Hessle Audio celebrated 15 years in style with a historic Printworks party

It was the first of 3 birthday celebrations put on by The Hydra...

Last Saturday (29/10), Hessle Audio took over Surrey Quays venue Printworks to celebrate 15 years of services to music. Showcasing a mouthwatering selection of forward thinking selectors across the all-day event, party-goers were treated to some incredible sets from Avalon Emerson, Anz, Shanti Celeste, Special Request, Sherelle and many more.

Created by Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea back in 2007, the dance music imprint has gone on to become one of the most respected labels in electronic music with a long list of influential productions that have won the hearts of ravers and DJs across the globe.

Put on as part of London promoter The Hydra‘s 10th birthday celebrations, the sold-out event was the first of three specials nights commemorating the milestone, including Saturday’s Erased Tapes 15 Festival and the forthcoming EFG London Jazz Festival happening November 19.

Heading up the huge Hessle Audio event, the influential trio’s set was something of a raver’s delight. Ben Thomson (Ben UFO), David Kennedy (Pearson Sound) and Kevin McAuley (Pangaea) shook the Printworks’ walls together with a high-octane medley of dance music’s coldest tunes, proving exactly why they’ve remained on the beating pulse of the scene for the last 15 years.

Aside from the high-end sound system ensuring attendees could feel the music in their chest no matter where on the Printworks dance floor they were stood, the Hessle Audio trio’s set was accompanied by some jaw dropping visuals that often made it feel like an alien space craft had landed in Surrey Quays.

Since opening its doors in February 2017, the converted printing factory immediately brought with it something the UK capital had been missing out on for a long time. With it’s a huge warehouse of exposed metal and industrial balconies overlooking the narrow dancefloor, the venue’s cyberpunk aesthetic feels like a nod to Europe’s techno super clubs and provided the perfect setting for the Hessle Audio line-up to show their class.

The 6,000 capacity warehouse was set to shut down for good after Southwark Council gave the green light for it to be converted into offices earlier this year, however, noise coming out of the venue recently suggests Printworks may not be forced to close after all.

It only becomes apparent just how important this venue is to the London scene when events like Hessle Audio’s come around, enthralling electronic music fans old and new during a time when dance music’s power to bring people together is more crucial than ever.

Get your tickets to the EFG London Jazz Festival at Printworks HERE.