quote name='SallieJane' timestamp='1341443277' post='1770251']
I would really like to know if there is an appetite for a rare/underplayed/progressive weekender in the UK.
Yes.
re appetite, its not so much a question of hunger for rare/underplayed sounds as that is a progressive arm of the scene which has been pioneered for decades (and I saw the discussions on funk-edged stuff etc which is an example of it and is more related to a discussion on quality/personal taste) and people do want rare/underplayed/progressive.
More appropriately, it is about peoples desire/hunger to try something which might be unconventional. The music at Manchester was all of the above. Each DJ played an outstanding selection of rare/underplayed records and the progressive element was in the structure (double decking), choice of DJ's (finding a good new DJ is like finding a great under played record and its about giving people a chance - Henning Boogaloo this year, Matt Fox last year and Leona / Adam Topping from the UK). Equally, the mixture of attendees, all of whom themselves could be considered progressively minded because they took a punt and invested time/energy/money into something different/new, and the feedback was great either for the weekend or the day visitors.
Its more about how people choose to consume it or maybe a case of who is providing it, rather than issues for demand etc