Meredith Music Festival – New Acts to Watch
Meredith – a town few hours from my current home in Melbourne, AUS – hosts the famous Meredith Music festival – now going on it 19th’s year. While it’s a relatively small festival, with only just the one stage, what it lacks in size it makes up for in charm. Everywhere you’ll see people happily wasted, lounging in one of the many couches strewn about on the grounds, or dancing around in their best psychedelic attire. Thank the Vedas for those fantastic Hari Krishna meals, which kept the partygoers going – while super eco-friendly compost toilets & showers took care of the rest. Lets not forget – the world famous– as some of the bravest Aussie blokes & ladies compete for a 24 pack in a naked foot race. Oh and the music wasn’t too bad either…
The highlight of the Festival was without a doubt Animal Collective – performing tracks from their latest album & EP. I won’t bore you with more praise for AC – since most of us know by now – they’re amazing. Akron/Family put on a noteworthy performance as well – but for interest’s sake – there were a few hidden gems that are worth mentioning…
Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky
Animal Collective – Graze
Family trio from London, UK – Kitty (16), Daisy (21), & Lewis (19) are young stock but their music hails from the not-to-distant past. They’re a mix of classic rock’n’roll/blues, which sometimes gets referred to as ‘Rockabilly’. According to MySpace (some of) their influences include – Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley… you get the idea. My advice? If you ever get the chance to see these guys live – take it – and don’t forget to bring a boy & some dancing shoes!
Kitty, Daisy, & Lewis – Up Country
Kitty, Daisy, & Lewis – Honolulu Rock-A-Roll-A
The Middle East is to Australia what Arcade Fire is to Canada. What I’d consider a relatively new group from tiny Townsville, Queensland – is already getting a ton of WWW press. Haunting his/hers vocals & spine tingling harmonies makes The Middle East a perfect companion to your bedroom shenanigans. They definitely get my vote as one of the top-10-of-2010 to watch. Since I have only good things to say – I’ll have to stop here.
The Middle East – Blood
The Middle East – The Darkest Side
DJ set – Nathan Fake
The (late) night started off with Bag Raiders – & I loved what they had to say & def worth checking out. But being a long time fan of Nathan Fake’s – I was most looking forward to hearing his live set for the first time. For those of you who aren’t familiar with his brand of music, Nathan Fake is a DJ from Norfolk, England & considered by some to be spinning some of the best minimal electro house out there. His distinctive sound is anything but boring – you get layers of hard-hitting bass, trance inducing melodies & bubbly electro all intricately mashed together. Fake’s a sound architect – he builds ethereal sound structures – which the spectator can access only through the mind. I’ve included a few tracks from his latest release – Hard Islands – for your listening pleasure.
Nathan Fake – The Turtle
Nathan Fake – Fentiger
DJ set – Henrik Schwarz
Henrik Schwarz – a German DJ and producer – masterfully wove in threads of Jazz, Soul, & world music over delicate electro beats – resulting in a truly sophisticated sound experience. Nothing I’ve heard lately – sounds quite like him. Couldn’t find an mp3 in my collection – but the video link (below) should give you an idea.
Hiya!
Nathan Fake will be playing at the SMS festival in Croatia this September! It’s going to be great! Other acts include Carl Craig, Friendly Fires, Optimo, Theo Parrish and Girlcore. Check it out at http://sms-2010.com/
Cheers!