Ones To Watch: The Wasted Kollective

20-year-old Sam Johnson runs Wasted Kollective with the help of fellow Manchester promoters Zak Paul and Jack Hardy. Since their formation, Wasted Kollective's infamous events have hosted some of the most crucial players in Manchester’s music scene and beyond - including Black Josh, Sleazy F Baby and Hatcha. We caught up with Sam to chat about the impetus behind Wasted Kollective, the Manchester artists he’s most excited about and tomorrow’s event alongside Hit and Run.

What was your ethos when you started Wasted Kollective?

The main motivation came from illegal raves; A lot of people in the scene used to go to raves in and around Manchester as they have done since the 90's. I think many people who have been to those raves would agree that it’s a vibe you can never really get in a club so the idea was to bring back that illegal rave vibe of no rules. We’re never going to stop anyone getting on stage, we just try and keep everything like one big house party.

As well as that, we want to support up and coming artists; we try to include as many people as we can.

What’s been your favourite event so far?

I think my favourite event would have to be the first birthday that we did back in Janurary with Hatcha, Youngsta and J Kenzo. For anyone who follows UK Dubstep knows that Hatcha and Youngsta were the pioneers of the scene, they really got it going back in East London in the early 2000s. For us to have a chance to work with them was amazing.

What's been the best thing about being Manchester based?

I’d say the best thing is when everyone in Manchester decides to pull together - it’s a vibe that you just wouldn’t get in any other city. I think the scene in Manchester is just so loving and it’s such a tight knit community. That’s why we’re called Wasted Kollective, because we see it as anyone who turns up to our nights becomes part of our collective.

How did tomorrow’s event with Hit and Run come about?

I’ve been going to the owner of Hit and Run’s nights for a couple of years. I was at one of his nights and, thanks to a bit of dutch courage, I went and had a conversation. I think he may have noticed that we had done a big event back in January. It was kind of an idea up in the air for a while but a month or two ago he messaged me saying he wanted to collab and asked if I had any ideas for the headliner. I suggested someone from the Deep Medi label that I’d been listening to for a couple years and yeah, it all came together.

Manchester-based artists you’re excited about right now?

Manchester has a lot to offer at the moment. One act that is definitely breaking waves now is Levelz, Manchester’s supergroup. I remember when they came about a couple of years ago and now they’re smashing it; I’ll always be supportive of what they do. Our residents as well – they’re handpicked and we make sure each of them has something to offer to Manchester’s scene. One of our residents NemisiZ played warehouse project with Indika and Jazzy Lioness recently which is awesome. Another one is Kali, he busts out tunes like a prodigy. Our other resident DJs and MCs include Ghoulish, Hadez, Grizzly and Afi. Kill Miami, Inka and Siskiyou are also ones to watch.

What can we expect to see from Wasted Kollective in the future?

We’ll be taking over some more cities in the UK for sure and we’re looking at international plans for the future. We’ve got our second birthday at the beginning of next year which I can’t tell you about yet but can guarantee it will blow the scene off their fucking feet. Support your local scene, come and start a riot with us.

HIT & RUN vs The Wasted Kollective – Saturday 27th October, 256 Fallowfield

HIT & RUN and The Wasted Kollective join forces for the 1st time to bring you Deep Medi's SILKIE, one of Dubstep's finest DJs + producers for a tiny price.

Tickets available HERE

FULL LINE UP

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SILKIE (DEEP MEDI) – Signed to the legendary Deep Medi label, Silkie is one of 140s finest. With his unique sounds, weighty bass and vast library of heavyweight tunes, he is guaranteed to make the floor shake of any club.

RICH REASON (HIT & RUN/LEVELZ) – Bossman of Hit & Run and Managing Director of Manchester supergroup LEVELZ, Rich Reason knows his stuff. His wide scope of musical taste is sure to tickle the fancy of anyone who has the pleasure to witness his DJ set.

NEMESIZ (THE WASTED KOLLECTIVE/B2B) – The youngest member of The Wasted Kollective family and a part of legendary Bloc2Bloc crew, this female artist has created quite an impact on the scene over the past year. Her Warehouse Project debut saw her supporting the likes of Goldie and Andy C, and her ability to spin 140 and Drum ‘N’ Bass makes her one of the best up and coming acts Manchester has seen in recent years.

KALI (THE WASTED KOLLECTIVE) – A staple part of The Wasted Kollective, this mastermind producer and DJ will leave listeners mesmerised by his talent. You can be sure to hear a whole lot of heavy bangers and some chilled tunes to even out the vibes, making him not one to ever be missed.

GHOULISH (THE WASTED KOLLECTIVE) – Newest member of The Wasted Kollective, this producer and DJ will blow you away with sounds you didn’t even know existed. If you’re eager for a hectic, bass-driven set, Ghoulish is your guy.

HOSTED BY T-MAN & SPARKZ (LEVELZ)