If you chat to anybody that runs a successful business or organisation they will no doubt cite the need to always stay on the move; always look for new methods to improve your service, new ways to re-package your product and clever concepts to further your cause.
Now this may seem a strange analogy when thinking about Earthdance but in fact the people behind the annual Cape Town festival, Good Times Events, epitomise this very ideal as they strive each year to reinvent, reinvigorate and revitalise. Respect!
I settled in for a Skype chat with Regan Tacon from Good Times about this year’s setup…
IDM: Some big changes this year. The main Trance rig (Origin Stage) starts on the Friday I see.
Regan: Yes. For one thing we really want to give the trance core as best an experience as they deserve as this was Earthdance Cape Town’s roots. Last year showed us that the Friday night rocks and it’s time to expand the festival into the full weekend of big rig sounds. It’s also great to get more DJs onto the bigger rig.
IDM: So Friday night’s music will also be psytrance on the Origin floor?
Regan: Yup! The night has been programmed by the Labyrinth team. There are some great acts. We will definitely have a good section of techno into-prog-psy first and then get into the deep tribal stuff. I have no doubt it will be a total blast. Psy trance all the way baby!
IDM: Another observation I have made is that the Music Box Stage has no bands although you spoke of the ‘Solar Stage’ which will include some acoustic vibes too?
Regan: We have mixed things up a quite a bit although pretty much everything that was there before is still there, but now on bigger sound systems and with even more room to shine. We did this to make things fresher again, but the main reason is to make areas more focussed and create an even better festival vibe across the event. The Music Box stage will now feature the brand new Red Bull Sound System. It’s based on the Valve rig from the UK, and it will be loud! The focus on Music Box is urban electronic beats. The Homegrown crew are included in this floor this year too, which I’m really happy about. It will be great to hear them on the bigger rig compared to what we had for them in the past. Basically we have given more time to the cutting edge electronic acts in SA. The new Solar Stage will be a calmer funky stage, between the 2 big rigs. We are now including more chilled acoustic live acts there on Saturday daytime while Saturday evening will be a great little party with acts like Jeremy Loops, Toby2Shoes and James Copeland. The Greenpop dome is back and the charity organisations we work with will now also be in the middle of the event and be interacting with people during the days in this area. So really, we have a whole new hub in the middle of the event. I’m very excited about it. The Solar Stage will run from Friday afternoon right through the weekend. Friday night we will have some amazing movies there too, and Sunday will have reggae, world beat and other groovy sounds. I really think it’s a great addition to the event. Music Box will now have more of a dub and techno feel on Sunday. The techno scene is growing nicely in Cape Town now, so it’s nice to give that sound some space to flex its muscles.
Earthdance 2011 gets LOUD(er)
As has now become the tradition at Earthdance, the psytrance floor will also host a leading international artist and this year will see the first appearance of LOUD, the Israeli duo who have been making some serious waves in recent years… Here’s what Haifa locals, Kobi Toledano and Eitan Reiter had to say ahead of their imminent visit…
IDM: What is the current state of psytrance in Israel right now? As strong as always, more diverse…
Eitan: Psytrance in Israel is very big at the moment. We had the chance to play at some super mainstream events in Israel and I can definitely say that these days the same people who are into rock or pop are also into psytrance.
IDM: What came first? Going to a psy trance party or hearing the music from a friend to have influenced you into wanting to produce the music?
Eitan: For me – definitely music I heard from friends.
Kobi: For me I can’t say I understood the music I heard at a friend’s homes at first but when I got to the first Outdoor Party I suddenly realised what it was all about.
IDM: Right from your first album – Some Kind of Creativity – you received good reviews and people started to take notice.
Eitan: It was a starting point for us. We put a lot of effort into that one yet we had no intentions but to make music exactly the way we like it!
Kobi: The first album was like a beginning of a journey for us, one that is still evolving and taking us to new places with every track we produce.
IDM: Israeli’s seem to have this bond throughout the world so that when you travel there is always close support from your countrymen. Do you agree?
Kobi: Israel is a tiny, tiny country and if two Israelis meet elsewhere there is a connection right away but to be honest we are more than happy to meet the locals and to every country we are invited to play our music, we are happy to see and feel new things, explore new food and drinks and just enjoy new vibes by meeting cool people. [They’re gonna love Saffas, Ed]
IDM: Do you have Israeli friends in South Africa?
Eitan: A few friends… it will be nice to meet them once we arrive.
Kobi: Well, a few but not so many. Facebook helps a lot to chat to people from SA and expose our music in your country as well.
IDM: What’s the best thing about being a psytrance producer?
Eitan: You wake up and make music!
IDM: And the worst?
Kobi: I don’t think there is “A Worst thing” if you are doing something that you Love (in general, not only in music).
IDM: Right now what is your favourite album to listen to? (Non-trance).
Eitan: It changes every week but right now; Radiohead – The King of Limbs and Wu Tang – 36 Chambers.
Kobi: As Eitan says it’s very dynamic but right now; Radiohead – The King of Limbs and Amon Tobin – I Sam.
IDM: And current favourite trance track?
Eitan: This also changes from week to week heh, heh – but the last track that blew me away was the super old tune Union Jack – 2 Full Moons and a Trout
Kobi: Son Kite: Let Us Be… for now.
IDM: Last question; A message to South Africans ahead of your show here…
Eitan: Play it LOUD
Kobi: Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be one helluva a ride!
IDM Life is giving away a set of double tickets to Earthdance 2011. To enter simply hop on over to www.IDMlife.co.za
For More Event Info – Click Here
