It is true to say that Sanc Fest was a mixed bag, with sunshine and rain, inside and outside, attractions, camping and day visitors, but one thing is for sure, you guys know how to enjoy an event as hosted by world renouned promoters Slammin' Vinyl!

As peoples memories fade on the last SV event, let's just remind ourselves how much fun was really had at the Sanctuary Festival, before we look forward to the almighty Westfest!

Even whilst putting up their tents the Southampton Messy Ravers managed to fit in some time to mess about and race each other around the campsite!

The almighty 5 year running No1 Top Hardcore MC - Storm alongside an amazing line up of Hardcore DJs rocked the hardcore arenas all night long!

For those of you who like it a little harder.. Mark EG & M-Zone smashed it up alongside MC Ribbz on the outside stage in the glorious sunshine!!

Drum & Bass needs were met with a top class line up led by the National DnB awards 2008 winner for No1 DnB Hype MC & No 1 Lyrical MC the one and only Skibadee! & 2007 winner for the same awards MC Eksman!

With Mark EG appearing both inside and out.. he absolutely smashed it up inside the Bionic arena, with his energy flowing from the decks throughout the tent as he ran and jumped about more than ever before! Mark EG is a living legend and therefore needs no more said about him except...

Bringing his own unique Style and colurfulness to the event, the legend that is Mr MC Whizzkid helped hype the crowds in the Hardcore arenas sporting his new brightly coloured TerraTag.com clothing & Nike sneaks!

But most importantly... BIG UP to all the ravers who made Sanctuary Festival what it was, despite the uncontrolable forces of nature!! What a wicked weekend!!!

OK so with all those fond memories in mind... it's time to gear yourself up for what you already know will be one of the best events of the year!!

If you have been to Westfest before, then you already have some idea what to expect, if however this is your first year at Westfest, then let us paint a bit of a picture for you...

Home to the Hardcore Heaven Awards, as voted by you the ravers, this 10,000 capacity event is something that has to be seen to be believed, no pictures or videos can do this justice, so make sure you don't miss it!!

For those who have been.. here is something to enjoy as you reminisce, if you haven't then here is a taster of what the event has to offer....

Remember if you haven't already got your votes in...
NOW is the time... click this link to vote...

Now you know what it's all about, it's time to get to know the people involved and your chance to WIN some goodies, including the chance to...

With something for everyone, from Drum & Bass to Hardcore, to Hardstyle and more, we grabbed a few minutes with some of this years artists and nominees, to see what they have to say about the event and the scene in general atm. Here is the line up & what they had to say...

Slammin' Vinyl Main Stage
Darren Styles & MC Storm
Lisa Lashes
Andy C & MC GQ
Sy & Unknown Feat. Lou Lou
DJ Hype & Skibadee
Hixxy & Recon
Alex Kidd
Friction & Eksman
Mark EG

Hardcore Heaven
Darren Styles*
Hixxy & Recon*
Sy & Unknown*
Gammer
Squad-E
Dougal
Breeze
Joey Riot & DJ Kurt
Brisk & Ham
Kevin Energy
Seduction
Clarkee
Marc Smith

Storm, Whizzkid, Wotsee, Marley, Casper, Static & Ribbz

Slinky Hard House & Trance
Lisa Lashes*
Alex Kidd*
Lisa Pin Up
BK
The Organ Donors
Kutski
Rodi Style
Cally Gage
Kym Ayres
Amber D
Velos

Bionic Hardstyle
Tatanka B2B Activator
Zatox B2B Tatanka
Activator B2B Zatox
Blutonium Boy B2B DJ Neo
Mark EG
Cally & Juice
Brian M vs McBunn
M-Zone
Swankie B2B Kashi
Rob Davies
MC Shocker

One Nation Drum n' Bass
Andy C*
DJ Hype*
Friction*
Hazard
Nicky Blackmarket
Fresh
Noisia
Subfocus
Brockie
Taxman
Chase & Status
Cynatific
Gerard Drive-By

With Skiba, Eksman, Shabba D, GQ, Fearless, IC3, Stamina, Fatman D, Evil B, SP:MC, Bensta

United Dance Old Skool
Slipmatt
Nicky Blackmarket
The Organ Donors (Old Skool Autopsy)
Faydz
Clarkee
Druid
Reckless
Wink

With Robbie Dee, Ribbz & Rude

DSI VIP Arena
DJ Lewi
Steve NRG
Lee H
Funky Toast
Tyronnster
Rob Marchant & D.A.V.E Marchant
Muzz Khan B2B Teon

*Appearing on the Main Stage.

