Pulse Radio took to the lush green hills and beautiful valleys of Mpumalanga to experience a 5 day magical infusion of underground electronic music and nature. Here’s what Candy and Mbali had to say about an all round titillating adventure known as One Festival.
On arrival at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday morning I was taken back by my surroundings of the flourishing green hills, which seemed endless. The refreshing scent of the cool crisp air awakened my senses after the long drive through the night. With the fields still empty, I decided to explore the open landscape of the venue before the festivities began. The sun rising behind the mountains painted a picturesque pink and purple haze across the sky. The magic shone through the breathtaking sunrise as it peeked above us. This was the beginning of an enlightening experience…ONE Festival.
We scoped out the camping area to set up our new home for the next 5 days. After a peaceful sleep, we took a stroll down from the campsite to the destination where the festival was to be held. The crafted creations of Christopher Dowding were being sprayed with vibrant colours by Carin Dikson while the team began to architecturally mount the pieces together to create the design of the 3 dimensional embellishments. This displayed the face from the ONE artwork as the center piece, and the front of the stage symbolizing Mother Nature. A spire in the middle of the Main floor represented Huxley’s idea of the faucet of consciousness. I was blown away by the conception as it came to life.
We were welcomed by a kaleidoscope of clothing and other stalls each with friendly staff ready to meet our every need. Shaded chill spots provided shelter from the sweltering heat of the day. The setup on the main floor was running late, however, that did not get in the way of the music getting started on the Jungle floor. The first evening was an intimate gathering, a warm-up for what was yet to come.
The festivities really came to life on the Friday as many more people arrived to generate a buzz in the atmosphere. Chris Palmer opened for the Psy floor at 4:30 p.m. We were soon thrown into the music as the sun settled down taking us into a beautiful evening with a breathtaking display of the UV projection, amplifying the décor in the dark.
Deep Town hosted the alternative stage which was set next to the dam with a sensational view of a hilly landscape. Before long, I was captivated into the deeper Minimal-Tech House sounds of Hydro and Hugo playing B2B. These guys are a treat to hear together! One of the tunes they played was ‘Dusty hits’ by Jitter and the floor was soon in full swing with the vibrating sound penetrating amongst the crowd. Ric Norte' swiftly took over, changing the tone with smoother Deep House grooves. Metro Ticket followed with a dark and dirty Tech-House set. Diggin4Dodge brought their refined sound of the deeper side with a moody magnetism that won the crowd over. This floor was pumping big time!
At the same time, Mbali took to the Addictshun Jungle to see Ella G. This fresh lass is a newbie Drum and Bass selekta based in the heart of Jozi and has already superseded expectations. Her intelligent, articulate melodies boasted a vast knowledge of old school rhythms that spoke to the soul, and freed the mind, giving her set a very authentic, local feel as we entered the rest of the night.
Mr Green, as always, brought it. Like a Boss! This established head of Addictshun made sure that he had all of us jamming and bopping to the energetic beats that he had carefully sequenced and before we knew, it was time for the legend himself, Sowetan legend - DJ Benson.
One of the most respected, admired, and down-to-earth artists in the industry, the liquid king serenaded his way into the hearts, hips and feet of his eager audience, each note carefully comprised to produce the best euphony of sweet, liquid Drum and Bass under the starlit skies.
At 2:30 a.m. Thorn hypnotized the main floor into some really trippy dark Psy with an increase in BPM welcomed by the crowd. Satisfied with the music of the evening, I headed back to the campsite for a well-earned rest.
12 p.m. Saturday, Thalia played a sexy powerful progressive Psy set that got the crowd going wild! I love watching how much fun she has behind the decks, and the audience most certainly feeds off her energy. Toby One played an afternoon liquid Drum and Bass set at the Gypsy Carnival floor. His playful yet deep session was smooth, harmonious, and downright fun. This man with fifteen years of industry experience and knowledge gave his audience light, easy, and engaging melodies that were well received in the Mpumalanga heat. It’s a pity that the Drum n Bass did not continue over the duration of the weekend, but Mike Lesar made us soon forget that as he took behind the decks, getting our feet tapping and hips swaying to his jazzy swinging Balkan beats. What a treat for a variation in rhythm!
On the main floor Bazooka Boy exploded crazy energy with his phat, rolling progressive Psy sounds of the day - Bazooka Boy on Pulse Radio.
John Vicious kicked off the Teknotribe floor with a solid 2hr bouncing Techno set. He played a track by Bryan Zentz ‘Empraxa’ which really got me going! Sebotage took over, starting off with some beautiful liquid melodic Techno which progressed into a powerful electronic Minimal-Tech sound. This d-floor had an energy-packed presence. It felt like a private party on its own.
I made my way up to the Main floor for some real late-night trance. Minimal Criminal had a massive effect on the crowd with his dark night time vibe of crazy ‘psygressive’ minimal sounds ranging from 133-140 BPM.
Sunday morning started off with a bang, bringing on a dynamic progressive Psy line-up of our talented local DJ’s from Cape Town and Jozi performing on the Main floor. I arrived just in time for Deliriant, a perfect way to start off the morning with a high energy. He brings a unique sleek style within his music with powerful leads into intense drops! It was time to get down and dirty to the chunkier, more playful styles of the day! Many people dressed up which added to the festivities! Hippie Mafia, a new day project from the duo of ‘Double Story’ - Josh Shachat & Daniel Peimer, really stimulated the crowd with their daytime full on Psy with more melodic progressive leads. The d-floor was one of full vibrating energy! The Sunday Alternative stage hosted by LOVE PEACE TECHNO& Mansion Records, brought a tasty underground line-up. Durban DJ - Coco Loco took to the decks stirring up some sexy Disco Tech-House beats. Deadbeat FM closed the main floor just before an unexpected storm came in, cutting the power.
The storm had settled, and the after party got started in the jungle. Void, Psycode Black, and Digital Dream exposed our minds into the darker side of Psy, playing up to 148 BPM! Now this is the Psy I love! The UV panels with polka dot lighting on the DJ booth lit up to create a kaleidoscopic vision.
There are so many impressions and thoughts to digest after a festival like this! So much to tell, but I guess that’s enough for now… ONE Festival was a top notch event and the effort was evident to create a spectacular production. This was One hell of a party!