Five 2019 Sets We Can't Forget
we recount our Top festival DJ sets from 2019…
With Melbourne’s dance music culture continuing to develop, we really are blessed with some high-quality events. Whether it is a bush doof or an inner-city party showcasing touring international acts or homegrown talent, our events deliver world-class experiences on the regular.
There is a unique sense of freedom surrounding DJs playing at festivals, resulting in a special chemistry shared with a crowd that is completely and utterly encapsulated in that moment. We’ve done our best to compile, and remember (lol), a list of five of the most memorable sets from 2019. The criteria are simple: the set should have made you want to turn to your mate in euphoria, put your arm around them and tell them you love them before falling over and vomiting all over the dancefloor because you haven’t eaten for three days – which is exactly what music festivals are all about.
Denis Sulta @ Pitch Music and Arts
Hector Barbour (aka Denis Sulta) may have been put on earth to close music festivals. A riotous, unpredictable style was everything the Pitch crowd craved in the final hours of the stacked, 2019 four-day experience - and that’s precisely what they got. The Mixmag best of 2019 nominee combined a countless array of upbeat classics with contagious on-stage charisma, wrapping up the festival in electric fashion. It’s hard to single out key moments, but after dropping Walking On A Dream by Empire Of The Sun and smoking a dart on top of the speaker, it’s safe to say all 9000 plus barefoot dancers were sitting snug in the palm of his energetic hand.
📸 @bunkercollectiveuk
Peach b2b Moxie b2b Shanti Celeste b2b Saorise @ Strawberry Fields
If you told me you haven't seen the viral videos of the awesome foursome rinsing 'Smalltown Boy' on the Beach Stage, I would probably assume you live under a rock. It's hard to argue that hundreds of doofers singing this eternal banger in the sun wasn't the moment of the festival (even though I will soon play the devil's advocate – keep reading). However, this eight-hour marathon can't be remembered for merely one song. The four friends rode through waves of soulful house, garage and electro breaks, keeping the vibes fun and everyone on their toes – like when they dropped a tasty Nicki Minaj edit.
📸 Instagram/david.boyd.smiley
Tornado Wallace @ Hopkins Creek
2019 was another massive year for one of our homegrown stars. In late November, Tornado Wallace confirmed his position as one of our best when he graced the Hopkins Creek crater with his ever-growing record collection. Under the beaming sun, he opened with 90 minutes of groovy house goodness which was just what the doctor ordered. The now Berlin resident seamlessly transitioned into an hour of faster, deeper electro and trance to welcome in the night sky. He worked his way through anthems like 'Rez' by Underworld (released way back in '93), showcasing his ability to dig through dance music's colourful archives. Newer classics like 'Domino' by Oxia had equally as many elbows rising in rapture. The final chapter of the three-hour journey was filled with nourishing, uplifting sing-along cuts including this house edit of the Whitney Houston classic 'I'm Every Woman'. For a festival that is truly on the rise, you couldn't have asked for a more appropriate closing set. (Honourable mention should be given to his Inner Varnika set which was reportedly just as epic).
Eris Drew b2b Octo Octa @ Sugar Mountain
Being crowned Mixmag’s number one DJ act for 2019 is the perfect indication of the kind of year Eris Drew and Maya Bouldry-Morrison (aka Octo Octa) had. In general, their blissful concoction of rave, groove and unrivalled chemistry was a massive 2019 talking point. At Sugar Mountain those qualities were on full display on this, to quote Mixmag, “particularly charged Boiler Room in Melbourne”. Watching them energetically trade places to spin vinyl, fusing with the mixer as if it was an extension of their body, was an absolute delight. The pair of lovers clearly enjoyed themselves, almost as much as the thousands of humming Melbournians. Moving passionately through vocal house and percussion-heavy breaks, this is one highly entertaining watch.
Gerd Janson @ Strawberry Fields
Gerd Janson might be a quiet, unassuming gentleman… but his DJ sets certainly aren't. In January 2018 he stole Melbourne's heart with this ageless hour of musical gold, backing it up magnificently later that year with an Etihad Carpark masterclass for the B3 crew. So you can imagine the air of expectation when Strawberry Fields announced that the man commonly referred to as 'a DJ's DJ' would be on closing duties.
Well, he surpassed all expectations. The usual package of synthesised Running Back jams came in volume, as well as an abundance of soul and Italo classics by acts like Dlugosch and Dimitri From Paris. Occasional switches to old school rave anthems like Outlander's 'Vamp' were timely, and when heavy rainfall started to pour down in the final 40 minutes, it genuinely felt like we were all in disco heaven. As the final break down of this raveyard mix of Gypsy Woman dropped, every single doofer was jumping and rejoicing with their mates – a truly magical moment (and my nomination for the moment of the festival).
Wax ‘O Dystopia @ Pitch Music and Arts
DJ Koze @ Meredith
Bradley Zero @ Sugar Mountain
Merve @ Strawberry Fields
Tornado Wallace @ Innervanika
Motor City Drum Ensemble @ Let Them Eat Cake