Houghton 2020: First Wave Of Acts Announced

Described in some quarters as setting a new benchmark for music festivals, Houghton announces a progressive and eclectic group of names for its third edition on 6th-10th August 2020.

After making arguably one of the most successful debuts of recent times in 2017, the festival opted to make only minor improvements to its simple and refined approach in 2018. In 2019 the event had to be unfortunately cancelled due to extreme weather, however is back in 2020 with even more on offer, staying true to its ethos and continuing to incorporate art, music and sculpture into the beautiful surroundings of Houghton Hall, Norfolk. The musical programme reflects Craig Richards’ eclectic taste, while continuing the festival’s tradition of encouraging long extended sets and unique live acts, across bespoke and cutting edge sound systems from German manufacturer d&b audiotechnik.

As always, Houghton casts a spotlight on an array of rising talent and experimental artists. Estonian violinist and vocalist Maarja Nuut, the rapidly rising Object Blue, UK jazz pioneers Matthew Halsall and the Elliot Galvin Trio, German dubtronica trailblazer Pole, and the abstract and beautiful musings of Soundwalk Collective are all appearing on the 360° soundscape of the Pinters stage, created for the perfect listening environment of jazz, ambient and experimental sounds. Wild card producer John T. Gast and innovator Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force will also be making a welcome appearance on the stage.

After extraordinary sets in 2018, the heavyweight returnees include Ricardo Villalobos, Helena Hauff,Ben UFO, Optimo, Hunee, Seth Troxler, Jane Fitz, Pearson Sound, Andrew Weatherall, Joy Orbison, Powder, Midland and Call Super, whilst debut appearances are lined up for Four Tet, Bruce,DJ Stingray and Lena Willikens amongst many others, as Houghton’s lineup extends to include even more of the most influential figures in electronic music.

There are also sets from Carl Finlow as Silicon  Scally, Vancouver protege D. Tiffany, Floating Points and festival favourite Ruf Dug. Palms Trax showcases his deep-digging gems, Calibre and dBridge offer up their unique strain of thunderous bass music and Gerd Janson will be showcasing his eclectic genre spanning commitment to the scene. Harvey Sutherland, Flanger, DMX Krew, Radioactive Man and acclaimed composer Ricardo Romaneiro all deliver live sets unconfined by genre, with Juju & Jordash uniting with Move D to become Magic Mountain High for a welcome live return.

“Last August Mother nature denied us a big dance. The extraordinary circumstances and the learning curve that followed have only deepened our commitment to making this festival the unique celebration of music, art and good times that it is. The enormity of the cancellation  generated a lot of love and support  from the already established Houghton community. A great sense of togetherness came from the drama and disappointment. Suffice to say that  this years dance is one of the most anticipated events of Twenty twenty. The program is the same with a few choice additions –  Zip, Helena Hauff,  Cobblestone Jazz, Higher intelligence agency, Silverlining, Lena Willikens, gene on earth, John T.Gast (live) Pangaea, Fred und Luna, E.R.P. to name but a few. Our intention  is simply to improve on the improvements we made last year and to continue our quest to present  music, art, food, drink and sculpture in it finest light. ” Craig Richards

Limited Tickets are available from Resident Advisor – https://www.residentadvisor.net/events/1326673