London's 51st State Plots Huge Return with Masters At Work, Todd Edwards, Mark Knight and More

Summer is looking brighter than ever with the announcement that 51st State will be returning to Trent Park for the sixth edition of the festival, and their lineup must be seen to be believed.

Taking place across six stages from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., 51st State will explore dance music’s immense cross-cultural heritage with a diverse lineup that celebrates UKG, house, dancehall, soul, US gospel, soul and house, acid and plenty more besides. 51st state has also announced details for this year’s not-to-missed after party, details of which you can find below. The event will also feature a state-of-the-art cashless system, allowing for seamless transactions across bars, food stalls and traders. Credit can be loaded prior to arrival with unused credit reclaimed online from Monday, August 9th.

The Groove Odyssey stage will bring together towering figures from house and deep house — including Masters At Work, Roger Sanchez, Body & Soul (François K, Joe Claussell and Danny Krivit), Dimitri From Paris, Dave Lee, and Mike Dunn — with seminal performers like “Somebody Else’s Guy” and “Ain’t No Mountain” singer Jocelyn Brown (performing live), “Where Love Lives” singer Alison Limerick, and soaring vocals from House Gospel Choir. Expect feel-good vibes to abound.

For garage heads, it’s all about Back To 95, a stage that will channel the timeless energy of the UKG golden age. Expect performances from Todd Edwards, UKG originators Dreem Team (Mikee B and DJ Spoony), the Heartless Crew (Mighty Moe, Bushkin and DJ Fonti) and Wookie, while Matt Jam Lamont, Majestic and Noris “Da Boss” Windross will play alongside some of UKG’s most prolific MCs, and garage-pop princess Shola Ama and revered vocalist Barbara Tucker will bring an unforgettable live element into the mix. Plus, a very special guest is still to be announced.

Featuring more contemporary takes on house and garage, the FOUND main stage will host Hannah Wants, who tops the bill for her only London festival performance this summer, Toolroom Records co-founder Mark Knight, as well as underground hitmaker Bontan, G-House players Amine Edge & DANCE, and NYC house legend Todd Terry.

No celebration of dance music heritage would be complete without an homage to acid house, and the Acid House Experience arena will host pioneering figures of the early-era hedonistic warehouse scene, with the Ratpack on headline duties. Also performing is Keith Thompson, vocalist on acid house anthem “Break For Love,” who’ll be taking control mic for his live PA at 51st State. He’ll be joined by fellow acid house pioneers like Trevor Fung & Tracee G, Colin Dale, Ellis Dee and Huck Finn.

Not to be outdone, 51st State will also feature killer UK dancehall sets from Hot Wuk with The Heatwave, Robbo Ranx, Sir DJ Corey, and live sets from Jamaica’s Charly Black, Alicia Harley, J Kaz and Jordian Natty. And the House FM VIP stage will host special sets from the likes of John Morales, Anané Vega, Opolopo, Lady T & Miss Ray and Randy Peterson.

For those who want to keep the party going, the 51st State after party will take over the legendary Ministry of Sound club from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., with several of the main event’s most exciting acts perfomring, including Roger Sanchez, Todd Terry, Matt Jam Lamont, Godfathers of Garage (Norris Da Boss Windross & MC Creed), DJ Fen and a special guest, still to be announced.

Only a few tickets remain to 51st State, so grab yours here before it’s too late. After party tickets are sold separately, be sure to pick yours up here.