Music / Axel Boman
Em Williams: Out in the Yard
“Bristol likes to party, so it definitely makes it a good place to be a DJ,” says Em Williams. As a Motion resident, she knows better than many what Bristol’s population likes to do when they have a spare day free.
Dancing, drinking and kicking back while listening to the hottest tunes around is definitely on the cards, and if you team that with the promise of summer sun, you can clearly see where the idea for the superclub’s latest venture came from.
https://soundcloud.com/em-williams/noods-radio-guest-mix
is needed now More than ever
Yard is Bristol’s first open-air club – a place to absorb the great outdoors while dancing your face off, basically – and to celebrate its opening, the club has organised a ridiculous lineup. Jeff Mills, Seth Troxler, Eats Everything, Joy Orbison, Daniel Avery, Midland, Axel Boman, Tobias, Octo Octa, the Housework DJs and of course Em Williams herself will all be making an appearance to christen the space – and Em can’t wait.
“To see Jeff Mills playing in Bristol, along with a whole list of other first-class DJs, is going to be legendary,” she says, “and it’s the first one in the Yard Open Air Club series for Motion, which means outdoor raving. All of this combined is going to equal something very, very special.” The act she’s looking forward to most? “Octo Octa’s live performance – I’ve heard loads of good things about her and I’m yet to check her out.”
While she’s looking forward to chucking out some heaters al fresco (she’s especially keen to play “a mega tune” – General Ludd’s spacey chugger Sunset Yellow), Em appreciates Motion in all its ever-changing forms. “I think the first time I ever played, I played the main room,” she remembers. “It was pretty mental. The soundsystem is huge in there and I loved it. It’s just like one massive rave in a warehouse.”
So does she think much has changed on the Bristolscene since she started DJing? “It’s ever-evolving with new and exciting DJs coming through rapidly. The internet has obviously contributed to this, and you can discover music so much faster now than when I started. I also feel like people are working together and supporting each other. On a much bigger scale, I feel like it’s bringing communities closer.”
And what better to get people together than a boogie in the sunshine? “Day parties are the best – especially when the sun is shining! Everyone is in such good spirits.” Fingers crossed for some amazing weather.
YARD: Open Air Club takes place at Motion on Saturday, August 26. Grab a ticket from www.yardopenairclub.eventgenius.co.uk
Read more: Review: Pender Street Steppers, Colston Hall Terrace
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
