What started out as a one-off charity event down at Wire, Flux has grown into a full blown underground electronic music brand, and February marked its 6th birthday.

As Beaver Works has expanded, so has the event, bringing us up to six rooms of house, techno and disco mixed by masters at their craft. We’ve seen international headliners who are well respected in the scene (Erol Alkan, Scuba, Levon Vincent) and up-and-comers equally worth taking note of if you take this stuff seriously (Denis Sulta, Francis Inferno Orchestra, Moomin). The residents are an accomplished bunch as well, tastefully warming up and closing every time. Then the smaller rooms have supported other local promoters, (Deep Fever, Nord, Pretty Pretty Good) giving a platform to showcase their residents too, as after all, the essence of underground culture is the community vibe.

Everyone on the line-up is very deliberately placed in the right room, at the right point in the evening. The end result? A seamlessly progressive musical odyssey between the hours of 11 and 5. If you can maintain a mood as the selectors behind the decks switch places, then that’s production done well and done right.

What’s more, it’s never been about in-your-face décor, (you know what they say about all of the style, none of the substance) because when the music’s on point in Leeds’ best dingy venue, extra embellishment just isn’t needed.   

The Flux brand also stretches far beyond the walls of Beaver Works. Outside of our uni term time, the illuminated X pops up on stages around the UK and internationally. Think terrace parties hosted in London and stage takeovers at Dimensions, Snowbombing, Virgo and Love International Festivals. The list keeps growing.

Add into the mix a thriving music blog where a team of passionate contributors spread the electronic love, plus most recently the launch of a vinyl-only record label, and one thing’s clear; Flux are in this for the long haul.

Happy Birthday guys, here’s to the next six.

Julia Connor