Will Clarke & Friends Open Air Edition

We're excited to announce our very first 2023 Summer show, and it's with none other than one of our day ones—our brother Will Clarke, and he's bringing some special guests along for a seven-hour journey at the historic Knockdown Center. The massive venue's open-air space, The Ruins, are the perfect locale to bask in that beautiful New York summer glow, while soaking up the sounds of Will's funky techno.

Over the last several years, Clarke has firmly established a trademark sound within the techno realm. Warehouse rattling funk with a touch of rave. A fan of dance music since before he was a teenager and a Dj for almost as long, Will Clarke has been in more clubs than one could count. Yet, he hopes to build a bridge to take dance music beyond the club. He told Gray Area, “I think the thing with dance music is that a lot of the time, it’s just for the club. And that’s absolutely fine. I think clubs have a real important place in our lives. But I think there’s actually more to [dance] music than just the clubs. I'm trying to write songs that have a bit of a meaning.”

While Will could have looked at the pandemic as a break from the rampant release schedules and revolving tour diaries, he pressed on working harder than ever to continue his mission of bringing something of meaning to the world. He created the Will Clarke Podcast. A favorite amongst industry heads and fans, it's a platform for Will to engage in long-form conversations with dance music favorites and those on the come up. Guests like MK, Chris Lake, Kevin Saunderson, HoneyLuv, Sam Divine, Duke Dumont, and Sohmi have all shared incredible and personal stories with Will. It's a testament to his skills as a brilliant communicator on and off the dancefloor.

Started shortly before the pandemic, his Beatport Top 100 best-selling label, All We Have is Now, continues to flourish. It has emerged as one of the genre's most sought-after imprints, with artists like Shermanology, MK, Matt Sassari, and Avision sharing space on the diverse roster. The label's releases prove dancefloors can be moved with purpose and intention. His own releases on the label, like "Hallelujah," featuring the incomparable voice of Candi Stanton, are the most heavily supported tracks of his career. And they signify that his audience fully supports his vision.

That's not to say Will has blinders on. On the contrary, his hectic touring schedule has taken him around the world several times over the last two years. From Chicago to Ibiza, the UK to Miami, Will is dropping heat at some of the best clubs and most notable festivals in the world, including Club Space, ADE, Amnesia, DC-10 for Patrick Topping's Trick, Electric Zoo, and Movement Detroit.

We're excited to host the next step in Will's creative evolution as he steps out front to bring his unique slant on techno and his expert curation to a very special headlining experience.

SUPPORT

Will has hand selected a fantastic selection of artists to help lead this seven-hour journey through house and techno. Since 2007 Tuscany-born, Barcelona-based Marco Faraone has been blasting the system with his explosive blend of peak-hour techno and house music. In 2022 not only did he blaze up the Ibiza season with a string of monumental performances on Amnesia's legendary Terrace, he completely changed the game as a producer. With blistering releases on Defected, Filth on Acid, Drumcode, and his own UNCAGE imprint, he's quickly moved from promising up-and-comer to one of the most recognized names in underground dance.

Filling out the bill is New York clubland staple Dalton Taylor. His performances at Avant Garnder, Le Bain, and Elsewhere (among others) fuse the sounds of classic dance with new school sensibilities. We loved his sets when he played for us, previously opening for Archie Hamilton and Will Clarke, and can't wait to see how get's things going this time around.