August 12, 2026 |
All roads lead back to Field Maneuvers. Now on its 13th iteration, the “no frills, dirty little rave” has emerged from being the UK festival circuit’s best-kept secret to a staple on the calendar without sacrificing anything that made it a gem in the first place. Plonked in a field somewhere in the middle of Norfolk, with a capacity of just over 1,000 people, dance floor goers have returned to the weekender year upon year for its famed rave cave, Sputnik, legendary on-site boozer – the brilliantly-named Packet Inn – and a delicious line-up that always delivers bassy wobblers and house thompers of the highest order.
Those heading down next weekend – a handful of tickets are left if you haven’t got yours yet – are in for a right treat. Standouts on the line-up include Call Super and Parris, Mike Servito, DJ Storm, Lakuti and Roza Terenzi. There’s also a gaggle of returning FM favourites set to shell it with their mind-bending stylings. These include Angel D’lite, OK Williams and Hannah Holland. Amongst those coming back for another round is Doncaster’s finest, I.JORDAN, who is set to debut their new show, History of Euphoria, under a sea of lasers inside Sputnik.
The musician is known for their high-octane DJ sets and full-throttle productions, regularly spinning at queer parties globally. The set they’re planning to play at FM “focuses on the feeling of euphoria and the influential tracks connected to it”, and promises to tour through the genres they were brought on – including house, trance and hardcore.
Before we get stomping in that field, we called Jordan to hear more about what we can expect and why they love playing Field Maneuvers.
FM 2025, photography by Celine Antal
Tell us a little bit about History of Euphoria.
I’ve played Field Maneuvers before three years ago. It’s my favourite festival. I went last year with my friends, it was just so cool. I told [the organisers] I’d really love to come back. Ele Beattie [co-founder and director] said, “Usually when we invite guests back, we want them to do something that’s different, something like a theme set”. I thought, what can I bring that is a reflection of me as an artist. I came up with the History of Euphoria concept which my future projects are now going to be connected to. Its birthplace will be at Field Maneuvers. It’s a showcase of all the classic sounds across the wider UK electronic music spectrum that create a feeling of euphoria – music that makes you really happy and want to hug your friend. I want to create lovely energy.
Why is Field Manuevers your favourite festival?
The size of it is really helpful. Stress-free entrance, stress-free arrival from your car. It also means you can really easily find your friends. I love what the organisers and the rest of the crew do, it’s all very considered. They always highlight DIY, POC and queer communities, not just from London too. They just give a shit, and the music is just pretty great.
What have been some of your favourite sets you saw last time you were there?
DJ Sharkey was a highlight, Angel D’lite too.
I.JORDAN at FM 2023, photography by Courteney Frisby
What I really liked about FM is how queer the crowd is and how that’s reflected in the curation of the line-up – how do you think that has helped shape the festival’s identity?
It just makes a better party. It’s obviously very queer, and a lot of the people that play there are within the queer world. It doesn’t feel like a specifically queer festival, but it also doesn’t feel like anyone’s getting excluded. It’s very open. Even though it’s a very big mixture of people, you never feel uncomfortable. It ends up being the music is really good. If a party’s predominantly queer people, we give a lot of work within our communities and our party spaces that are DIY and more underground, all to cultivate the right vibe. That comes with knowing that when we all enter a space, we know the roles that we play, and our responsibility to create a nice atmosphere. That’s something that we probably see as a little bit within our queerness.
When did you first begin falling in love with the euphoric genres you plan to play?
When I was 13, one of the trance compilations I got was called The Sound of Euphoria. I’m going to be playing a trance edit of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence which was my first entry to euphoric trance music. Then I really got into happy hardcore stuff around when I was 16. I’m definitely going to be playing some Scott Brown. I’ve just always been connected with the music that makes me feel something, in that really energised way. It’s always been a part of who I am.
What draws you to DIY parties?
I’m from that world. I’m working class, northern, queer, taking on all these fucking marginalisation problems. I’m used to being a part of something where things aren’t handed to me, where we have to make things ourselves. We shape what we want to create because no one else is going to do it for us.
What are your goals for History of Euphoria?
I want to grow it and be able to present it, archive it, document it. I’m thinking about what creates a euphoric space. It’s really influencing the sort of music that I’m making. I’ve always made happy, feel-good music, but now I’ve got a focus to hone in on. I really want to create a whole world that’s multidisciplinary. There are so many different elements to euphoria to me. It’s not just sound, it’s environment, it’s how you live. It’s not one thing that’s building the feeling, it’s the whole experience. I’m really excited about it.
Header image by Prishita Eloise. Field Maneuvers takes place August 21-24. Purchase tickets here.