We were fortunate enough to catch a few of the nominees, artists appearing as well as those involved in the event and environmental effects it has. Here is what they had to say:

TGPromotions.com:
What does the word westfest mean to you??
Stylus & Audio Junkie:
We think Westfest means big choonz, quality DJ's and a bangin' night out!!!
TGPromotions.com:
Good answer ... how do you think the hardcore scene has progressed this year?
Stylus & Audio Junkie:
We think its progressing well, there’s been a lot more scope for some lesser known DJ's to break through. Production has advanced, tunes are getting better and better and the producers are being more creative leading to a more varied selection of tracks which in turn makes the sets more interesting!
TGPromotions.com:
Wicked stuff... can you tell us, how it felt when you got the news you had been nominated for Best Breakthrough DJ(s) for 2008??
Stylus & Audio Junkie:
We were buzzin'!!! It’s great to get recognised for all the hard work we've been putting in. we get a lot of enjoyment out of playing purely our own material in our sets, so its a real complement to be nominated in such a prestigious event on the rave calendar.
TGPromotions.com:
We are pleased for you and I wish you well with all that! We hear that "Pure Hardcore" is in the shops now, full nearly in complete with all your own material? So can you give us an insight to what inspired this album and each of your favourite tracks from the album??
Stylus & Audio Junkie:
Lol, firstly its really hard to choose a favourite track when you've poured your heart and soul into every production, but if you put a gun against our heads and ordered us to choose I guess for Stylus it'd have to be 'Move Closer' 'cos its jus a real high energy track that really slams on the dancefloor! And for AudioJunkie it'd be 'Shine Down' because it was the first time he ever sang on a track.

In terms of inspiration....
We've been listening to lots of different styles of music and when we're working in the studio we try to imagine how it’s goin’ to impact on the dance floor. We love our big breaks with lush strings and phatt synths so we've taken inspiration from uplifting trance, for the more tekky trax we've drawn from dirty pumping elctro sounds. and finally everyday life is always a good source
of inspiration for writing lyrics!
TGPromotions.com:
Wicked stuff..Thanks for your time guys..We won't keep you any longer as we know you are both busy people, and all your time working together is valuable..so we will leave you with our best wishes for the Hardcore Heaven Awards, and thank you for the kind prize donation of a signed copy of Pure Hardcore, and look forward to seeing you smash it up all around the UK! BIG UP!
Stylus & Audio Junkie:
Safe, thanks for all the support,
TGPromotions.com:
Cheers guys and good luck

TGPromotions.com:
What do you think makes Westfest such a big success story?
MC Marley:
Westfest is huge and one of my favourite events in the calendar, in my opinion its the only major event that really pulls all the different genres together for everyone to appreciate, proper old skool with proper hardcore plus DnB and the best in hard dance.
TGPromotions.com:
What is your most memorable Slammin’ Vinyl Moment?
MC Marley:
My most memorable moment was last year performing in the main room with Darren Styles in front of 5000 ravers, unfortunately Whizzkid couldn’t make it so I got the call from Storm and was more then happy to fill in, awesome!!

TGPromotions.com:
Can u tell us how you would best describe westfest and
the hardcore heaven awards??
Marc Smith:
Westfest apart from the poor show of the weather both years has the potential to be one of the best outdoor dance festivals there is, the site is awesome, the hard work and planning that Grant and the crew put into place is phenomenal, to pull this off. It’s just awesome to see so many up for it ravers proper fucking going for it like maniacs regardless of the weather......it’s just awesome.
Massive props to Grant and the rest of the crew for pulling this off
TGPromotions.com:
Big up for that answer Marc.. Just a couple more questions before we let you get on producing more great tracks with the likes of Darwin... what can the ravers expect to see from you at Westfest this year??
Marc Smith:
They can expect hamspters, flying spider mokeys, and juggling hippo's...
Apart from that...they can expect the usual heads down, foot stomping set that they always get, mixed with some nice uplifting bounce madness.
It will be awesome fun indeed...get your ass there and stomp!
TGPromotions.com:
LOL.. funny stuff... finally... we hear you have your own Notorious Vinyl clothing range.. which you have kindly donated a t-shirt from as a prize.. where can people browse these items in more detail?
Marc Smith:
At the moment. I am just getting the Notorious Vinyl and my own DJ Marc Smith websites and shop completed, if you go to my bebo www.bebo.com/MarcSmithDJ you can see them there.
There is also my my space www.myspace.com/theoriginaldjmarcsmith
TGPromotions.com:
Cool news.. Thanks for your time Marc.. we will let you get back to making those amazing tunes we are so used to hearing out and about!!

TGPromotions.com:
Hey matt.. Thanks for taking a few minutes out to chat to us in the run up to the biggest hardcore event of the year! Could you just enlighten us how it felt and what was going through your head last year when you were awarded BEST PRODUCER (with Dougal).. as well as BEST TRACK??
Gammer:
No problem
The feeling was unreal, obviously apart from getting best breakthrough all the way back in 2004, I'd never even gotten close to getting any of the awards

All I remember is me and Dougal looking at each other with our jaws
on the floor, next thing I knew my legs were taking me onto the
stage towards the dreaded mic!

Having to talk to that many people...its scary.
TGPromotions.com:
We have always loved your flamboyant mixing style and all
round technical skills, and just wondered what has been your main
source of inspiration over the past year??
Gammer:
As ive said in many interviews the original inspiration for the way I mix came from people like James Zabiela, Andy Whitby and Scott Brown.

Zabiela inspires me with the way he can twist up so many noises and
clever tricks using whatever is at his disposal.

