Bradley Gunn Raver is that guy in the goggles at the front of every rave dancing his ass off, he's Ministry of Sound's Rave Reviewer In Chief. He goes to an insane amount of raves, which he reviews every month for you in his column Bradley Gunn Raver's Rave Review.

The rave of the month for February took place on Sunday 4th, and I was kicking off proceedings in the best possible fashion by heading out to Barcelona to participate in the globally famous underground music extravaganza, Elrow. I was particularly excited about this one as it was taking place in Spain's city of culture, Barcelona. The city in which Elrow was birthed.

I had been fortunate enough to attend numerous Elrow events previously so I knew that I wasn't going to be in for anything less than an unforgettable day! As a raver it has been really remarkable seeing Elrow flourish all around the world and capture the hearts of so many likeminded individuals, predominantly with their jaw dropping production and constant flurries of confetti. It has also been great to see it attracting so many major players in the scene, with even the most established of artists wanting to play for the event.

Elrow had already hand-picked residents De La Swing and George Privatti, the former of the two being one of the main highlights when I have seen De La Swing play at other events. It was my first time seeing George, but it came as no surprise that he impressed massively with his high energy, underground house tracks setting the place alight. The line up also consisted of icons in the scene including Circoloco resident and Moon Harbour record label head Matthias Tanzmann, Matador - who I hadn't seen since Drumcode Halloween at Tobacco Dock back in 2017 and finally Hot Creations signee Nathan Barato. All three ensured that I was rooted firmly to the dance floor, and with their masterclass performances I was still on form with my usual movements. A personal highlight for me was being blessed with the presence of the Elrow chickens, an amusing part of Elrow's unique production and props that have been there since day 1 and still never fail to entertain - even when they do catch you by surprise when you turn around!

Overall it was an enjoyable experience being in Barcelona, and I'm certainly looking forward to returning to Elrow when they are back in London collaborating with Fatboy Slim, someone who I have been lucky enough to encounter before whilst raving at Morning Gloryville.

On Saturday February 10th I was returning to our capital city once again, this time for the Junction 2 launch, which was being hosted by my good friends over at LWE. Despite the competition Junction 2 faces it still retains the number 1 spot for me as my personal favourite UK festival. This year's festival will take place at Boston Manor Park and will witness an incredible b2b between Drumcode head honcho Adam Beyer and legend Carl Cox. But before this, it was time to get down to business in the dock and rekindle my love for Junction 2.

From the moment the doors are open the techno is rolling and the energy is high, and the line up throughout the three spaces being utilised was a gift to all of us techno enthusiasts from start to finish. My friend Adam Beyer was going b2b with his partner Ida Engberg, which I always find fascinating as you probably never imagine yourself eventually DJing alongside your future partner. The chemistry was clear to be seen as the expert tune selection and positive vibe bounced back and forth between Adam and Ida, and this was probably for me the top set of the day. Elsewhere throughout the complex you were still spoilt for choice as international icons Apollonia were headlining the other room, and as Dyed Soundroom, Shonky and Dan Ghenacia amalgamated to work their magic - the superior level of their abilities shone through and sent the gallery into raptures! As per usual, Adam Beyer played a monster set:

The day after the Junction 2 Launch I was back at Tobacco Dock on Sunday 11th February, this time round for one of London's biggest breakthrough parties, ABODE. I spent the majority of the day raving in the Great Gallery, which I think has gradually grown on me as now being my favourite room, whereas from previous experiences at the likes of Drumcode the car park was my preferred setting due to the more intimidating, underground feel. Both have their contrasting qualities but after this day's antics I'm definitely team Great Gallery!

ABODE can be given huge credit for the fact that the parties foundations have been built from the bottom up through their talented residents, each of which have their own unique attributes that they bring to the table. From the technical abilities of Jack Swift and Devstar to the precise track selection and pack-a-punch sets from the likes of Jimmy Switch, GW Harrison, Will Taylor and Ellie Cocks, plus of course the special guests that they tease us with and treat us to on the day.

