Dancefloor royalty Kool & The Gang have been putting the rhythm in rhythm and blues since 1970 and, weirdly, soundtracking almost every General Eelection victory and football promotion in the last fourty years.
Now the “Ceeee-le-brate good times (come on!)” funksters are bringing those good vibes and bright horns to Eastnor Deer Park for El Dorado festival 2019.
Falling a little earlier in the summer this year – July 5 to 7 – the legendary Detroit band top a bill that is built for dancing.
Todd Terje, Joey Negro, and the Purple Disco Machine bring big-name house/nu:disco beats - and bigger-still reputations as among the best feel-good party starters in the business.
Crystal Rooms-favourite Andy C is on the main stage, while fellow D’n’B icons Shy FX return to the Cirque Du Soul tent for the third year on the bounce.
Hip hop heads have got soulful Manc duo Children of Zeus and this years’ favourite for the Loyle Carner/Everyone’s-Going-To-Be-Talking-About-This-Guy-In-12-Months slot in Ocean Wisdom (pictured). Also, among the most conscious of conscious UK rap, Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn will be there to help you contemplate your inner-self, or at least give you a few lines to steal for Instagram captions. #deep.
Look below the bigger names and you’ll find what has arguably become the festival’s calling card – pulling out lesser-known acts from the DJ circuit that you’ll be listening to on Soundcloud for the rest of the summer.
Whether it’s blissful, pool-party beats (Romare/ Detroit Swindle/ Horse Meat Disco) or that harder club sound (Mall Grab/ Mella Dee) the guys behind the Cirque De Soul brand have an uncanny ability of taking your favourite club vibes and translating them perfectly to the canvas-roofed, mythical Lost City three miles from Ledbury.
Faders and 808s aside there’s one really interesting live act that jumps off the page this year. No Strings Attached are an orchestral group that pull in some of the most talented musicians from across Europe to create classical renditions of Your Favourite Pop Songs. You might have seen their Dre 2001 cover. At El Dorado they’ll be doing the Destiny’s Child bootylicious back catalogue, and are well worth a watch.
The festival’s pretty active on Facebook when it comes to promoting new names on the bill and new stage announcements (they tend to get pretty creative with those as well) – so follow them here if you want to stay up to date. Or just head straight to their site here to get your tickets from Jan 31.
