We sat down with grammy nominated electronic music producer Pretty Lights at this years Wireless Festival in London's Finsbury Park to talk to him about his music, his shows and more. Check out the interview below:
Exit Festival 2014 Review
Voted the ‘Best Major European Festival Award’ in 2013, we had massive expectations for Exit and now come the end of the weekend, we can tell you that our expectations where well exceeded.
With one of the biggest festival lineup’s in Europe, Exit’s headliners this year included Damon Albarn, Skrillex, Pet Shop Boys and more.
Unlike many other festivals, Exit starts off in the evening around 7 – 8pm and goes through to the early hours of 6am.
As we mentioned in our previous review, Pet Shop Boys kicked off Thursday evening in spectacular fashion, if not to the biggest crowd, but to an appreciative crowd, leaving us to ponder what the rest of the weekend would have in store for the Summer Festival Guide crew.
Disclosure also took on the revamped Dance Arena and were billed to bring their live show to the Novi Sad Castle. However a last minute press release stated that the production duo could not do their full live show however their Wild Life themed night would go on. Getting on the one’s and two’s Disclosure had packed out the amazing Dance Arena at Exit. This is one of the most exciting and spine tingling arena’s at Exit due to its awesome layout and setup and it made for a perfect setting for Disclosure. Hits such as ‘White Noise’ and ‘Latch’ had the crowd singing their hearts out but it was the end of the set with surprise hits Chic’s Le Freak’ and Outkast’s ‘Miss Jackson’ that really topped off the night.
Exit Festival wasn’t blessed with the best weather this year and it didn’t matter one bit as the crowd didnt really care and still enjoyed Exit to the fullest. It almost resembled a typical Glastonbury!
Rudimental have featured heavily on the festival circuit this year and after a cancellation at the 2013 edition they more than made up for it at the Friday night slot. Bringing raw energy and drawing a massive crowd to the Main Stage, the UK band smashed out hits from their “Home” album including “Waiting All Night”, “Free”, and “Not Giving In”. Serbia was definitely treated to what we picked as one of the best live shows weekend and it really did lift the bar for what we expected by the other artists this weekend.
One of Exit’s biggest draw cards is their Back to Back sets and this year we were treated to some of the best B2B combinations we have ever witnessed. Carl Cox & Danny Tenaglia joined forces on Friday to bring their house & techno vibe to Novi Sad. Both Carl and Danny are legends in the electronic music scene and it was an immense pleasure to see them playing together. As the sun set on the Dance Arena the lads had the crowd grooving from start to finish.
Other notable B2B sets that we managed to catch were Afrojack & Quintino, their high energy electro house set in the early hours of the morning keep the crowd going right up until the end. Exit regular Green Velvet joined forces with Carl Craig to deliver a house and techno infused set pleasing those that like the harder side of electronic music.
The biggest drawcard for Exit this weekend had to be ex Blur frontman and Gorillaz head honcho Damon Albarn. Being his first trip to Serbia, Albarn treated the packed out Main Stage crowd with tracks through his back catalogue as well as tracks from his critically acclaimed “Everyday Robots”. Kicking off with his the chilled out “Lonely Press Play” and “Everyday Robots”, it didn’t take long before he had the crowd singing along to Gorillaz tracks “Kids with Guns” and Blur’s “All Your Life”. However the biggest tune of his set had to be “Clint Eastwood”, Albarn really seemed to enjoy his time on the stage at Exit and his performance was one of the highlights of the weekend.
Another massive name on the festival circuit is Sonny Moore, better known by his stage name Skrillex. Skrillex arrives slightly late to the party and already has the main stage packed out waiting to see this grammy award winning artist. If you haven’t seen this guy live then you don’t know what your missing. Not only is the guy like an energiser bunny on stage, but his stage presence is like no other DJ. You would not know that its 2am when Skrillex comes on as the energy around the main stage drives you to keep moving and dancing. Kicking off with “Try it Out”, Skrillex is already bouncing around behind the decks and instantly has the crowd moshing and going crazy. His mixing is fast and his set is powerful and energetic and by the end of the set we are soaked with sweat. Talking to a few people on the crowd after his set, you can tell that Skrillex delivered exactly what they came here to see.
Sunday sees the likes of Hurts, Suede and Pretty Lights take on the main stage as well as the return of Deep Dish and Jaymo vs Andy George in the Dance Arena.
Hurts kick off our night in the Main Stage and play to a packed out crowd. This English synth pop duo have the entire crowd sing through the majority of their set with standout hits “Mercy”, “Wonderful Life”, “Excile” and encore “Better Than Love”.
We managed to catch up with grammy nominated producer Pretty Lights in London prior to his Exit performance and we made sure that we caught him on the Main Stage in his early morning slot. Pretty Lights genre infused music is something fresh and pleasing to listen to over the huge sound rig and he rightly has a massive crowd on hand to enjoy it.