Despite the fact that it was a Sunday, the appeal of ABODE clouded over the fact that the weekend was almost over and the keen partygoers, including myself, descended upon the docks to give the last day of the week a proper send off! The atmosphere throughout Tobacco Docks was highly charged and everyone was in high spirits, and as each ABODE resident stepped up to centre stage to deliver top sets there were also secret headliners to be found in other rooms too.

As we eagerly awaited the arrival of the secret guest, out of nowhere appeared Hot Creations signees and Paradise's emerging leading faces Latmun and Patrick Topping, who raised the bar to another level and sent the place into pandemonium! Drawing the curtains on the show in the Great Gallery was one of my favourite DJs, the King of the North, Richy Ahmed. I've seen Richy up and down the country over the past few years but this set was a particular highlight for me, and if any of you caught the video on his instagram of him letting loose Pirate Copy's unreleased "Piano Track" - then you'll see exactly why this is one of the best sets I've seen from Richy. 

Overall, and once again, ABODE proved exactly why I'm constantly coming back for more. It was a truly memorable day in the docks. Roll on the next one!

On Sunday 18th February I was returning to a gem of a location in London known as Village Underground for the popular 'Fuse' party. There are several aspects of the brand that I am particularly fond of, mainly the comfortable environment that has been moulded by the creators and organisers of the party. They have placed great emphasis on ensuring that it has a true family vibe and put the raver's experience at the heart of every party they throw. Music heads were treated to an all day & night long performance from the head of the party, Enzo Siragusa. I first ventured to this unique party several months ago back in November 2017, and not only was it a blessing musically, but all the people that were also present were honestly some of the nicest I have met through several years of raving.

Siragusa normally invites fellow peers to entertain the followers of the brand, but this time round he was taking the opportunity to showcase the skills that he had developed over the years from an early age by taking the crowd on a journey through his 'all day & night long' performance. He was kicking off the show through a more relaxed; laid back warm up selection of hidden gems, and as the party progressed and the space filled up the track selection became more up tempo. The atmosphere within the building really was truly electric, and with Village Underground being visibly packed this was a fair reflection on Enzo's DJing abilities, and something that he deserves great credit for after being understandably exhausted when taking a bow at the conclusion of his perfectly executed 10-hour marathon set.

As you can tell in the video below, I was more than enjoying my time here!

I was ending the month of February by making what's becoming a bi-monthly return to the Ministry of Sound on the 24th, and this time round He.She.They were running the show and bringing their unique party to the infamous club. The message of the party was simple, strong and most of all something to really admire - "We want to create a place without prejudice; where people can be people to create a world whereby people feel like they belong whilst at the same time expressing their utmost individuality and creativity of their own characters no matter what their age, race, sex, gender, ability, religion, background or sexual preference may be. It's quite simple; just have a good time whilst being nice to people and if you are horrible and aggressive to people you will be swiftly asked to leave the party." This was a no nonsense approach to partying and something that appealed to me massively, so I knew I was going to be welcomed with open arms.

On top of the bill for this particular event was the sensational Maya Jane Coles, who is widely regarded as one of the best in the underground music with her own unique sound and consistency behind the decks always setting the place alight. I had been lucky to see her play at several gargantuan festivals and events over the past year or so, at everywhere from the spectacular Printworks to the equally spectacular Terminal 1 at We Are Fstvl when she was handpicked by Paradise curator Jamie Jones. I was expecting another blinding performance after being impressed every time when seeing her in the past, and as expected this time was no different as she smashed her set and also, much to my delight, participated in a few dance moves with me too.

Make sure you keep your eye out for my March review which will be up in April, which is due to be one of the biggest highlights to look back on in any of my reviews so far - as I fly out to the States for Miami Music Week 2018, a real marathon of raving that as you can imagine, I am dying to get stuck into!