Sunday, March 1, 2015
Joondalup Arena
Kiesza was the sole brave representative of RnB at Future. Her powerful soprano was underused in Losin’ My Mind, and an early “Uhuh” callback was lost in the lacklustre early crowd. Supported by live percussion and two dancers, she was at her strongest in a triumphant rendition of Vietnam.
Boston Switch, following Lukas Wimmler at the Future Live stage, could be the archetypal Aussie DJ. He filtered Y’all Ready For This, Jump Around and Boom Boom Boom through Melbourne bounce.
Meanwhile, quick-fingered sampler god Throttle opened the enormous Supernova stage with a suitably cheery set. Throttle slowly introduced big room recuts of artists like Earth, Wind And Fire, Ed Sheeran, and Fatboy Slim, before merging them into thick on-the-spot megamixes. Klingande, EDM’s answer to smooth jazz, delivered an impressively slick but safely palatable set. The French DJ cycled through a set featuring his own hits (including chart stormer Jubel) and Gamper & Dadoni’s soft-pop remix of La La La.
Amsterdam bass crew Yellow Claw drew an enormous, seething crowd under the Future Dome. Altogether, a high-octane, low-standards string of megahits like DJ Turn It Up and Slow Down, a new Skrillex collaboration (predictably, named Amsterdam), and their Flosstradamus/Green Velvet rework Pillz. Filthy moombahton and trap was interspersed with their more sentimental big room tunes.
Darude is far more youthful than you’d expect from someone celebrated for being a musical dinosaur. In what could’ve turned out to be a one-joke DJ set, Darude made excellent use of an excellent sound system. Contemporary progressive trance rubbed shoulders with ‘90s throwbacks, all tied together with strategic Sandstorm synths. He was followed by dog-collared house DJ Tchami, playing a surprisingly bass-heavy Future Dome-appropriate set.
Green Velvet took things up a level over on the Cocoon stage, which was decked out with lush, green foliage, it was a nice respite for lovers of more underground techno and house. Curtis Jones, as he’s known to his mum, entertained in his inimitable style, serving up dark, clubby beats that hit you in the chest, getting on the mic to perform his spoken vocals of his own tracks.
Hilltop Hoods were a late but welcome addition to the lineup. Playing with a three piece horn section and live drummer, Suffa and Pressure worked the crowd, while DJ Debris repped it from the back.
One of their older, but still best tracks Nosebleed Section was warmly received by the crowd, before launching into the harder sounds and rapid fire rapping of Rattling The Keys To The Kingdom, mixing it up with the more sentimental sounds of big ballad off the new album I’m A Ghost before of course finishing with their big hit, Cosby Sweater.
UK Dubstep heroes NERO played a huge set as the sun set, really raising the levels in the tent with their big, heavy bass sound. The duo of producers stood atop their podium that was transformed with a dazzling visual show. Vocalist Alana Watson brightened the mood with her sweet, powerful voice on the old school rave vibe of Crush On You, whose big breakbeat saw dance floor erupt in a flurry of limbs.
On the Cocoon stage, the label’s owner and billed headliner, German techno legend Sven Väth started around 6.30 in the absence of Detroit DJ and all round character Seth Troxler. Väth embraced the opportunity and the veteran slowly built up the vibe to a heavy, rolling tech-house flow, and it was just what the crowd wanted.
Die Antwoord proved to be practically a religious experience for the writhing, frothing crowd struggling for standing space in the Future Dome. Yolandi and Ninja worked through an unyieldingly physical and perfectly spat rap-rave set, complete with several costume changes (in Ninja’s case, from neon stoner pants to his famous Pink Floyd boardies). They performed and stage-dived their way through a string of Donker Mag tracks, early hits and plenty of typically uncomfortable Die Antwoord moments.
Väth finished off his brilliant set with a huge tune as he handed over to Seth Troxler who had finally made it and was pumped to play – finishing off the night on the Cocoon stage for the techno faithful.
Headlining the FutureDome stage were UK legends The Prodigy. Opening with a live premiere of their huge new track Rebel Radio, the band, as always, were on top form. Breathe raised the roof as an explosion of blue lasers shot across the top of the tent. Omen was great live. They have such a wealth of tunes to choose from, they focussed on new material but included a generous selection of old classics.
Swedish wunderkid Avicii wrapped up the night on the amazing Supernova stage. It was truly some next level shit. A total sensory overload – banging, heavy beats, lasers, flames, even fireworks and confetti – Avicii ended the day in truly epic style.
The final meme for the night was Drake’s super-sensitive love-in of a hip hop set. The set was high-energy, generous, and satisfyingly filled with Drakeisms. “I’m not asking to change your life,” he said early on, “I just wanna be a part of it. Is that alright?”. His endless professions of love for his squad – HYFR, No New Friends, Know Yourself, closer Started From The Bottom – were complimented by surprise appearances from TOPSZN, P Reign, and fellow headliner 2 Chainz. Perth got a lot of love; he tied his March 3 appearance back to ILOVEMAKKONEN’s Tuesday. An extended vocalise on Successful was pure Drake melodrama. Even his Future appearance turned into a fatalist saga – he’d been waiting six years to get here. His Perth flight was hit by lightning. He’s so grateful. He’s blessed.
ALFRED GORMAN AND ZOE KILBOURN
