It's no secret that house music is breaking into the mainstream once again. Pulse Radio's Andrew Nock experienced this first hand at last month's mammoth Stereosonic festival in Sydney via DJs like Claude VonStroke, Solomun and Maceo Plex. These are his adventures...
Stereosonic managed to cram over 60,000 people into Sydney Olympic Park. Two days in a row. Which was a huge feat on all accounts. By the time nightfall hit, more than half of that number seemed to be crammed onto the dance floor at the main stage watching the world's #1 and #3 DJs…according to DJ Mag. Yet not many people really seemed to know what was going on. I wondered if these were the same people that had been having nightmares from their mistake of being locked out of ANZ Stadium for LMFAO. There were lasers, video screens, and a mass of similarly dressed people with the same blank, wide-eyed expressions, watching one guy about 400 metres away fist pump behind a box. Not my cup of tea.
One simple question on the tip of every music lovers’ tongue at any festival goes a little something like this: Who are you here to see? A question that can forge bonds, break the ice, or allow you to size up your gorilla familiar with a big "NO WAY!" for whatever reason that may be. Stereosonic, on the other hand, seems to offer up a different solution to this question. A question as crucial as retail gossip, or telling everyone about that ex who keeps sending you nudes even though you've totally moved on (you wish). #twodays of dance music artists at the top of their game, yet that question seemed to shoot straight over many people’s heads (I'm picturing that annoying hand movement my dad used to do when I was a kid, you know the one).
I took the chance to interview a bunch of spectators, and what was imminent from their responses was the lack of knowledge of artists playing the festival. "But, like, omg, like, don't you plan/research/play your favourite songs/albums/remixes on repeat for months in advance of the big #twodays!?" Though the overwhelming answer was: Well, no not really…followed by a cliched exclamation such as, “I'm just here to party!" Party indeed. Just no party rocking.
What struck me the most was the underwhelming effect of each of the main stages. Sure I got a little rush from the bass in the first tent I walked into, but that's just the reaction I get from bass - a clinical disorder widely known as the 'Bass Boner'. To put it in perspective, I was a sober guy on #daytwo (those hashtags getting annoying yet?) of Australia's biggest EVER dance music festival, walking through a crowd of party fiends and ravers at their absolute eye-widening, shoulder-hunching, fist-pumping prime, wearing zebra tights and a little frightened for my life. Who wouldn't be? It was made very clear by one group of males that I'd “obviously missed the memo about the dress code". General Pants take note: I wasn't aware singlets (not worn) and shorts were a dress code. But that's cool, I'll cop that.
In all honesty, I arrived at Stereosonic in search of music with substance. Some more intelligent dance music that had both complexity and integrity. Dance music that took the listener on a journey, yet still packing enough punch to inspire all out weird, psychedelic dance moves. After trolling through each main stage, none of them hit the mark. I was consistently stuck in an awkward cultural abyss between hyper aggressive rave music and mass market EDM. Where was the middle ground? Why the hell did I feel like an outsider when I'd clearly listened to The Bloody Beetroots heaps of times. Was it because I was flying solo? Is it because I'm sober? I couldn't figure it out.
My journey brought me to a round, Colosseum style arena that hosted the Infinity Stage. The tiered seating funneled down into a circular dance floor - exactly the right amount of space to dance and observe the artists from close proximity. It was an intimate and comfortable atmosphere. The concrete walls ushered high enough into the naked sky to reverberate the smooth sounds around the space. Fairy lights and plants hung from the sky, drawing the eye to the stage that was flanked wonderfully by two cascading waterfalls that flowed over 20 metre-high vertical gardens. Flanked by tall trees and plants, I felt an affinity with nature in whatever part of the arena I ventured. This was clearly the zone. David Lee Roth started in my ear, “this must be just like living in paradise!" Shut up David, not now mate. Jesus.
The music was spot on. A sexy, deep house groove flowed around the space with a punchy bassline and quirky percussive elements. A quick look around and it was obvious that those who were here knew EXACTLY what they were in for. Artists like Justin Martin, Maceo Plex, Solomun and Claude VonStroke stood out among the top contenders for Quirk King. Although let's be honest, we were all schooled by Claude the Lord as fireworks from the main stage lit up the open sky through the final 10 minutes of Stereosonic 2013.
I ran into local DJ maestro Gabby who had played the Infinity Stage earlier in the day in front of Brohn and Justin Martin. We spoke about the change in the acceptance of underground house and techno in comparison to her experience DJing the same style of music at Stereosonic in 2011. "The main difference [this year] was that the people meant to be there," she explained. "They knew who were playing, danced, and got into the songs."
Gabby distinctly remembers the house stage in 2011, where a five minute Smirnoff Vodka ad featuring a David Guetta song filled the gap between DJ sets which, unfortunately, was the only time she noticed the crowd really lose their inhibitions and dance. However, this time around, there was a distinct sense of knowledge within the crowd, who understood the nuances of the house music on offer. A crowd who raised their hands as the energy built and grooved effortlessly to the music, their movements reflecting the beats.
"The deep underground sound is a journey and the crowd reflected that,” said Gabby.
It’s been becoming a well known notion for a while now, but this experience reinforces the idea that underground deep house and techno – in it’s old and new forms – produced and performed by its leading peers, is massively breaking into the mainstream and becoming widely accepted. It’s a sexy sound that challenges the limited scope presented by big room EDM and allows for freedom of expression through consistent beats and sounds, seen through the recent global invasion and embrace of crossover artists such as Disclosure, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Duke Dumont. Even local artists at the top of their game such as Flume and Rufus have gotten behind it. It goes without saying that house music is growing and will no doubt be the next big thing in 2014.