Perth Music

First Lineup Announcement:
N*E*R*D
Basement Jaxx
CSS
Paul Oakenfold
Markus Shulz
Etienne de Crecy
Steve Angello
Sebastian Ingrosso
Joachim Garraud
Mr Ozio
Christopher Lawrence
Tocadisco
Super8 & Tab
Lifelike
Yacht

Many more to be announced…

Dates:
Sat 28th February – Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney
Sun 1st March – Wellington Square, Perth
Sat 7th March – Brisbane Turf Club, Brisbane
Sun 8th March – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Mon 9th March - Rundle Park, Adelaide

TICKETS:
Tickets on sale December 8 through Ticketmaster.

Another festival that saw a change of venue this year was the 2008 Future Music Festival. This year saw the dance and funk festival set at Wellington Square in East Perth which some thought was a risky move. The smaller venue limited numbers through the gates and was an unfamiliar location for many but still held up well against the strain of tens of thousands of music lovers.

Parking wasn’t too bad as the festival was on the Sunday of a long weekend and the central location gave the easy choice of public transport to many. Getting through the front gates was not fun as the line to pick up tickets ordered of the internet was long and slow and then the line to get bags and ID checked and finally into Wellington Square was just as long. For good or for worse the smaller venue allowed punters to wander aimlessly around from stage to stage with ease, with easy access to (expensive) food and drinks, water fans and sprayers and plenty of shaded areas to rest. But like most dance festivals not many people were there to rest and there were abundant numbers dancing professionally and really unprofessionally, dressed up in ultra fluoro or a special costume for the day (I spotted a Batman, Wonder Woman and even a mixing desk) and most guys decided that shirts were optional.

The Electro Splash Tent was host to the Norwegian electro punks Datarock early on with a great number of fans happily dancing in anticipation. Wearing matching red tracksuits, Datarock played a fun filled set that swayed between a rock concert and a rave with beach balls bouncing around from one side of the crowd to the other. Computer Camp Love was the biggest crowd pleaser and the use of a saxophone at the end of the set was a great thing to see and hear.

Aesop Rock unfortunately drew a small crowd to the Future Funk tent but played a fantastic set to those that turned up. The American hip hoppers were very interactive with fans and the covered tent was a welcome relief to the hot sun. Daylight was great to hear live and new song Coffee was also performed to perfection. The small crowd did start to lose attention pretty quickly and the sides of the tent soon were getting pulled up as people were looking for something else to do.

The Silent Disco was quite interesting to see and quite an original idea for a music festival. Essentially people line up to get headphones that play 2 channels of music played by a DJ. The tent is then filled with people dancing to music that people without headphones can’t hear. Interesting idea but it got very old very fast and seemed just like something anybody could do at home instead of paying over $100 to do.

Roger Sanchez is a very popular DJ who was expected to entertain a huge crowd at the Famous Stage and entertain is just what he did. A great set full of popular songs mixed and matched seamlessly to the dancing crowd but unless you were quite close up there were sound issues. The small venue required the stages to be quite close to each other so sounds traveled between stages constantly to the annoyance of many. Sweat Dreams and Stronger were crowd favourites for sure.

The electronic duo that most had come primarily to see were greeted with a huge roar from the crowd. The Chemical Brothers not only had a great set but a fantastic light show that worked together really well. They play a show instead of a set which was missing from almost all of the other acts for the day. Hey Boy, Hey Girl, Galvanize, Do It Again and The Golden Path were all played and all loved by most. Even the dirt that had risen from the park ground and covered the feet of everyone couldn’t dampen the utter excitement that the dancing fans were showing.

Photos from Future Music Festival can be found here at PerthNorg (Thanks to Noodlez).

The Future of dance music festivals in Australia is alive and well with the announcement that The Chemical Brothers will headline the second annual Future Music Festival in March to a strictly capacity audience at Wellington Square in the heart of the city.

Add to this legends John Digweed (one half of Sasha & Digweed, perhaps the most celebrated dance duo of all time) and Sven Vath, M.I.A. mastermind Diplo, hip hop’s MC of the moment Aesop Rock, S-man Roger Sanchez, Ninja Tune turntablist Kid Koala, a host of others, and what you have is an excitingly contemporary perspective on the Future of international electronic music.

So here goes Perth!  The first lineup announcement…

The Chemical Brothers (Live).
John Digweed.  Diplo.  Sven Vath.  Roger Sanchez.
Who Made Who Live. The Shapeshifters. Eddie Halliwell.  Robbie Rivera.  Aesop Rock Live.  DJ Yoda.  Mark Knight. Laidback Luke.  Kid Koala.  Elite Force.  Markus Schulz.  The Black Ghosts Live.  James Holroyd.  D.I.M.  and introducing… Silent Disco (The Arena)
with a second round of more great acts still to be announced…

The Silent Disco, a festival favourite at Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Bennicassim, Global Gathering, Edinburgh Fringe and many more, also makes its very quiet debut at the Future Music Festival this year to add to the existing world class entertainment. The Silent Disco earned its name because an outsider walking in would see a tent full of people dancing, yet hear no music, hence silent disco. Featuring a 2 channel headset system, expect the unexpected with performances by some of the festival’s headline acts on one channel with the crazy Dutch 433fm.com DJ’s mixing up tracks from long-lost eras with current dance floor killers. In other words: it’s a complete radio broadcast, but most certainly one where nothing is fixed and everything is possible!  Experience the Future silently for the very first time!

