‘Joining The Musical Dots’ The 51st Festival 2022
Since 2015, 51st Festival has been joining the dots between seminal figures of dance music culture and the new generation of artists pushing the movement forward today. ‘From its roots in US Gospel, Soul, Disco and House through iconic genres like Garage, 2-step, Acid House, Dancehall, R&B and more, 51st Festival showcases the rich heritage of dance and is amongst the most diverse and inclusive festivals in the UK (51st State Festival).’
For the first time Metalheadz hosted it’s own tent and it was a ‘must’ to do a photo document of this occasion. Metalheadz is a drum and bass record label based in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1994 by Kemistry & Storm and Goldie, please note Kemistry & Storm for their pioneering roles too! (another day, another story). Goldie initially known for his graffiti work became prominent as a musician in the 1990's UK jungle, drum and bass and breakbeat hardcore scenes. I spoke with Anna Hector who was a key person in making this day a reality.
Congratulations on having hosted the first ever Metalheadz tent at the
51st Festival! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved with this project?
My name is Anna Hector & I come from Cambridge originally but I now live in the New Forest. I have been on the scene for many years as a raver as well as a promoter, I have a lot of love for the music!
I got involved with 51st festival through Gordy (Simon Gordon) who is a very old friend of mine. We have known each other for over 20 years so there’s lots of mutual trust & respect between us. We spoke about me getting involved & he suggested the Metalheadz stage as he thought I would be perfect for the job. I already knew some of the artists & I have had previous experience in hosting/hospitality/events etc.. It sounded like a winner!
The festival is unique as it joins the musical dots of all the dance
genres. What do you think of the drum n bass / jungle scene now and its influence?
I have actually never been to 51st Festival until now but it was always one that I wanted to attend because of its broad genres/line-up. So, when this opportunity arose, I was thrilled! I have been listening to/raving to Jungle/Drum & Bass since the mid 90s & as far as I’m concerned, it’s still going strong! The scene attracts all the original ravers as well as the younger generations. I myself prefer the older stuff, jungle & old skool but also love some new DnB with the heavy bass lines & mad sounds/samples. Anything that triggers the bassface!
Which DJ set did you enjoy most and did you get a chance to see any of
the other stages?!
Ooh, that’s a hard question as I really enjoyed all of the artists. Some of them I had never seen out before like EZM, SLB (who was also working alongside myself that day as well as DJing, big up SLB!), Ant TC1 & Medic MC. They were all a pleasure to watch/perform & are good people too.
Every artist smashed it & I enjoyed all the sets but my highlight was probably seeing Goldie as I haven’t seen him live for about 15 years. He brought such a buzz to the crowd who were in awe when he came on stage, the place just went crazy! He also saw lots of people he obviously hadn’t seen for a long time so there was a real family vibe there & was so nice to see the reunions, you could just feel the love!
I also enjoyed seeing Brockie, he always brings the good vibes & he dropped some big tunes that day! It was great to work alongside him with his easy-going attitude & nature. Five Alive made the day for me too, I have known him for a long time & he is one of my favourite vibe bringers & crowd pleasers. He is always fun to watch & be around!
I managed to come to the main stage (Groove Odyssey) & see Dennis Ferrer which was electric! The crowd, the mirror dancers, the vibe, everything was on point. I also went to the Back to 95 stage & saw the Heartless Crew. I used to be a bit of a garage head back in the early/mid 2000s so I was in my element! Unfortunately, apart from when I was walking back & forth across the site, I didn’t get a chance to catch any of the other stages but everywhere seemed popular!
What did you think of the day itself?
Once the festival got into the swing of things it was nothing but good vibes all round. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves & I saw no trouble or anyone creating issues anywhere. The weather was perfect & people were in high spirits. As far as I could tell the artists at the Metalheadz stage all seemed happy & looked after & the crowd were buzzing all day!
The line-up in the Metal Headz tent was like a mini-reunion!
It really was like a reunion; it was very special! Watching the artists seeing each other again & seeing their faces & reactions was just lovely. I watched several heart-warming moments which added to the crowd’s excitement. Everyone was on a high!
The festival is unique as it joins the musical dots of all the dance
genres. What do you think of the drum n bass / jungle scene now and its influence?
I have actually never been to 51st Festival until now but it was always one that I wanted to attend because of its broad genres/line-up. So, when this opportunity arose, I was thrilled! I have been listening to/raving to Jungle/Drum & Bass since the mid 90s & as far as I’m concerned, it’s still going strong! The scene attracts all the original ravers as well as the younger generations. I myself prefer the older stuff, jungle & old skool but also love some new DnB with the heavy basslines & mad sounds/samples. Anything that triggers the bassface!
Which DJ set did you enjoy most and did you get a chance to see any of
the other stages?
Ooh, that’s a hard question as I really enjoyed all of the artists. Some of them I had never seen out before like EZM, SLB (who was also working alongside myself that day as well as DJing, big up SLB!), Ant TC1 & Medic MC. They were all a pleasure to watch/perform & are good people too.
Every artist smashed it & I enjoyed all the sets but my highlight was probably seeing Goldie as I haven’t seen him live for about 15 years. He brought such a buzz to the crowd who were in awe when he came on stage, the place just went crazy! He also saw lots of people he obviously hadn’t seen for a long time so there was a real family vibe there & was so nice to see the reunions, you could just feel the love!
I also enjoyed seeing Brockie, he always brings the good vibes & he dropped some big tunes that day! It was great to work alongside him with his easy-going attitude & nature. Five Alive made the day for me too, I have known him for a long time & he is one of my favourite vibe bringers & crowd pleasers. He is always fun to watch & be around!
I managed to come to the main stage (Groove Odyssey) & see Dennis Ferrer which was electric! The crowd, the mirror dancers, the vibe, everything was on point. I also went to the Back to 95 stage & saw the Heartless Crew. I used to be a bit of a garage head back in the early/mid 2000s so I was in my element! Unfortunately, apart from when I was walking back & forth across the site, I didn’t get a chance to catch any of the other stages but everywhere seemed popular!
What did you think of the day itself?
Once the festival got into the swing of things it was nothing but good vibes all round. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves & I saw no trouble or anyone creating issues anywhere. The weather was perfect & people were in high spirits. As far as I could tell the artists at the Metalheadz stage all seemed happy & looked after & the crowd were buzzing all day!
The line-up in the Metal Headz tent was like a mini-reunion!
It really was like a reunion; it was very special! Watching the artists seeing each other again & seeing their faces & reactions was just lovely. I watched several heart-warming moments which added to the crowd’s excitement. Everyone was on a high!
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