I recall the first Electric Picnic in 2004. It was a relatively small affair by today’s standards: a one day event that catered for 10,000. What was obvious even
then, however, is that the festival represented a breath of fresh air.
Groove Armada, 2 Many DJs, Super Furry Animals, Mylo and Soulwax were all on the line-up. Dubliner Calvin James headlined the Bodytonic stage with a four-deck set. Twelve months on, the ‘Picnic’ became a weekend camping festival. The rest, as they say, is history.
One of my most memorable trips as a punter was back in 2008, just before I began studying music. The Bodytonic Arena was an entire campsite with Ben Klock one of the headliners.
This year’s event promises great fun for dance fans too. One of
Ireland’s most successful house music exports, Mano Le Tough, returns from his hectic tour schedule. I watched him performing on the Space Ibiza Terrace on August 6 at Richie Hawtin’s Enter party. His progress as a producer and DJ from his days playing in the POD and Wax is astonishing.
Elsewhere, Despacio is the latest project from James Murphy (DFA, LCD Soundsystem) and David and Stephen Dewaele (2 Many DJs, Soulwax). They will be performing a six-hour vinyl only set. The Despacio concept is centred around a custom built disco sound system featuring seven 11 foot speaker towers and amps arranged in a circle.
Italian-born, Dublin-based DJ and producer Lerosa hits the Red Bull Music Academy stage. He launched his production career with Eamonn Doyle’s D1 Recordings and followed that up with releases on Real Soon, Millions of Moments and Ostgut Ton. His debut album was released in 2011 on Uzuri.
I remember going to see Paul Kalkbrenner in the now closed Twisted Pepper many moons ago. Best known for his single ‘Sky and Sand’, which went platinum selling more than 200,000 copies, he returns to Ireland to play the Picnic. He is one of the most successful live electronic music acts to ever come out of Berlin. Also on the bill are electro indie group Hot Chip, fresh from their sixth studio album Why Make Sense? and renowned as one of the most exciting acts on the circuit.
For anyone checking out the Body and Soul area be sure to catch the Mother DJs. Never a dull moment with this crew – they’re among the brightest lights on the Dublin clubbing scene.