Only in its second year, Junction 2 has become the finest techno festival in London. Nestled in the West, the festival run by Drumcode and LWE brings together class acts from all over the world for one day of incredible music. Stepping things up a notch, the 2017 edition added two new stages – Sonus and Into The Woods – increasing the size of the festival by almost double. With the contrasting surroundings of industrial bridges and estates paired together with the picturesque forest, the site creates the perfect atmosphere for sets filled with an array of techno, house, minimal and even a bit of disco. Here at Untitled 909, we have picked our 10 favourite tracks heard throughout the day.
Butric – Up (DJ Tennis – Sonus Stage)
Released in 2013, Butric’s infuriating, building track ‘Up’ has been doing the rounds of the festival circuit this year. Starting the day for us, DJ Tennis played with the crowd, leaving them in a state of confusion as the impending drop never arrives.
Daphni – Tin (Daphni – Hydra Stage)
Playing the longest and best set of the day, Daphni graced fans with an eclectic mixture of UK garage, cheesy bass house and groovy melodies. Featured on his upcoming fabric mix, Tin was one of the highlights of the set with most revellers hearing it out for the first time.
Moderat – Bad Kingdom (DJ Koze Remix) (DJ Koze – Hydra Stage)
DJ Koze’s incredible remix of Bad Kingdom is one of those tracks that no matter how many times you hear it played out – it will never get boring. Sure it’s a safe bet for DJ Koze to play this but it left the crowd singing and dancing with joy as it’s one of the biggest tracks that he has released.
Josh Wink – Higher State of Consciousness (DJ Koze – Hydra Stage)
Another classic played by DJ Koze.
Maceo Plex – Solar Wind (Maceo Plex – Sonus Stage)
From Maceo Plex’s forthcoming album, ‘Solar’, ‘Solar Wind’ is an eerie, downbeat track that sent shivers down your spine as you watched on to the enormous Sonus stage and the sun slowly setting behind.
Ramadanman – Work Them (Daphni – Hydra Stage)
Daphni kept punters on their toes throughout his three-hour set where tracks like ‘Work Them’ would be thrown in after 10 minutes of solid disco. Adding an incredible element of surprise to his set, we were left excited about what was next and Ramadanman’s stellar production left the crowd jumping to the broken melody.
Anthony Parasole – Infrared Vision (Ben Klock – Drumcode Stage)
Berghain resident Ben Klock played on the infamous Drumcode stage which was hidden underneath the concrete motorway bridge – ideal settings for relentless techno. Recently released on Dekmantel Records, Anthony Parasole’s Infrared Vision left the crowd marching in unison in a state of hypnosis with its looping synths.
East End Dubs – Lexa Groove (Willow – Hydra Stage)
An artist to watch, Willow opened the Hydra stage with a mixture of minimal dubs and thrumming techno. We were pretty excited to hear East End Dubs clicking ‘Lexa Groove’ – one of our favourite tracks of the year so far.
Grant – Malt Brun (Into The Woods Stage)
Into The Woods stage provided a unqiue atmosphere as you were hidden away from the rest of the festival. What felt like an adult playground with secret entrances, fresh smell of wood chips and decorative logs, the finest minimal acts graced the little cabin. As the day went on, memories blur but this was a stand-out track as the soulful vocals take you away.
V.I.C.A.R.I – Moy Lally In D (Kolo & Dyze – Into The Woods Stage)
AnaloQ head honcho Kolo & Dyze blew us away with this track. Moy Lally In D is a 14-minute trip with a mesmerising vocal sample and bouncy melody that never leaves your head.