemical Brothers, alongside appearances from the likes of DJ Flight, Elkka, Dr Banana, SHERELLE, VTSS, Hybrid Minds (ft Tempza), Shy FX (ft Stamina MC) and MK. The fire-breathing spider stage will also host a number of b2b sets, including Floating Points b2b Daphni, Skream b2b Interplanetary Criminal, Chloé Robinson b2b Plastician, and DJ Q b2b Yung Singh

Find out more about Valley Fest and Arcadia’s DJ Competition below, and submit your mix here.