Earlier this year Hide&Seek announced its all-new 2021 concept, ‘Life In Colour’ which has injected some true life back into proceedings. Their aim is to bring colour to the world after what has been a pretty monotone period in our lives. It’s time to dance, reconnect, laugh & love. It’s time to see life through a different lens.
Hide&Seek is here to tell a story, a story that will last a lifetime and features a thrilling line-up. Before the festival takes place, which is Saturday 4th September btw, I caught up with an old friend, superstar DJ, and co-founder Josh Baker.
So first of all, give us a brief overview of what Hide & Seek is and what people can expect from the festival?
Hide&Seek is a boutique Music and Arts festival created by myself and the You&Me team. We debuted in 2019 after we had the vision to bring a large-scale event to the beautiful crowds of Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire. We aim to bring the world’s best DJs to an unforgettable setting with impeccable sound systems and a visual experience to match.
For our second installment, you can expect a major step up from the first year. Bigger and better is the simplest way to put it whilst keeping an intimate feeling throughout but we don’t want to give too much away until you see it…
I don’t want to touch on the lockdown too much but how has it affected the way in which you work to build a festival?
The main issue with covid/lockdown was the uncertainty. We were really on the ball in 2020 and as soon as we suspected the festival may not go ahead, we had to prepare for the worst. For everyone in the scene, it was touch and go whether we’d see any Festivals this year, but with us being in September it has meant that we have had adequate time to get plans in place to deliver what we envision.
Which DJs are you most excited about this year?
Being the curator of the lineup, there isn’t one artist I’m not excited about. When we released the bill the reaction was incredible and I think this was due to the fact we’ve included a lot of fresh artists that aren’t typically on a lot of other UK festival line-ups. One thing is for sure, whatever stage you’re at and whatever time it is, the music is going to be of the highest caliber.
As we’re a men’s fashion publication, what are your best picks or key pieces of clothing for a festival?
For a day festival, it has to be a show-stopping shirt for me. I’m on the hunt for the perfect one now actually, if you’ve got any tips let me know! The forecast is looking nice so hopefully, they’ll be no need for waterproofs! Also, a bucket hat never goes a miss…
When you’re not organising this festival you’ve also got your own night, You & Me. What is the key to putting on a good party?
The first thing is the sound. Without that the experience for both the DJ and the raver can’t be optimised. We opt for Funktion1 systems at both You&Me and Hide&Seek.
Secondly is the visuals. It is amazing the difference that lighting can make, especially once it goes dark. We pay close attention to the small details and use mapping and other tricks to really take the parties to another level. This year the festival is going to blow your mind.
Then there is the music selection itself. We are very particular with the artists we choose and the programming at all of our parties. We always want to make sure that the artists will complement each other and also play at appropriate times of the day/night. You can have the best sound and the best lights in the world but if the music isn’t right then there’s no party!
The final ingredient is the crowd. Without the right people and energy on the dancefloor then all can be lost. We’re really proud of what we’ve created and those who attend. It has a really special feeling at all of our events, full of great people.
You must have been to plenty of festivals so what’s your best experience?
The two that immediately come to mind are Sunwaves and Houghton. Both were mind-blowing experiences for me on the music, production and sound front. As a DJ, they are really the pinnacle for me but also as a raving experience they are at the top of the game.
Finally, what’re your future plans for Hide & Seek and You&Me?
2021 has been a challenging year so we’re just grateful to be getting events back underway and continuing our journey. The You&Me party calendar is boxed off until March 2022 and the series of events we’re putting on are very impressive if I do say so myself. You can expect some strong releases on the label as well.
Hide&Seek will no doubt evolve again next year but for now, all we’re focusing on is the 2021 edition.
Tickets are still available to buy here – https://ra.co/events/1319479
