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Thanks
The Dragon Collective is now in hibernation

The Dragon Collective was active from 1996 - 2007, and is now resting. The 'Collective' has been one person (me, Les Earthdoctor) since 2005, and I no longer have the time or finance to keep everything going. We may be back, we may not.

It's been a lot of fun so thanks to all those who have had fun with us, throughout Wales and beyond!

This site is as it was in August 2007 and has not been maintained since.



Summer's here (are you sure?), and we've got our party boots on! There are so many festivals these days, from small community gatherings to giant-sized corporate soulless media-fests, it's hard to choose where to go (though a lot easier to choose where not to go). We're sticking with the best community-based festival we know - The Workhouse - and Freerotation, a joint event between ourselves and Mindtours at Baskerville Hall, near Hay-on-Wye, in September - an excellent way to round off your Summer!


Freerotation

Baskerville Hall, Hay on Wye, 7 - 9 Sept. 2007

Freerotation Festival logo

The Freerotation Electronic Audio Visual Arts Festival brings together cutting edge international electronic musicians and visual artists from a blend of genres, in this unique historic venue, for a weekend long feast of dancing, networking and relaxing. We are hosting the chill-out room, Mindtours the dance room, and there will be loads of top-quality music in each, both live and DJ - including Move D, Digital Mystikz, Shackleton, Dan Meteo, Steevio & Suzybee, Earthdoctor, Jackmate aka SoulPhiction, Portable aka Bodycode, Gaetano Parisio and Redshape. Various levels of accommodation are available (now mostly gone, so be quick if you want one!), from camping (included in the £40 ticket price) to luxury rooms. See the website for the full line-up and for details of how to buy tickets.



Save The Workhouse

@ Llanfyllin

Those of you who went to the Workhouse Festival, know the building, or saw it on the BBC's ‘Restoration’ series last year, will know what a wonderful place it is, with huge potential both as a music venue and a valuable resource for the local community. Unless a way can be found very quickly to buy it, it could be lost permanently to property developers and probably subsequently as weekend holiday flats - and it would mean the end of the festival, voted as “best festival in 2006” in Festival Eye! Please have a look at The Workhouse.org website to read more about the project to save the building from its possible fate, and also for information about how you might be able to help.


To see the gigs, exhibitions, performances and links to venues in your area of Wales, please see our What's On section on the left menu.

As well as regularly updating this site, we send out an occasional newsletter, which you can subscribe to via the ‘Newsletter’ link on the left menu.


There are hundreds of interesting websites and blogs out there (and thousands which are not!), but our favourite for all things musical and cultural, with a based-in-Wales perspective, is Peppermint Iguana, home of the ever-eloquent Clinton T. Iguana, keeper of the peppermints and all-round good bloke! The site is in its infancy but rapidly-expanding, and it has the range and depth of its excellent printed counterpart that was eagerly read a few years back. Also worth checking are Clint's and Al's blogs.


Please us details of anything happening in your part of Wales - and any other news / info. / links / etc. for inclusion on our site.

If you are interested in contributing brief reviews of new record releases, gigs, shows, exhibitions, etc., please let us know.

We intend to start a 'Playlist' section on the site - not just for DJs, but for anyone to share their current favourite home-listening too - to be included, just send us your playlist - any style of music.


Workhouse Festival

Llanfyllin, 30 June - 1 July 2007

Workhouse Festival logoWe ran the chill-out tent jointly with Oswestry's ‘Eclectic’. Resident DJs were Les Earthdoctor and Neil Eclectic, and guests included Fflyffi Lyf Bybl (Byd Mawr), Subtronix (live), Moostash (live), oddpop (live), Jackosaurus Dex, Stevie G (Redstripe / Fright Night), Den (Dr. Funkenstein), Gini (Dr. Funkenstein), Dave Dove, Sir Lord Crasher. We even managed to keep the carpet dry for people to sit on until Sunday afternoon! We apologise for the early shut-down on Saturday night - we still don't know why we had to do it - but hopefully next time (if there is one - see the piece above about the Workhouse) the licensing will be sorted and understood by everyone.

In spite of the mud, most people thoroughly enjoyed the weekend - some great bands (special mention for Sicknote - again!) and DJs; weird and wonderful performers, and great beer, in the cabaret; and enough mud-related incidents to put a smile on anyone's face!


Aquarian Party

26th. January 2007, Narberth Queen's Hall

poster for Aquarian Party on 26 January 2007

This year we had the excellent ska band Babyhead (also on MySpace - Babyhead), big favourites from many festivals, and Lost Vagueness regulars.

Supported by the usual Dragon Collective DJs Shanna, Earthdoctor and Carlos.



Get Well Soon Party

28th. January 2007, Cardiff Bay, Coal Exchange

poster for Get Well Soon Party on 28 January 2007

10 bands, 10 hours, £10!

4pm - 2am : from semi-acoustic to punk to rock to techno - including the ever-wonderful Sicknote, who many of you might have seen at last year's Workhouse Festival; this band is going to be big, so if you missed them on this night, don't miss them at this year's Workhouse Festival where they are back by popular demand! Support DJs the popular Spiral Brothers and our own Earthdoctor.

For a review of this party see the ever-excellent Peppermint Iguana blog



Sunshine Experience

18th. November 2006, Aberystwyth Bay Hotel

Main Room hosted by Trimsound, with the funky-tech sounds of their recording artists Tom, Leif, Jo & Tigga. Regular Dragon Collective DJ Earthdoctor, Artman (aka Smiler!) and Messenger 23 will be providing the minimal and fusion sounds in the ‘Easyroom’.

