Earthcore
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

All

Earthcore

earthcore.jpg

After last year’s critically lauded 20th anniversary, Earthcore is preparing for a massive 2014 event from Thursday November 27 until Monday December 1. The event will again be held at the new Pyalong location that is only 100-minute drive away from Melbourne.

With a vast array of psytrance, techno and other dance artists, Earthcore’s lineup is literally a who’s-who of what is jamming in underground dance at the moment. From surfing dance blogs and looking at Earthcore’s own Facebook page it appears that German minimal tech artist Boris Brejcha is the act that a lot of punters are getting excited about but as Boursine explains his festival’s ‘headline’ artist is still a relatively unknown quantity in Australia.

“I reckon the most underrated artist on the Earthcore lineup is Boris Brejcha by a mile. He is an absolute machine and Australia is just not onto it yet. You know what I have noticed that the major Australian dance festivals…all the headliners have been to Australia between two and ten times because the Australian market knows who they are. I reckon an act that needs to be brought out two or three times before people will really flock to see them,” states Boursine.

However, with the sheer amount of sharing of Brejcha’s sets and tracks on music forums it appears the passion and want for the German’s deep and compelling techno will see dance music fans flocking to Earthcore to experience a Brejcha set.

While this is comforting for Boursine in 2014 he now reflects on a time that predated the internet when arguably one of the biggest underground dance act in the world still couldn’t sell out a festival.

“I bought Aphex Twin out in 1996 and sent him out into the desert at an event called Technofest. His set was something else, he played with a blender and would chuck the mic in the blender and sample that into his tunes and we were all standing there watching like ‘who the fuck is this guy?’ He was totally out there,” tells Boursine. “He had already released Come To Daddy and was massive overseas but it was still another 12 months until Australian audiences ‘got it’.”

With all this experience, both good and bad, this year’s Earthcore is so much more than just dance music; it’s a cultural and soulful experience as well that enables attendees to access to fully access all perceptions in particular sight and sound.

Boursine sets out what he believes are the core principles of Earthcore: music and art. “Musically it’s mainly psytrance and techno…because I don’t spend a fortune on top tier artists of the international festival circuit…I have more money spent on the event itself. I can focus my energy on the other elements of the festival outside of the music because I usually have the acts booked up to a year in advance. I have a lot of time to be able to focus on the other elements of the event – that’s my secret! It’s out!” Explains an enthusiastic Boursine in a somewhat cheeky manner.

The activities outside of dancing to and absorbing the DJs and producers are wide and ranging from the special guest speakers to the district 13 theme camp zone, a workshop where attendees can design their own themed festival space. “District 13 is basically a themed camp where people can design and implement their own social space at Earthcore – it’s an idea we have borrowed from Burning Man and given our Earthcore touch to.

“Also this year, for the first time, we have a speakers forum called The World Beyond and we have the head of Australian Paranormal Society and he has whole team of speakers that are into leftfield topics ranging from crypto-zoology, UFOs, ancient archeology, other theories upon how civilisation evolved predating the Egyptians – just really great speakers who are into their topics! It’s a great way to spend the daylight hours and really make this an eye-opening experience,” contends Boursine.

It seemed suitable to end the interview with Boursine by discussing the act that closed last year’s Earthcore, the 73-year-old Raja Ram, who will be appearing again at this year’s event. The jazz flute trained psychedelic trance pioneer performs under both Raja Ram and as one half of lauded psytrance act Shpongle.

“He smashed it! He demolished the Hydra floor by playing for hours and keeping everyone dancing like crazy the whole time! He had more vitality than most of the people there my age and most of the people 20 younger than me. It was combination of awe for someone to command such a huge dance floor and also a bit of jealously that someone his age has so much energy.”

BY DENVER MAXX 

Recommended