Intimate. Intense. Vibes.
Those are but a few words to describe our experience at this years Forbidden Forest.
In the heart of Donington Park, secluded in the treeline of the forest, laid an amalgamation of a fairy tale wonderland and a warehouse rave. Scattered amongst the trees were a collection of like-minded ravers, both young and old, all gathered to appreciate some of the finest artists in bass music.
On our first walk through the site, we were pleasantly surprised with the level of production and decor. The forest was decorated throughout with lamps, tea lights and banners, creating an intriguing juxtaposition with the style of music being performed on the Kooky Stage.
After our tour around the site, we watched as Midnight Phulin hyped the daytime ravers with an impressive collection of broken bassline bangers. Even continuing to hype the crowd during an electrical fault which caused the sound to cut out for 10 minutes.
The day continued on with the likes of Kooky founder, Ollie Julien, providing an incredible set ranging from new bass dubs to old-skool UKG classics. Perfectly building up the crowd for the headline set of BDL’s own Big Narstie…
One of the highlights of the day had to be Big Narstie‘s set. In perfect grime fashion, Narstie and his crew’s presence was encapsulating from the moment they got on stage, grasping onto all attention from the crowd below. From freestyling over Flux Pavilion’s Bass Cannon to inciting crowd participation during When The Bassline Drops, Big Narstie definitely proved himself as a powerhouse grime MC.
As the sun set, the top level producers of the UK Bass hierarchy came through in full force! After Big Narstie left the crowd eager for more, Taiki Nulight took to the decks to present his signature, fast-paced sets. Littered with his own productions, his set kept the crowd lively and locked!
This was followed by Chris Lorenzo joining Taiki on stage for a brief, but prominent, back-to-back. Chris then took to stage to provide a set absolutely filled with his own releases, edits and dubs. However, after 45 mins of classic Lorenzo style, the switch up to a chapter of DNB was felt throughout the site… Rinsing roller after roller, Lorenzo then handed the reins over the DJ Zinc…
The night finished up with ridiculously hefty sets from both DJ Zinc and Holy Goof. The crowd still incredibly lively until the end. This years Forbidden Forest was a success.
New music dropping very soon!
Posted by Holy Goof on Monday, September 12, 2016
Forbidden Forest returns Sunday 30th April 2017.
All Photos by Joe Norman Photography
