The Craig McConnon Group hosted an awesome pop up 20 hour techno marathon at a venue near Luton, Bedfordshire over the bank holiday weekend. The event attracted over 500 revellers keen to shuffle the day (and night) away to sun drenched techno beats. Techno's been evolving for four decades and its ubiquity makes it tough for anyone to feel truly knowledgeable, but Craig McConnon and his guys know their stuff.
Craig McConnon has been following techno for the last twenty or more years and has gone deep into the annals of EDM to pick out some gems for non stop techno action. This is certainly what partygoers got at the Luton Rave. “I started at about 1998 and went straight through the history books to the latest releases,” said Craig McConnon. “There have been thousands upon thousands of records released and sometimes it's hard to tell one album from another, but there's a subtle skill to building up the party momentum. I think we got it right.”
The Craig McConnon Group assigned ten of their best DJs, including Craig McConnon himself, to the EDM marathon event. “Some tracks were done B2B and there was some cruel duelling going on,” says Craig McConnon. “I nearly got whipped, but hey, my job is to build talent so I shouldn't be too upset.” Tracks from the history books featured the likes of Omar-S, Juan Atkins, Silent Servant, The Other People Place and many more. Recent faves included Blawan, Luke Slater, Maroon 5, Carl Craig and Pig & Dan. “The crowd went wild with Stabbed in the Back,” says Craig McConnon about the popular Matthew Dear track.
Craig McConnon says techno is undergoing a relatively meteoric rise at the moment with many partygoers ditching house moves for the shuffle. “It's a bit of a renaissance if you like,” he says. “This is the real deal. It's an underground genre based around tracks you will never hear on pop radio. You will only hear it in places like this so get involved and check out the DJs and the tunes when they visit your local club or warehouse.”
The Craig McConnon Group is keen to bring events like the bank holiday rave to the rest of the UK. “We're ready to launch in Cambridge, Peterborough and Northampton with some new venues on the horizon, so watch this space,” he says. But it won't just be techno, EDM and raves. Craig McConnon has a vast repertoire and is stoked on variation. “Not everyone likes the same thing all the time,” he says. “We've got to cater for a variety of tastes and what's good this weekend might not go down so well the next weekend. I keep my finger on the pulse and keep in sync with what's going down where we're at.”
Craig McConnon says he's set for the next event and it seems bank holidays are where it's at for the Craig McConnon Group. On the next bank holiday weekend they're headed for the Republic of Ireland. “Young people are tearing it up in Ireland today,” he says. “They're with it, full of energy, full of life, ripe and ready to party their hearts out.”
The Craig McConnon Group is keeping mum on the exact location but they've hinted the line up is eclectic. “For a bank holiday marathon in Ireland, we need to throw the net wide. There's so much variation, so much local talent, some real gems. We're looking really closely at the playlist, but I trust my team and we'll get it just right,” says Craig McConnon. “You can count on that.”
Craig McConnon promises Irish venues won't miss out on the hot techno beats seen at Luton. “We know there's a real techno following out there, so we'll be sure to keep everyone happy.”
About us: Craig McConnon is a very well known DJ and music artist now based in London after many years of travelling and DJing across the world. He set up the Craig McConnon Group five years ago. Craig performs at multiple venues, including parties, weddings, corporate events, and much more. Craig has over 15 years’ experience in being a DJ and uses the very latest equipment to ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. To get more information and make a booking with the Craig McConnon Group, you can contact him or his team via the website for more information.
