This weekend Waterworks festival returns to West London’s Gunnersbury Park for its third edition. After a successful inaugural year in 2021, the event has continued to grow, with last year’s event propelling its reputation to new heights. Their recipe for success has consisted of expert programming alongside stellar stage design, which has quickly turned it into an event on London’s festival calendar not to miss. 2023 looks set to match that high standard with a lineup that includes some of dance music’s hottest names. What better way to bring summer to a close in mid September than a London day festival!
Playing host to 7 stages, Waterworks offers a piece of something for all dance music enthusiasts. Whether it’s the breakbeat infused Siren stage, the hard hitting techno of the Pressure stage, or the classic house of Orbit, the opportunity is there all day to get lost in all corners of the electronic spectrum. However it can be rather overwhelming deciding who to see throughout the day, so we’re here to offer our 5 stand out sets of Waterworks. We’ll see you on the dance floor!
S.A.S.S
S.A.S.S is the much loved collaborative project between Shanti Celeste, Saoirse, Moxie and Peach. They’re booked at Waterworks to play a four and a half hour B2B set – their only date in the UK this year. Each DJ has proven themselves to be high-quality selectors in their own right, but together their chemistry pushes their qualities to new heights. Their marathon sets have seen them play across the globe and they always deliver barrels of feel good energy. You can catch the artists at the Orbit stage at 4pm.
Eris Drew B2B Angel D’Lite
Australian DJ and producer, Eris Drew, has proved in recent years that they’re truly a unique entity in the dance space. Through a love for vinyl, they’ve honed the ability to transmit the raucous energy synonymous with 90s rave scene and their sets are always a guaranteed sweatfest. They’re booked to play alongside fast rising DJ Angel D’Lite – perhaps one of the best names I’ve come across in some time – and with both artists key figures in the queer scene, this set looks set to be one of the most powerful that Waterworks has to offer. The duo are closing the Orbit stage from 8:30 pm.
Francesco Del Garda
Italian DJ, Francesco Del Garda, is known for his unpredictable vinyl sets that wind effortlessly through genres. A hugely popular and lovable character, the artist has been collecting records for over two decades and relishes in taking dancers on a journey. With only a couple of productions to his name, he’s stayed true to the concept of what being a DJ and selector is, building a career on the basis of finding quality dance music. Expect groovy house and techno when he plays at 5pm at Cedar.
Roza Terenzi
Katie Campbell, or better known as her dance alias, Roza Terenzi is an artist with plenty of talents. An extraordinary producer with numerous albums to her name under differing aliases, a respected DJ that tours across the globe, as well as running her own label – Planet Euphorique. She’s a creative tour de force, and within her selections we see that flair come to life. Consistently unpredictable, off-kilter and high energy, Terenzi always delivers. Head to Commune at 8 30pm to catch the artist.
Call Super B2B Palms Trax
Waterworks have thrown a curveball by programming two of the biggest names on the lineup – in the form of Call Super and Palms Trax – to play together. They have a history of doing so and their similar anything goes approach opens a world of possibilities. What’s to come though is unpredictable, I’ve seen both DJ’s playing polar opposite sets – from disco to techno. I recently saw Call Super perform a stand out set at Houghton and if this B2B reaches anywhere near the heights of that set then revellers are in for a treat. You can catch them at 8:30pm at Cedar.
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Words: Jake Wright
Photography: Gemma Parker at Khroma Collective