OTHER NOMINEES
Hospitality
Krankbrother
Abode
The Hydra 

You don’t have to live in Liverpool to know that Circus needs no introduction. Kick-started by legendary house jock Yousef, it would be folly to try and list even a fraction of the names this house and techno-focused soiree has booked over the years. So let’s just say if you can think of them, there’s a pretty good chance they have appeared here at least once in their careers. 

It’s not all about huge guests and the main man behind the session, mind you. Fellow residents Lewis Boardman, David Glass, Scott Lewis and Kydus are well on their way to becoming cult heroes amongst Merseyside’s forward-thinking clubbers, offering the perfect sonic building blocks from which every edition begins.

If you’ve never been, expect a seriously fun, somewhat debauched atmosphere that’s all about high-energy and friendliness. Meanwhile, the tunes are as serious as they come — breaking new ground, helping to establish and cement reputations and sounds. A perfect combination. 

“The aim was for me to have a residency in Liverpool that represented me musically,” Yousef tells DJ Mag, “fresh underground house and techno with DJs and acts that are friends and who we admire, and a space for people to feel welcome and have a laugh and to make new friends.

Richard, my partner at Circus, and I have worked very hard for 13 years to put on the best parties we can, with new music from a practical point of view too — fresh, but never super ‘noodly’, we want the club to go off rather than chins to be stroked.”

 

“After so long working this hard it’s satisfying to have a cap doffed by DJ Mag and the general public too — so thank you! Circus is a labour of love and we have run it as a hobby, with total authenticity, since day one.

Even though we are selling out events in London, Barcelona, Manchester and many festivals too — in addition to the Liverpool base — and have a successful record label running parallel in Circus Recordings, I still just see Circus as my residency and take it very personally.”

MARTIN GUTTRIDGE-HEWITT