I love the way Whitby chops and keeps pure atmosphere
in a set all the way through.

And I’ve always been a fan of quick mixing which is where Scott comes into play.
TGPromotions.com:
Wicked.. Thanks for that little insight... and knowing you must be busy in the run up to Westfest.. preparing what is indisputably going to be an amazing set, with a few surprises no doubt! Just one last question.. Can you tell us what Westfest & the Hardcore Heaven Awards means to you?
Gammer:
Easy....Westfest = one fucking amazing party!
TGPromotions.com:
Good answer.. Thanks for your time Matt.. We will let you get on.. Take care and see you at Hardcore Heaven!

TGPromotions.com
Ok well.. How does it feel to have the sole
contract for flyering at Westfest 2008?
Ben Niacin
Yeah, it's a great privilege for the team and myself to be involved with one of the biggest dance music events in the UK.
TGPromotions.com
That’s good news.. is it part of the attempt to keep the site clean and tidy after the event, and if so.. what measures are in place to help do this?
Ben Niacin
Yes. Part of the agreement with Slammin Vinyl is that a full cleanup operation takes place after the event to cleanse the site of any dropped promotional literature, due to the fact that a poor attempt was made by a rival company hired in last year I can assure that this time round the whole logistics will be totally different as it’s something we have deeply looked into get right. We have a team of 10 staff on site so its all good.
TGPromotions.com
That’s good to hear.. In this day and age of conservation and recycling...
Ben Niacin
Plans are being made in house for a 'Digital Flyer' which is currently in development so watch this space. As to present day flyering we endeavour and make it a rule to collect any dropped flyer packs to be reused on the next Club Run or Shop Drop. So Yes we are proactive in trying to recycle.
TGPromotions.com
Can you just tell us what drives you to travel the thousands of miles and long nights to flyer events all over the UK?
Ben Niacin
Ha Ha.. My Renault Cleo or One of the Vans... Lol That’s a really good question. I think it comes down to the flyer its self if I’m honest. Along with all media formats that are around us today giving us all the information we need about events whether it be Internet, Radio or Text to me especially coming from a Hardcore Background when back in the day I was attending events such as Dreamscape, Helter Skelter, Dance Planet and Adrenalin parties it was all about the flyer and nothing else. It would be in your local record shop, arrive in the post or your got given it after an event so being able to offer a first point of contact hand to hand service of events through a flyer pack I think that’s what drives me coz to me its all about the flyer.
TGPromotions.com
Providing what is, despite appearances from the amount of rubbish.. a valuable service to clubbers and promoters alike.
Ben Niacin
Even I will agree with that. The amount of flyer litter after some events across the UK yes can look an eye sore at times but I think its something that can be sorted out and made better and in quite a simply way as well. I keep saying it to myself loads that if people don’t want to receive Info on parties via a flyer pack after an event that they have attended then they don’t have but some do regardless only then to drop it on the floor because they don’t wish to have it. It may sound harsh but if you don’t want one then don’t take one. I also think that what you just asked in previous question answers this one to the point where you have to be dedicated to clock up the miles chasing the events and the long nights to do play a major part so being able to have the fitness and I guess stamina in a way and irregular sleeping patterns to do that in its self proves a value of service. For clubbers I would say a flyer pack that’s well presented and to the promoters making sure the job gets done alongside being at the events that your schedules say your going to be at and staffing them well.
TGPromotions.com
Wicked mate.. Nice one.. We hear you are running your own night and have another event in December.. And have kindly donated two tickets to the event as prizes for our competition? Thank you very much.
Ben Niacin
Ahha yes yes.. Ravers are: Alive & Kicking Event 2 Were Back Dec 12th taking place at Lakota in Bristol. This is just something that myself, DJ Pikey and a couple of other DJ’s are involved in. I think we got you to Tog on the first one. Anyway it’s going to be immense so all I can say to everyone is come check it out. The Tickets are cool I think I forgot to mention to you that they will be VIP one so wicked....

Up for grabs we have the following great prizes:

Ticket to Westfest
Signed Scratch Vinyl
Signed CD Album "Pure Hardcore"
Notorious Vinyl T-shirt
2 Tickets To Maximum Euphoria
(To get you warmed up ready for Westfest)
Copy of CORE magazine, signed by award winners
2 Signed Vinyls
2 VIP Tickets to Ravers Are: Alive & Kicking
(For those of you who can't wait from Westfest until
Hardcore Heaven for your next fix of Hardcore!)
Signed Award Winner Photos
Plus more prizes to be confirmed...

To be in with a chance of winning any of the above prizes, it's simple.. 3 easy steps....

1) Invite your buddies to enjoy this article as well!

2) Send us and email letting us know what your thoughts on the article.
Email to:
tg@tgpromotions.com
Subject line:
"WESTFEST COMPETITION"

3) Add comment to article stating "Buds In"

Thanks for taking the time to read this article & special thanks to all those who donated prizes!

Also watch out for the brand new Slammin' Vinyl merchandise catalogue, due for release at Westfest 2008!

Words by Tristan Griffiths
Photos by TGPromotions.com
Photos found by Nelza