REVIEW: Pitch Music & Arts 2020 A Dazzling Experience
The electronic music four day feast found its groove in spectacular fashion…
📸 by Duncographic
With a total of 73 artists across three stages and four days, 10,000 attendees descended upon Moyston for Pitch Music & Art’s fourth year of festivities. It goes without saying Pitch Music & Arts attracts world-class talent, year after year. Last year the likes of DJ Harvey, Mall Grab and Four Tet were among the operators to hold down the party, and this year Pitch backed it up again to strike a seemingly effortless list of DJs… as we all kind of expected. With all that in mind, it’s not hard to have a good time when the festival leaves little room for fault and everyone’s so damn friendly. So, let’s unpack Pitch Music & Arts Festival 2020.
The grass is greener at Pitch Music & Arts…
Let the Games begin
It was finally Friday afternoon, and the first thing we noticed when we arrived was the newly invested green grass that carpeted the whole location. The 2019 event was quite the dust bowl, and this new investment ensured a way more settled and aesthetically-pleasing environment. Nice one.
Myles Mac kicked off the festival in style, bringing a house party to the main stage (Pitch One). It was nothing but good vibes, and it was the perfect set for a festival opening day. Little did we know it was only the beginning of the many wild sessions the stage would deliver us.
It became clear that if you were after a combination of hard, heavy-hitting techno and cosmic disco, Pitch One was the place to be. On Friday night alone Pitch One featured Marcel Dettmann followed by Nina Kraviz who closed out the first night. As expected Dettmann was his usual dependable self, while Kraviz once again managed to split the crowd down the middle with her very interesting, yet at times, esoteric selections.
(Shout out here to the weather which held up a treat for majority of the days, that is until dusk hit and the temperature dropped rapidly. Safe to say it was freezing, but those looking for respite hit the safety-in-numbers of the dance floors. Note to self for Pitch 2021: pack warmer clothes.)
Pitch Black was party central
One of last year’s most talked-about stages was the dystopian-looking Pitch Black stage which broadcasted a live Boiler Room stream. The barebones scaffolding structure featured two levels for frolicking and made for one of the more interesting Boiler Room streams to date. It actually felt like something out of a Mad Max-inspired music video. In fact, it was such a success it featured again at this year’s event, and once again turned out to be one of the event’s most popular stages.
It was so popular for the majority of the festival there was an actual line to enter the stage. No one expects to line up for a stage at a camping festival, but line up punters did. The only time there wasn’t a line to get in was the first thing in the morning or when Pitch One or the Resident Advisor stages were pumping.
Pitch Black stage: Curses preaching to the masses on the opening night
As annoying as it is to line up for a stage at a four-day music festival, it was worth it as the stage featured some class music throughout. From Darklove DJs to Curses, and Telephones to Job Jobse, it was always a party. As anticipated, Telephones played to an absolute full-house delivering pure euphoric moments like when he dropped ‘Always On My Mind’ by the Pet Shop Boys into Steve “Silk” Hurley’s ‘Jack Your Body’.
Even Sunday morning featured a full-blown par-tay when Wax’o Paradiso’s Edd Fisher (metaphorically) tore the stage down with his African drum beat and nu-wave disco-fuelled sunrise set. the set was filled with feel-good gems and obscure Italo-disco like forgotten classic ‘Challenger’ by Baby’s Gang. The only thing to be faulted from the set was the cloud coverage which stopped the sunrise from actually being visible.
The Resident Advisor stage
Best on ground
An absolute highlight has to be DJ Boring, who killed the graveyard shift at the Resident Advisor stage. If you weren't there, well sorry, you really should have been, it was hella fun and DJ Boring's singular vision makes seemingly disparate tracks work a treat. The way he threaded classic and contemporary cuts like Bob Sinclair 'World Hold On' and Pardon Moi 'Power to the People' (Damon Jee remix) just doesn’t make sense on paper, yet live, it makes all the sense.