Deep Dish reformed this year after a hiatus to bring their house music to Novi Sad. Playing in the Dance Arena they played massive set full of huge drops and fat baselines to those that ventured to see them perform. It was great to see these guys back together as their productions were hugely popular back in the day.
Exit Festival has come a long way since its inception back in 2000 and now see’s over 200,000 people go through the gates each year.
As we walk around the festival we are gutted that its almost about to be over, the weekend has flown by and Exit has captivated us, the crowd have been amazing and the lineup even better. It was our first Exit experience and it definitely will not be our last. If there is one European festival that you need to experience in your lifetime then Exit should be at the top of your list. See you in 2015!
Introducing The Good Life Experience
Singer and broadcaster, Cerys Matthews, best known as the lead singer of Welsh rock band Catatonia has joined forces with the Gladstone family to launch a festival with a difference this September.
Alt-Fest adds God Seed, The KVB and more
With only six weeks to go until Alt-Fest, we can reveal a raft of new acts across the Metal, Gothic and other stages.
New concept The Den comes to Camp Bestival
Camp Bestival have created a new concept called The Den which is aimed at 13 – 17 year old artists, its the first of its kind.
Dubfire, James Zabiela and more join SW4 lineup
This years SW4 add a number of hot acts to its already massive lineup including Dubfire, James Zabiela and more.
Festibelly 2014 Review
The New Forest was brought to life by Festibelly. Located in one of the most beautiful areas of the South, the breath taking scenery dotted with wildlife makes for a pleasant journey to Lymington. Taking place from the 11th to the 12th of July, this small-scale festival really does cater for all.
On arrival, the short queuing time and onsite camping made for a quick and easy start to the weekend. Once the tent was pitched, I explored the array of stalls. Festibelly offers something for everyone, with children’s entertainment including games and crafts. While the kids were occupied, adults could enjoy the music only a few meters away. However, this festival isn’t just for families, it caters for all ages.
The vibe was chilled on Friday, with musical highlights from Laurel, Amber Run and Lewis Floyd Henry. The atmosphere picked up as Skinny Lister took to the stage, with upbeat sing along songs that got the whole crowd involved. The Cuban Brothers headlined Friday night and had the whole crowd captivated with their dancing and humor. I didn’t know what to expect when watching them, but they defiantly entertained!
Saturday welcomed in more festival goers, with the crowds drawing in to watch Jus Now and DJ David Rodigan. Entertainment was also on offer at the Massive In China and Terrapin Station tents through out the day, with a variety of comedy, music and dance workshops to participate in. Although slightly limited in choice, the food on offer was delicious with produce being sourced or grown locally. Delicious Orange Rooms cocktails were also available to buy from their teepee.
The main stage showcased FEMME and Mausi, who brought the pop vibes to the festival with dance beats blasting out in the sun. Hudson Taylor was the perfect end to such a family friendly festival in a beautiful location. I’d highly recommended this festival to anyone!
Photos by Mickey Cole
Electric Daisy Carnival 2014 Review
Originating from the USA, Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC as it is more widely known, made its second trip across the pond to the UK this weekend, transforming Milton Keynes outdoor National Bowl into an entertainment spectacle.
Riding on the success of last years London based event, EDC 2014 offered a who's who of chart-topping EDM, (electronic dance music) producers, best known for their knob-twiddling skills and dance music know how.
Aside from the music, one of EDC's unique selling points (persistently featured in the promo videos) was the scale of special effects on offer. Promising the UK's largest ever 360 degree LED light display, pyrotechnics and hundreds of weird and wonderful performers, the organisers clearly aimed to make their event just as visually appealing as the music itself.
Musically, this years EDC boasted a diverse line up of British and European producers, with EDM duo Bassjackers opening the main stage at midday before Avicii's headline set in the late evening, with chart hits 'You Make Me' and 'Wake Me Up' lighting up the bowl.
Earlier in the day, Calvin Harris played a mid-afternoon set, including recent number ones 'Summer' and 'Under Control', with the majority of the crowd on each other's shoulders early on. It was a busy day for Harris, who hurried off to play a main stage set at T in the Park where he was joined and introduced by Will Smith! Not a bad day for Calvin, who achieved eight top-ten hits from his 2012 album, '18 Months'.
Meanwhile, over on the Cosmic Meadow stage, house music was the order of the day if EDM drops became too much for some. Route 94, who scored a number one earlier this year with his piano house track 'My Love' featuring vocals from Jess Glynne, opened the stage at 1pm with a well received set. Later on, Leeds success story Hot Since 82, real name Daley Padley, performed an evening set of deep house drawing on tracks from his album 'Little Black Book'.
