Global curators of experiences that represent the alternative…

Founded by electric minds label boss and off-location event pioneer Dolan Bergin alongside former Head of Programming for London clubbing institution The End, Ajay Jayaram, as The Hydra the duo have become synonymous with the dynamic yet sometimes capricious electronic music scene in London.

The early years saw their reputation build due to an ability to locate and transform obscure settings into fully functioning event spaces: dilapidated warehouses, loft spaces, theatres, pool halls, a catholic church, a former department store, a capsule on the London Eye, a decommissioned WWII Naval Frigate and even a private Island off the English coast – all played a part in The Hydra’s formative years, with each party capturing the nomadic spirit of adventure, severely lacking across the capital.

It was their groundbreaking annual event series, which lent their work a global bias, taking in London’s finest venues (fabric, Ministry of Sound, Corsica Studios, Village Underground…..) with a yearly program that covered House, Techno, Bass, Experimental and everything in between. You can observe the knock on effect of that 5-year adventure by exploring today’s musical landscape in the capital; the hallmarks that underpinned each season – diversity, high production values, future stars – have been adopted by their contemporary peers.

The Hydra’s ethos is to keep evolving, and their post-series activity has seen them indulge their love of the alternative with forays at world-reknowned cultural institution The Barbican, alongside a consultancy role with festival group Broadwick Live, that has seen them spearhead the organisation’s latest venture – a multi-purpose events space on the site of a former printing factory, Printworks London.

Having been a intrinsic part of its development since inception in early 2017, The Hydra form an integral and ongoing part of the core team behind Printworks and with their own long-term production partners Sound Services and Rebel Overlay now also on board, the venue’s reputation as a world-beating space for electronic music seems assured.