Plus decor, lights and projections. 10pm - 4am, £4 before 11, £5 after.

flier for Sunshine Experience at The Bay Hotel, Aberystwyth


Essence

21st. October 2006, Hendre Hall

A new night at Hendre got off to a flying start, with almost 200 people turning up. Regular Dragon Collective DJ Earthdoctor, Byd Mawr resident DJ Flyffi Lyf Bybl and Milton provided the worldy-dubby-funky sounds in the Long Barn (let's hope the heating is fixed for next time!), and the main room's selection of electro, filthy house and breaks from the Essence DJs, headlined by Joe Cocolucci

front of flier for Essence at Hendre Hall
back of flier for Essence at Hendre Hall



Summer Gathering

18 - 20 August 2006, near Malvern

poster for Floating Lotus Summer Gathering

Our Friends at Floating Lotus are holding one of their friendly gatherings near Malvern on the weekend of 18 - 20 August. There will be a Live Music Dome and an acoustic Bedouin Stage,and amongst the live acts appearing are Kava Kava, Astralasia and Nik Turner, with DJs including Earthdoctor and Alien. Kids' activities, hot showers, licensed café, workshops, healing area.


Party Time!

19 May 2006 @ SY18 Bar, Llanidloes
poster for Taurus Birthday Party in SY18 Bar, Llanidloes

Following last year's very successful Taurus Birthday Party, we're doing it again. The DJs will be the ‘old’ Dr.Funkenstein regulars Gini, Den & Les ‘Earthdoctor’, so expect a wide range of funky beats and dancefloor grooves.

Starting at 8.30pm, we will end at 2.00am if still busy at 1.00am, otherwise we will have to finish at 1.00am - so don't wear yourselves out too early!

Admission is free, but we will be asking for a suggested donation of £1 towards the cost of hiring the PA.

And finally, two requests after last year's party :

1.  Please don't bring your own drinks - SY18 is a licensed bar.

2.  In the unlikely event that the 3 ignorant female teachers from Newtown who came last year are reading this and are thinking of coming again - please don't bother!



What a night!

20 Jan 2006 @ Queens Hall, Narberth
Kissmet on stage at Narberth Queens Hall on 20 January 2006

Our annual Aquarian Party was a huge success, selling out for the first time.

Carlos played the first set of the night, keeping us all happy with his excellent selction of funky, jazzy and even bluesy beats - definitely someone to watch out for if this set is anything to go by!poster for Aquarian Party at Narberth Queens Hall on 20 January 2006 Shanna took over on the decks, soon to be replaced by the eye-catching Lawanna belly dancers (and their snake!). Shanna then picked up where she left off, keeping things moving until the band took to the stage. Kissmet got the crowd going right from the start, but their version of ‘Whole Lotta Love’ kicked things up a gear, and they kept it there for the rest of the their set. DJ Earthdoctor finished of this very hot and sweaty night with a selection of Asian / Arabic / Latin breaks and drum'n'bass.

Thanks to SPAN (South Pembrokeshire Arts Network) for their organisation of the night, and thanks to the 300 people who made it so special.


for more pictures of this gig, go to our gallery pages

We'll be back!!



29 October 2005 @ Great Oak Café, Llanidloes
poster for Halloween  Party at Llanidloes Great Oak Cafe on 29 October 2005

Monster Mash!

Halloween Fancy Dress Party

with DJs Les Funkenstein (Earthdoctor), Genie Gini and Screaming J Chimpski.
more details


30 April 2005 @ Great Oak Café, Llanidloes
poster for Brian Jones Landing Party at Llanidloes Great Oak Cafe on 30 April 2005

To mark the end of his ‘iCons’ exhibition, Brian Jones, the co-founder, with Les Earthdoctor, of the Dragon Collective, is having a party in the great Oak Café in Llanidloes. DJs Les Earthdoctor, Bronwen, Chimpski and probably Brian himself will be providing the sounds - expect anything from blues, electroclash, Motown, 60s garage rock, reggae, funk and maybe even the Bay City Rollers! Free admission, bring a bottle if you want to drink. Also check out Brian's website.


9 April 2005 @ Llanidloes Football Club

poster for Dragon Collective gig in Llanidloes on 9 April 2005Punk & Ska

We thought we'd try something different! DJs Les Earthdoctor playing mostly punk, and Colin Allcars mostly ska. The Football Club is on the road leading into Llanidloes from the Newtown end of the bypass. For those of you driving, please note that you cannot get petrol (or diesel, smartarse!) in Llanidloes after 7pm. So get those motors running, head out on the highway, and as the great MC5 once said (almost) - Kick Out The Jams, materlovers!

9pm - late, £2.50



21 January 2005 @ Narberth Queens Hall

Dragon Collective Aquarian Party

poster for Dragon Collective gig in Narberth on 21 January 2005If you missed the Bloco Electro gig in Hendre Hall (see below), all is not lost! They are so good that we have booked them again, this time for our annual Aquarian Party at Narberth Queens Hall, Pembrokeshire – supported by our residents at this venue, DJs Earthdoctor and Shanna (whose birthday party this is!) - plus guest VJ Uno Mass, and a short live set from local live experimentalists Zi-Kronik Waves. This gig is likely to sell out, so either book in advance at the Queens Hall Box Office (01834 861 212) or turn up early on the night - or preferably both! 8pm - 1am (happy hour 8 - 9pm), £7 advance / 8 on door.


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