Better late than never. It may have been more than a week ago now, but Junction 2 is a festival that we won’t be forgetting anytime soon. It was this time last year that we headed to Parklife, so this year we thought we wanted to go somewhere closer to home. It was the festival’s third edition, so we were late to the party in that respect, but the best things are worth waiting for.

Stage wise we were spoilt for choice. The idyllic setting of Boston Manor Park was huge, and the sprawling motorway bridge, that has become the centerpiece of the festival, was eye watering. Descending down the crest of the hill, with a view of all the ravers dancing ahead of us, it was hard not to become emotional in some way.

But that wasn’t all. If the sheer scale of the stage became too much, then we had no problem ambling through woodland shrubbery to find a log cabin set deep into the line of trees. The thud of the drum caroused many a raver into a small clearing, and revealed the Into the Woods stage.

It was a perfect day it has to be said. An excellent selection of stages, solid soundsystems, and a crowd whose ethos was a good appreciatiomn of the music. You know the score now: here are our top three tracks from Junction 2 2018.

Track No. 1 – Serge and Tyrell ‘Pump-O-Matic’ – Clone Jack for Daze

Len Faki. The Warehouse. Hot, so hot, sweaty, and dark. And interspersed between harder, more driving techno tracks, this classic comes on. Fast, with an encouraging vocal sample, this one can’t help put a smile on your face. With a retro feel that sounds at home in a house rave or a sweaty warehouse, it’s all hands on deck for this one.

Track No. 2 – Sander Dellariva ‘Robot Fucker’ – Snatch! Records

Maya Jane Coles at The Hex Stage. Early afternoon, outside, and this up and down groover comes on. Wobbling, with a distorted kick that leans to the lo-fi side of house music, this belter dealt some serious damage. Between tech house, minimal and lo-fi, it went down an absolute treat.

Track No. 3 – Your Planet is Next ‘Rave2dagrave’ – Klasse Wrecks

Rollllllling. Here we have a proper roller. High tempo, high energy, courtesy of the righteous back to back from Sonja Moonear and Nicolas Lutz. With the occasional ethereal synth thrown in, this weapon speaks on various levels. It’s one to sit back and relax to, or to go absolutely ham to. And whilst we were immersed in woodland shrubbery, we chose the latter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTLDDFvh-1M

And once again, LWE prove they know how to throw a top flight party! Excellent organisation, as well as class lineups, have become the flagship aspects of their events. And, as expected, Junction 2 was no different. Boston Manor Park, we’ll be seeing you soon!

Junction  2 festival will be returning in 2019. For all festival news and sign ups, click here.