Back at the Kinetic Field main stage, 19-year-old Dutch producer Martin Garrix, who topped the chart with the inescapably catchy 'Animals', which is given an outing today, as well as follow-up top-ten track 'Wizard and a remix of Empire of the Sun's 'Alive' drew a large crowd. Mixing Naughty Boy and Sam Smith's number one 'La La La' with his own new single 'Tremor', the chorus bass drops team with confetti and smoke machines going off in unison.
Next up was Steve Aoki, who is currently hosting his Aoki Play House residency in Ibiza, here making a rare UK appearance, dropping bass heavy tracks, 'Boneless' and a new collaboration with Afrojack, before scaling the grand DJ podium set up. While stood high, he threw numerous cakes at the crowd, something which has become synonymous with the 'Beat Down' producers energetic sets.
For only it's second visit to the UK, it's safe to say that Electric Daisy Carnival is here to stay, fulfilling a gap in the British festival market and offering a world class line-up! Next year's event can't come quicker!
Snoop Dogg, Wretch32 and more set for Another World Festival
The countdown begins to Another World Festival taking place in the Silverstone Woodlands, Buckinghamshire from 8th – 10th August.
Exit Festival Day One 10th July Review
Any Brits who were hoping the fact they had come to a European festival meant they would escape the incessant rain that sometimes besets those based in the UK had their dreams dramatically shattered as lighting began to strike above the Petrovaradin fortress a few hours before EXIT’s main gates opened. Festival go-oers went wet t-shirted to and fro between the ticket office outside the entrance and the EXIT VILLAGE campsite in a small park nestled between a busy main road and towering suburban apartment blocks. Residents looked out over their balconies possibly bemused as tents sprung up forming a carpet of synthetic canvass.
The reason for the move away from the traditional campsite on the banks of the Danube are unsure, possibly due to excess mess or lack of space in previous years, or perhaps the risk of flooding from the river (the organisers may have somehow predicted the weather). To me it seemed strange to encourage an overflow of tourists closer to the city center, especially as EXIT’s programme goes on late into the evening (the last DJ set starts at 6.30am), meaning there is a steady stream of people making there way back through the city (possibly merry) well into the morning. But then again this may be to bring more money into the city itself and provide campers with more facilities closer to hand, as the campsite is situated next to a mall with cafés, shops, restaurants, a swimming pool and a supermarket, as well as having a small street of food vendors inside the EXIT VILLAGE itself.
The walk takes about 40 mins but only a 10 to 15 minute bus ride, and for those on a western European budget there were representatives selling fairly cheap weekly bus passes for around 6 Euros at the train station and the campsite. Although the buses tail off around 1am there is a steady flow of taxis after this surrounding the venue which cost around 500 dinar (about 4 euros) for a ride back to the camp.
Fortunately the deluge was short lived and clouds cleared as people began to stream through the gates past the rather heavily armed Serbian security to the sight of a glorious sunset over the city of Novi Sad.
The show was kicked off on the main stage with some smooth reggae from Hornsman Coyote which the gathering crowd seemed to enjoy, followed by the Energy Opening by Balkanopolis. Their set consisted of an engaging performance from Renaiszance who played their single “ I Will Rise” accompanied rather effectively with visuals taken from the graphic novel The Inventor: The Story of Tesla based on the life of famous Serbian inventor NikolaTesla, as well as an uplifting act of semi traditional Serbian music using a variety instruments including a form of local bagpipes made out of the body of the goat. The crowd began to dance around the rather deep puddle that had formed treacherously close to the main stage as the finale including aerial silks came to a close.
When it was finally dark it was the turn of Belgian music maestro Stromae to take to the stage in an arresting and pitch perfect performance that had the Serbian and European crowd singing along in French with gusto.
Stromae used all of his charisma as well as beautifully paletted video backdrops to get the audience below him to raise their hands in the air and bounce around without ever having to request it. He was a fascinating performer to watch live with his cartoon like facial expressions and physical flourishes while managing somehow to make a school boy style of long shorts, socks and cardigans look cool.
This was arguably the busiest point of the evening and as The Pet Shop Boys prepared to take to the stage the crowd thinned out to a more chilled out volume while they strutted and sang through modern classics as well as new mixes. Neil Tenant sported a fascinating variety of head wear including the infamous Disco ball and a post modern metal mask in the shape of the cow’s head, which was complimented by the cow skulls and wigs that both the live and pre recorded backing dancers sported to creepy effect. As the night progressed and came to a close people spread out to the various other smaller stages dotted around the venue to sip beer and smoke cigarettes while lying in hammocks. The genre of music was varied so that there was something to be found for everyone, and despite being the first night of a major festival the atmosphere was relaxed and happy, the most common sight to be seen was people dancing and smiling with their eyes close, whether that be Dub by Dimension, Heavy metal, or Flamenco dancers at the Latino Stage. EXIT festival had officially begun.