Bringing some light to the main stage's dark techno, a big musical highlight on Sunday was Whiskey Houston and Midland, both bringing their absolute A-game. Midland pulled the biggest crowd of the festival (at that point), playing happy house and techno to delighted punters. Needless to say, it was a very enjoyable switch-up from some of the darker gear overheard on Friday night. His crowd was so large that strolling into Pitch Black stage had never been easier, with Marcel Dettmann's house set being the first in a while to easily walk into – which was good news for the Dettmann devotees. In fact, it was good news for everyone as the German’s hi-NRG house set was delicious and showcased he is more than just a techno pin-up boy.
(ED: Shout out to Maceo Plex who was worth every minute of the 7-year wait to see him. As soon as he stepped on stage, it felt like the energy rose so much many people were in danger of exploding - and that is saying something as he followed a thumping set from Richie Hawtin. Maceo’s palate cleanser was an epic 15-minute intro that swelled with orchestration and deep melodies showcasing his black belt in production. We knew we were in for something special when we got sucked into that sci-fi soundtrack. And he delivered by going full 2020 main room bustin', techno missile slingin' Maceo ably supported by vintage melodic Maceo; I mean, the one that racked up over 11 million plays for his Berlin Boiler Room. Hell, he even played Chelsea Wolfe ‘The Warden’. And the icing on the cake? He finished us off with the delicious double combo of his own ‘Solar Detroit’ and his remix of Royksopp ‘Sordid Affair'. It was HIGHLY satisfying. Hopefully, we don't have to go through the sordid affair of waiting another seven years to see him in Australia. 🤞🏾)
Pitch Music & Arts 2020 was an absolute feast for the eyes
The Black Madonna opens the close
As with any four-day music festival, it’s always a mind-boggling experience when you pull up to the final day. "Does it feel like I’ve been here for four days or a week?” Who knows. But, when it came to the final day, all I knew for sure was that the line-up was a triple threat. With both Pitch Black and Resident Advisor stages closed, it was set up to be a rowdy one at Pitch One.
The final morning of Pitch 2020 was left in good hands with Late Nite Tuff Guy, hosting his signature discotheque shindig at the main stage. How Cam manages to throw a literal party without fail every time is a wonder because he makes it look so damn easy. After LNTG, Ben UFO warmed the decks before the closing set, throwing it back to 2019 when he dropped an Ariana Grande mix of ‘Into You’. Towards the end, he went a bit adventurous which might have gone over some of the punter’s heads, but all in all, it was vintage Ben UFO. As they say, there are only three things in life that are certain: death, taxes and Ben UFO delivering killer sets.
It was finally time for The Black Madonna to take to the stage, having been billed for the highly anticipated Pitch closing set. Without a doubt, Denis Sulta’s epic 2019 closing set left some epic shoes to fill, and I was eagerly awaiting to see what she would bring. The Black Madonna definitely got the party started, with her set being a balance between heaving techno and disco that demand you dance. Towards the end of her three hours, she winded things right down, confusing some who were hoping to be sent off with a bang. Everyone was definitely left wanting more, so it’s a good thing that many who were heading back to their campsite stopped by at the Push Pull market stall where the crew hosted a short but sweet mini after-party.
There’s always room for activities
Checking out the obscure and leftfield art installations scattered across the campsite is always a fun experience. Whether you decided to spend your time gazing at the gigantic light-projected head near the Resident Advisor stage, hang out on the sundeck-meets-dance floor set-up near the main stage, or kick back on the gigantic net hammock, there was always an activity to keep you busy.
As much as the festival is focused on world-class beats, there is just as much focus on food vendors and holistic practices. You’ll notice that when leaving the Pitch site, and compared to previous years there’s absolutely minimal rubbish left around, courtesy of both punters and volunteers. There was even an initiative implemented called Good Intentions – a service where you’re able to hire out recycled camping gear, also offering repair services to reduce ‘single-use’ campsite waste.
Pitch Music & Arts has absolutely found its legs and I’m absolutely excited to keep running with it in 2021 and beyond.
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