Roni Size will play a one-off drum & bass set inside Cwmorthin Slate Mine in Eryri, North Wales, on Thursday 15 October. Organised by G-SHOCK, the event places its dancefloor 1,375 feet below ground and brings the surrounding mountain into the performance itself.
The route to the booth will be considerably more involved than a queue outside a club. Attendees will travel through tunnels and waterlogged passages, cross underground ravines, negotiate zip lines and abseil down rock faces before reaching the chamber. Underground adventure operator Go Below will guide the descent, with participation subject to age, fitness and equipment requirements.
The location also shapes the sound. G-SHOCK says elements of Size’s set will be transmitted into the slate, with vibrations moving through rock, water and mud captured and returned to the performance. Rather than simply placing a DJ in an unusual venue, the experiment uses the mine as part of the audio system.
They add that vibration transducers, geophones and hydrophones will form part of that process. The organisers also intend to document the event for a world record submission. The claim to the world’s deepest underground rave remains an attempt, subject to independent verification.
The event accompanies the launch of G-SHOCK’s MUDMAN watch. That commercial backdrop is explicit, but the music angle lies in the combination of an adventurous setting and a performance responding directly to its environment.
Only a limited number of guestlist places are available through a ballot, which closes on Friday 9 October. Successful applicants are due to receive an email by 10 October. Those staying above ground can hear the set through G-SHOCK Radio on the night, with the full performance available afterwards.
Apply for tickets here: https://gshock.casio.com/uk/mudman/