Future Music Festival - Wellington Square
Sunday 2 March 2008

Limited Release Early Bird Tickets $95 + bf and service charges to 20 January 2007 or until sold out. Thereafter, Full Price Tickets $115 plus booking fees and service charges.  More at the door if available. Available through www.ticketmaster.com.au (136 100), www.inthemix.com.au and the following retail outlets:
78 Records, DJ Factory, Live Clothing, Mills Records, Planet Video and Rockeby Records.

Presented by Mellen Events and Future Entertainment
Visit www.futureentertainment.com.au www.mellenevents.com for more information.

Summadayze tickets are flying out fast with the final lineup additions to an already breathtaking lineup and now the Xmas Double Pack incentive that gets you tickets to Future Music Festival as well as Summadayze – the perfect Christmas gift!   Get ready for the biggest festival of the summer Perth, as we close off Barrack Street!

The Esplanade and Supreme Court Gardens, Perth (Barrack St Closed Off)

The Biggest 5 Stages ever seen in the City!
Sunday 6 January 2008

Summadayze 2008 has just announced its biggest ever line-up, with more than 40 artists playing across 5 massive stages in the heart of the city and two venues.   And now’s the best possible time to buy Summadayze tickets, because between now and Christmas (10 – 24 December), Mellen Events is offering the super special priced Xmas Double Pack including Summadayze and Future Music Festival tickets together for only $170 plus booking fees – a saving of $44 off full price tickets – not to mention the perfect stocking filler!

Summadayze 2008 historically sees Barrack Street closed off for the first time at a music festival.   This is the one festival this summer you’ll have to see to believe! The massive final lineup is:
David Guetta.  New Young Pony Club (live)
Chromeo (live).  De La Soul (live).   Cut Copy (live)
Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso (Swedish House Mafia)
Felix Da Housecat. Sister Bliss (Faithless). Christopher Lawrence
Dave Spoon. Bliss N Eso (live). Benny Benassi. Kissy Sell Out. Cosmic Gate
Joachim Garraud. ATFC. People Under The Stairs (live). Salmonella Dub (live)
Claude Von Stroke. Tom Neville. Headman. Kid Confucius. Jesse Rose
Marc Romboy. Bang Gang. Infusion (live). KIM Presets (DJ Set).
Micah. Kenny L vs Saul Bliss. Fdel (DJ Set). Bourgeois Bogan DJs. Adam Kelly. Sharif Galal
Damien John. Brash and Sassy (live). Druid Lee Roth (live). Dan The Man. Darren Brias. Junior

From the super hot indie sounds of New Young Pony Club, Cut Copy and electro funk-meisters Chromeo on the Summadayze Live Stage; to the soulful Beat Generation stage featuring De La Soul and People Under The Stairs; the world’s biggest DJ names like David Guetta, Felix Da Houscat and the Swedish House Mafia on the Summadayze Main DJ Stage; 2006 DJ Mag Top 100 Poll #4 Christopher Lawrence and Faithless’ Sister Bliss on the Famous Stage; and the not-to-be-missed Electric Playground tent featuring electro hellraisers Kissy Sell Out and Claude Von Stroke, Summadayze 2008 is the one festival line-up this summer to feature all the latest must-see artists and sounds.

In 2008 Summadayze also moves across the road to include the expansive grounds of The Esplanade – as well as Supreme Court Gardens – creating a bigger and brighter space than ever before.   Not only will both these venues be used, but for the first time in the history of Perth music festivals, Barrack Street will be closed off in order to grant punters easy access to both venues.   It’s simple – more room, more comfort, more stages and more choice than ever before!

Yep, Summadayze 2008 is set to be the party of the year.   And the best part is it’s right on your doorstep in Perth.  Easy to get to and in picturesque surrounds on the Swan River, get ready for the biggest event to ever hit city central!   Add to this the sublime production and facilities Summadayze, Future Entertainment and Mellen Events are famous for and, really, what more could you ask for?   Perth, tickets are on sale now.

Strictly limited, Specially Priced Xmas Double Packs featuring Summadayze and Future Music Festival tickets available from 10 – 24 December for just $170 plus booking fees and service charges.   Available through www.ticketmaster.com.au (136 100).
Visit www.summadayze.com www.futureentertainment.com.au www.mellenevents.com for more information.