Half a decade, five years, two ways of saying the same thing. So if we said Tobacco Dock, then all day New Years day shenanigans, naturally you’d think they were the same thing. And rightly so, because for four years now, LWE have been putting on all day raves in the cavernous space of Tobacco Dock. And in just under two months time, that number will be hitting five.

Now obviously to celebrate such a feet, organisers are pulling in a lineup that not only, on the surface, excites punters, but also one that reflects the journey Tobacco Dock has been on in the last five years. There’s no denying that it’s a very niche place to hold a rave up, one of those industrial gems that’s so suited for dancing to loud music for hours on end, so, in-keeping with the underground vibe of the place, there’s a suitably underground lineup to match. It’s exciting, very exciting indeed.

Fronting the bill is an American DJ and producer who’s known globally to so many under one alias, but whose darker, more unknown moniker doesn’t ring as many bells for some, and that’s just the way we like it. Maetrik will be performing live, the darker, rawer side of Mosaic party founder Maceo Plex. Joining him is another live performing artist, one whose sets are the stuff of jaw dropping, turntableist legend: Kink. Now then into the hard hitting techno we go, as We Are The Brave honcho Alan Fitzpatrick will be joined by Brazilian techno mainstay Nastia. Check out the video above of Alan closing the BPM festival Portugal a couple months back, it’ll warm your cockles we promise.

All of those names were revealed in phase one, so what did phase two have in store? Well first up is Roman Fluegel, a German heavyweight whose style ranges from ambient techno to melodic, synth-heavy house. Our personal favourite is the ‘Verschiebungen’ EP on ORKL, a devastating four-tracker made up of eerie, minimal techno cuts that will have you hanging from the rafters. If you don’t already, now’s the time to get to know. And secondly we’ve got Phase, the Token Records mainstay whose dark, stripped back productions have landed him a spot at Berlins infamous Berghain at the end of the month.

Now finally, joining both of them, is one of the most respected, and entrenched, names in the whole techno scene. A man that stems from the birthplace itself, Detroit born and bred, Floorplan will be in the house. Robert Hood, Dr. Kevorkian whatever you want to call him – the man’s a genius, so we’ll let his Dekmantel Boiler Room speak for itself.

And voila! There’s our two cents on LWE NYD 2018. It’s a lineup for music lovers no doubt, with an eclectic range of artists from all walks of underground house and techno. With four years under their belt, we can’t wait to see what the fifth has in store, so here’s to another five years!

LWE NYD 2018 is landing in Tobacco Dock on the 1st of January. Tickets here