Connor Vinyl Set 2005

Rob Van Arden Bio: 

Manchester based Trance/Hard Trance & Hard House Dj, Rob Van Arden is no stranger to the scene.

After discovering hard house & trance in London during the late 90's.
Attending nights such as Frantic, Heaven, The Gallery, Sunnyside Up & Trade.
Rob moved to Manchester & soon was a regular at nights like North, Sin:ergy, Gatecrasher, Goodgreef, Insomniacz & Sundissential North.

After getting his first set of decks he became a regular face at Manchester's legendary record shops Eastern Bloc & Spin Inn, at the time the beating heart of the city,s Dj scene. It is here, he perfected the art of digging deep into the crates of white labels & back shelf vinyls, always hunting for those rare, hard to get tunes to take the roof off his next Dj set.

It didn't take him long to get bookings & he was soon playing alongside his heroes, holding down a residency at North Hard House Reunion & gaining  bookings for brands such as Anthematics, Blueprint, The Howard, Goodgreef, Ideal (Tidy), North Hard House Reunion, Off The Rails, Rave On, We Like It Hard & Wax Format.

Over the years, Rob has supported many of the Dj's he originally looked up to, including Paul Oakenfold, Guy Ornadel, Signum, Scott Bond, The Thrillseekers, Simon Patterson, Jordan Suckley, Rob Tissera, The Tidy Boys, Andy Farley, B.K, Andy Whitby, Lab 4, Kutski, Mark E.G & M-Zone.

These earlier influences show in his sets, where he twists trippy acid lines, haunting vocals & rasping synths over thumping, driving beats.
Making his sets distinctive, wether it be Trance Or Hard House.

After a ten year break, Rob is back firing up the decks again. You can catch his upcoming, online sets on Abandoned Reality Radio, Keeping Hard Trance Alive & System Code.

Rob has also dabbled with production, gaining a release on Armin Van Burren's Who's Afraid Of 138 alongside Ally Brown, entitled "The Next Page" & also remixed the legendary OD404's 9Bar, under his Hoover Groover alias. Further productions are in the pipeline.

https://www.mixcloud.com/rob-van-arden/

https://www.facebook.com/share/1JVdWBJY46/


Connor is an experienced and passionate trance DJ from the North of England. As a clubber first and foremost he is the kind of DJ who comes from the dance floor and understands how to move the crowd.

The Lancashire DJ who grew up in Hyde (part of Greater Manchester), spent his fondest memories as a clubber in the late 90's and 2000's in the golden era of trance, frequenting clubbing institutions and infamous all-nighters throughout the north and midlands, Gatecrasher, Godskitchen, Cream, Passion, Insomniacz and Sundissential were where he fell deeply into a sound and culture that went on to shape his entire lifestyle. Connors main haunt was 60 minutes away, travelling almost every week from Manchester to Sheffield to The Republic, the home of the legendary Gatecrasher. 

Within his crowd, Connor was the trancespotter, the guy who made it his mission to find the track names and labels he heard in clubs, leading to an endless well of trance knowledge. This made him stand out from the average DJ before he even had decks himself! It wasn't long before his talented DJ friends pushed him to buy a set of Technics 1210's, with their early guidance and his cultured ear, he never looked back. Connor took his time honing his mixing skills while still remaining a dedicated clubber, always learning and being hugely influenced by heros of genre such as Paul Van Dyk, Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren and of course Gatecrasher residents Matt Hardwick and Connor's trance idol Scott Bond.

Connor made numerous mixes to promote himself, sending out demo after demo to clubs and promoters across England. Off the back of this, gigs started to roll in and he was invited to play in a DJ competition based in Liverpool with the winner being awarded a set at Nation, the famous home of Cream. Connor won his heat and got to the final where he came runner up to no other than Jordan Suckley.

Connor stepped away from DJ’ing to start a family. Fast forward to the present day Connor now a family man with a young daughter was ready to step back into the scene he has always loved.

Connor now DJing again in the digital era and now being influenced as before by Paul Van Dyk and Scott Bond plus artists such as John Askew, Simon Patterson, Will Atkinson and newer talents such as James Dymond, Kinetica and Allen Watts. 

Connor says "Since my return to the trance scene I have had a show on Experience Trance with a monthly show/podcast called 'Here and Now' with myself and various guest mixers. I have done many gigs, playing for many brands such as Rebooted, Insomniacz, Euphoric, Eden Ibiza, Itika Ibiza, Subteran, Fortify, Agenda, Day Breakerz, Euphoriance, Up:Rise, Saturday Sessions, Trance Junkiez, Transonic. Pres Nav’s Trance Party, plus many more Playing alongside some of the biggest names in the industry.
Trance is my life again outside of my family and the passion is burning inside me to play and produce a modern take on the the kind of trance I've always loved, danced to, explored and promoted"

For Bookings Contact:
connorbookings@hotmail.com

Ben Harvey.dj@instagram 
Ben Harvey's journey into the world of electronic music was sparked by the legendary Fantazia
Top Buzz NYE 1992 rave tapes. It was those tapes which ignited a passion that has since
propelled Ben from aspiring DJ to a prominent figure in the dance scene of the city in which he
now resides, Sheffield, UK. By 1997, with nothing more than a pair of Soundlab belt-drive
turntables, a basic mixer, and drawing early influence from icons like Scott Bond, Pete Tong,
and Judge Jules, he dived head first into the plethora of electronica that was available.
In 1998, Ben made the pivotal move to Sheffield, the beating heart of UK dance culture, where
legendary clubs like The Republic and The Leadmill provided the backdrop for his evolution. By
1999, he was fully immersed in rave culture, frequently attending iconic venues and events
such as Ministry of Sound, Passion, Cream, and his beloved Gatecrasher.
His unique ability to connect with audiences led him to start the infamous R&R Sunday parties,
which quickly became a staple in Sheffield’s 24-hour rave culture, showcasing established and
rising local talent, mixing a blend of trance and hard house. These events led to a long-running
residency at Bed nightclub, where Ben’s Sunday sessions drew crowds from all over the
country. The success of these events extended to Monday nights and his weekly residency at
Plug where he delivered electrifying house and trance sets that turned Monday nights into
legendary experiences.
Ben’s dynamic sound has led to bookings at some of the most celebrated events and venues:
• Lust @ The Steelyard (House)
• Network: Warming up for Howard Donald (House)
• Plastic, Ibiza (Ibiza Gigs)
• Insomniacz (Trance and Hard House Afterparties)
• Techno nights at ClimbingWorkz (House and Techno)
As a multi-genre DJ, Ben’s versatility covers house, disco, techno, trance, and hard house, and
his sets are known for their techy vibe, seamless transitions, and relentless bass, creating an
energetic atmosphere that leaves the crowd captivated.
Beyond DJing, 2024 has seen Ben dive into production with Sheffield DJ Jamie Ferguson under
their collaborative alias, Alchemy. Together, they’re crafting tracks at Arundel Lane Studios,
with five releases poised to drop soon.
Ben Harvey remains a powerful force, pushing the boundaries of sound and elevating the crowd
to euphoric heights. Whether in the booth or the studio, his passion and energy are
unmistakable, taking listeners on a journey where the only language is music.