Females of the Future

Maxinne & Friends | Thirty3Hz | Guildford, Surrey | Saturday 9th November

Being based in the South East, we can often take things for granted. Our proximity to London just makes social calendar planning easy. Too easy. Each and every weekend, you can guarantee that something good is going on. But that comes with its own pitfalls. Often, we self diagnose our numbness to the rest of the region. In actuality, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.

From Brighton’s mod past to Camber Sands’ Funk & Soul weekender, infamous festivals held in the grounds of Hertfordshire stately homes to the electronic music hotbed of Maidstone. And let’s not forget the M25 raves pre-Criminal Justice Act. The South East is steeped in musical heritage and musical revolution.

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Comprising of a bar, club space, an outdoor terrace and hovering just below a modest 200 capacity, Thirty3Hz in Guildford is the small club punching well above its weight division. Keen to show ambition, the low-profile sanctuary is not only offering itself up as an alternative to London but willing to take the fight to the door of the ultra-competitive, saturated market place. That degree of separation that some might dismiss as a hindrance, may well prove to be its biggest USP.

Located a five minute stroll from lively Bridge Street, Thirty3Hz is inconspicuous enough that it still needs to be sought out. You won’t find many opportunistic stragglers here, but a knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd of music lovers.

Past acts to pass through the doors include Josh Butler, Secondcity, Weiss and Low Steppa when he played at our Shanghaied Records party last year. While MistaJam, a certain Darius Syrossian and another Toolroom affiliate in Michael Gray are all scheduled for upcoming dates.

Thirty3Hz has admirers in high places. Danny Howard and Sam Divine consider it amongst the most underrated, intimate venues the UK has to offer. Mark Knight has even immortalised his admiration of the soundsystem on the venue’s wall of fame. Glowing endorsements aside, its well-honed programme and wallet-friendly pricing structure that should appeal to Surrey’s underground fan base.

London’s charm as a party destination is polarising, not least in cost. Even its biggest cheerleaders would point to other grievances: congestion, pollution, Instagram crowds, homogenised bookings. Thirty3Hz offers an attractive alternative minus many of these transgressions, and that’s before you even broach the city limits. Arguably, the catchment zone is far wider. Partygoers in Sussex, Berkshire and Hampshire take note.

Proactive in nurturing talent, the venue and its management are committed to a forward-thinking booking policy. Particular praise should be aimed at the balanced approach taken to booking, in a famously imbalanced industry. Thirty3Hz is a club that puts female performers on a level playing field to their male counterparts. This weekend’s upcoming event with Maxinne & Friends is no exception.

Let’s take a look at reasons to divert from the obvious choice and head to Guildford on Saturday night. These are the females of the future.

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Maxinne

Returning from Balearic shores to her UK-base of Worthing, Maxinne was a belle of Ibiza’s 2019 season. For seventeen consecutive weeks, she was installed as the resident during Toolroom’s return to the island whilst continuing her association with Tantra.

Justifying the faith entrusted in her, Maxinne was a clear highlight in an otherwise challenging campaign that saw her grow with each passing week. It wasn’t only at San Antonio super-club Eden where she was making a name for herself. Releases on Toolroom over this period, in addition to being the face of the label’s clothing range have solidified her position in the family set-up.

Since the season ended, Maxinne’s kept busy by playing a debut show in Paris before reconvening with the Toolroom family at their UK party dates. Next up on the release front, she has been handed the duty of curating and mixing Toolroom’s latest V/A album. That profile – that trust – just gets bigger.

Immediately after the gig, Maxinne flies to Belgium and then it’s back to the UK the weekend after. This time supporting Klingande at Ministry Of Sound in London. ‘Ms. International’ racking up more air miles.

Looking back to her career before she became such a huge part of the Toolroom set-up, Maxinne started out with frequent appearances at Thiry3Hz. She even supported Mark Knight on his first ever gig at the club. Look at how that relationship has blossomed in the interim.

Given the stage of her career, it’s poetic that Maxinne would return to that same venue with the momentum of Toolroom behind to host her own party.

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Carly Carmen

Our hostess is joined by a fellow academy member from Toolroom’s #WEARELISTENING initiative. Carly Carmen has been putting in some serious hours in the booth on London turf. Almost every weekend, you can find her name nestled amongst the listings.

Shoreditch, Hoxton, Brixton – Carly can regularly be found dropping beats at their most prominent underground establishments. Commitment is everything. Presence, more so. Most recently, she added an appearance at Tobacco Dock as the latest feather in her cap.

Having played at Thirty3Hz before, Carly returns no longer an unknown quantity, but one of the most promising rising talents in the industry.

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Caruana

Another guest making her way from the south coast is Southampton native, Caruana. Slight of frame, it would be wrong to form preconceptions based on appearance. The petite DJ with Maltese heritage has a consistent record for energising the dancefloor. We can attest to as much.

Vibey, engaging crowds have always come as part and parcel when Caruana has been steering the controls. Since plying her trade at former south coast haunt, Junk, she has quickly risen up the ranks, thanks largely to some notable explosive sets.

Now, she’s throwing her own parties at her hometown’s Switch and added to an already impressive list of European festival appearances. Turning her hand to production, the burgeoning musician has graced the likes of Domus, TAKE and our own Shanghaied Records.

Whilst still she’s working on her sound in the studio, personally, we can’t wait to get back amongst it whilst Caruana is working the decks. Returning to her regular Thirty3Hz stomping ground, Maxinne & Friends is as good an opportunity as any.

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It would be an injustice to ignore the rest of the Maxinne & Friends line-up. The big headline guests are tech house duo Prok & Fitch. No stranger to Toolroom themselves, accreditation from Green Velvet and outings on his Relief imprint lend authority to their prowess.

Guildford born-and-bred Folii and another female of the future, Jo Poole are two more acts worth travelling for.

Join the Maxinne & Friends, the females of the future and co this weekend at Thirty3Hz. Last remaining tickets are on sale now. The future is female.