Roni Size to Headline Record-Attempt Rave 1,375 Feet Underground

The Descent

Getting to the dancefloor on October 15 will require more than a ticket. Contest winners will follow Roni Size into the Cwmorthin slate mine in Eryri, North Wales, descending 1,375 feet through dark stairways, waterlogged passages, and ravines. The route includes zip lines and abseiling down sheer rock faces before reaching a vast chamber that will serve as the venue. Underground adventure operator Go Below will guide participants, who must meet requirements on age, fitness, and equipment.

Mining the Mountain for Sound

Specialist field-recording technology will send elements of Size's DJ set into the surrounding slate through vibration transducers. Geophones and hydrophones will capture the frequencies as they travel through rock, mud, and water. The mine's acoustic response, measured with convolution reverb techniques, will then be fed back into the live mix.

"Raves could take place in some crazy and unexpected places, on someone's front lawn, down in tunnels, but what I've always done is play to the environment, and the crowd," Size said. "The set is a living, breathing thing that reflects the people there with you."

He added: "That's the spirit I want to take into Cwmorthin. By the time we're 1,375 feet underground, everyone there will already have shared an adventure. And how much more could you reflect the environment than by pumping a set into the mountain, hearing the sound travelling through the slate, rock and mud, and bringing it back into the mix. It's the most underground of underground raves ever."

Watch and Product Launch

The event also marks the debut of G-SHOCK's new digital watch, the GDG-B100 MUDMAN. Those who complete the descent will be the first to receive it ahead of its wider release.

The contest entry window closes on October 9. G-SHOCK Radio will broadcast the experiment from the Cwmorthin quarry via Starlink, and the full set will be available on Mixcloud afterward. The "deepest underground rave on Earth" is a planned record attempt and remains subject to independent verification.