As of this morning, the mystery of BlocLondon has been solved.

Last week, Bloc launched the BlocLondon website, sparking speculation that the beleaguered brand were planning a 2013 relaunch. We subsequently posited that the ill-fated festival might be returning to London on a smaller scale later this summer. It now appears, however, that Bloc is recasting itself as an event promoter, putting on a series of ad hoc nights from March until June. The nights will all take place at a new studio venue in the capital.

The Bloc Facebook page and website have uploaded details of a host of one-off events. Saturday March 9 will welcome a live set from Model 500, plus a DJ spot from Juan Atkins. March 31 promises L.I.E.S.’ first ever UK showcase, and April 20 will see Marshall Jefferson play. Later dates are also promised from Cosmin TRG with A Made Up Sound, Green Velvet, Omar S, Shackleton with Appleblim, Egyptian Lover with i-f, Surgeon and Man Parrish.

The tagline to the Facebook post reads “Bloc, rebooted”. Speaking to Resident Advisor, Bloc co-ordinators Alex Benson and George Hull describe the thinking behind the new venture:

“It’s a really simple proposition—just a series of ten shows in a new studio venue featuring a selection of artists that we love. Some have played for us many times before, others are completely fresh, but they all represent something which has inspired Bloc in some way…After an indecisive and confusing few months this venue became available and we steadily started to rebuild—literally.”

Bloc have, of course, had a tough 2012. As we put it last week:

Until last year, Bloc enjoyed an ascending profile as one of the UK’s most celebrated festivals. 2012 saw it move from its regular home at Butlin’s Holiday Resort, Minehead, to a new venue in the form of Olympic site London Pleasure Gardens. The result was a disaster for the festival: on Friday, July 6, it was shut down several hours into its first night due to fears of overcrowding.

Depending on who you believe, this either happened due to Bloc over-selling tickets or under-staffing the event, ticketing company CrowdSurge’s flaws (many attendees reported on their tickets not being adequately checked upon entry), London Pleasure Gardens being inadequate or a combination of the aforementioned. Regardless, on July 11, Baselogic Productions Ltd – the company behind Bloc – voluntarily entered administration.