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Those of you who joined us last May will remember the absolute show put on by Alex Souloud.
Well this year he's back… and joined for a B2B with Ben McGowan, as they bring the sound of beautiful Devon's 'Forbidden Garden Party' to the McNeills attic.
The Forbidden Garden Party is an intimate boutique house and techno festival held in "deepest Devon." It has built a reputation for its "secret" locations and high-end production values.
The festival is run by Alex Souloud, Ben McGowan and Paul Jinal and is characterized by its use of historic, atmospheric venues.
It is strictly 21+ and limits its capacity to maintain a "private party" atmosphere. The focus is on underground electronic music (House, Disco, and Techno) mixed with art installations.
Notable Lineup Highlights include the very best south west selectors alongside the likes of Mr. C, The Orb, Bushwacka, Jon Pleased Wimmin, Saytek, Jon Dasilva, Colin Dale, Greg Wilson, James Zabiela, Ben Pest | Held across 3 days with music across the Wood Stage, basement, ballroom, lakeside and pop up settings.
Ben is a cornerstone of the South West UK underground scene, with over 30 years behind the decks. Known for his versatility and instinctive crowd reading, he’s built a reputation as a trusted selector — equally at home setting the tone or driving a dancefloor deep into the night.
He’s held residencies at some of the region’s most iconic parties, including Scream (The Warehouse, Plymouth), Full Tilt (Claires, Torquay), Virus and The Monastery, and has played across the UK, Ibiza and beyond. Along the way, he’s shared line-ups with names like Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, and Adam Beyer.
Ben is also co-organiser of the Forbidden Garden Party — a boutique South West festival with a near-legendary reputation among those who know, known for its intimate vibe and uncompromising music policy.
Musically, his sound is rooted in house — blending disco, groovy, Latin and Afro-influenced cuts right through to techno influences, all shaped by three decades of digging and dancefloor experience. Always warm, always rolling, always for the crowd.
Alex is a DJ, promoter and music collector of 30 years. With an ear and a heart for warm underground deep based music, it’s a particular groove that Alex makes his own. Fusing deep blended rhythms & drums, swinging from funk & soul through to house & techno, it’s simply groove based music that rocks the party.
Having thrown parties in the Southwest since the late 90s, and regular plays across Clubs in the South west. 2004 saw the birth of Souloud. Based mainly in the West Country, Souloud parties showcased many of the world’s leading pioneers in underground House & Techno, alongside some of the Southwest’s finest selectors.
1995 was the year it all began, first on the once-prevalent free party scene, then in 1996 in clubs such as Monrose and Face2Face. 1997 brought a four-year residency at the infamous Monastery, alongside regular appearances for Fulltilt at Claire’s nightclub in Torquay.
With a lot of time and energy spent keeping the parties alive, the creation of a rooftop space called The Attic followed. Six wild years later, The Attic was passed on to new owners, leading to the opening of Coffee and Vinyl, a record shop in Devon and more recently, a new open air venue, One World Cafe.
With nearly 3 decades playing music, Alex has been billed alongside the likes of Carl Cox, Sven Väth, Greg Wilson, Richie Hawtin, Dubfire and Ricardo Villalobos. The years have seen appearances at Atomic Jam, Orbital Gathering, Glastonbury, Cocoon, Jam the Channel, Krafty Sheep, Beautiful Days, Just Jack, Beatz&Bobz, Motion Bristol, The Q Club and various UK festivals.
It's going to f*cking slap.
Expect an afters.
See you on the dance floor.
McNeills
Friday 29 May
7 tae 12
#freeparty
