Tue, 31 Jan 2012 / Post a commentThe first ever dance music festival to take place in the Caribbean featuring international guest DJs.
Barbados Music Factory
On a cold November afternoon in London I received an email regarding a dance music event in Barbados that was taking place in a car park close to Bridge town, this was one Spam mail that for once actually caught my eye. I got in contact with the event organiser Craig Corrie to find out more about the Music Factory which was going to be Barbados's first ever dance music festival, I booked a flight the following day to go there.
For anyone who has ever been to Barbados or the Caribbean they will know full well that it's famous for its beautiful beaches, crystal clear turquoise sea water, jaw dropping scenery and of course Reggae music, so it makes a perfect holiday destination to visit to unwind relax & chill.
When I heard news that there was going to be a high energy Electronic Dance music festival on the island I was intrigued to see how it would go down. Bajan's are normally used to hearing reggae, dance hall and more urban affiliated booty shaking genres.
Thanks to the emergence of Rihanna's dance floor hit we found love produced by Calvin Harris, the cross over from hip hop to dance music has never been stronger. Dance artists such as David Guetta & Arman Van Helden have all jumped on board and collaborated with mainstream urban stars such as Usher Tiny Tempah Dizzee Rascal and now Rihanna, this has opened the doors to a new audience and listenership. Dance music be it commercial is now being heard and played in popularity on small Caribbean islands.
The days leading up to the big event were very exciting and somewhat nerve racking for the DJs & organisers as no one knew if it was going to be a success or a complete flop. There was a great buzz on the island about the music factory event; people were very hyped about the occasion.
The event that was in partnership with Illusions entertainment events unusual & Ministry of Sound tours featuring their own tour DJ and headliner Patrick Hagenaar, also on the line up were DJs from New York London & local DJs, a total of 20 DJs were performing.
I arrived at the start of the festival and on arrival the first thing that I noticed was the size and scale of the event. It was much bigger then I imagined, the main tent was fitted with a state of the art lighting and sound system, visuals were projected on to a massive screen behind the stage, on the left of the stage was a VIP balcony with attractive promo girls strutting their stuff. Outside there were several bars and food stalls selling Caribbean food and another smaller dance tent again fitted with a deafening sound system.
This was a big production that was professionally organised and could match even beat other global dance events.
The first couple of hours of the event were slow and there were concerns if anyone would actually show up; a heavy downpour did not help the situation.
The DJs who were playing were doing a good job getting the small crowd moving. Within 30 minutes to an hour the main dance tent was packed helped by the rain everyone squeezed in to the tent to keep dry and more importantly dance. By 1am the party was jumping, the festival was almost at full capacity on average 2500 people had showed up with great support from local Bajan's and the influx of tourists mixed with expats. It was a very diverse cosmopolitan crowd, many of the black Bajans were listening to dance music for the very first time and seemed to be enjoying it. A local DJ from Slam FM had the crowd in a frenzy when he dropped Darude Sandstorm, the crowd lit up with hundreds if not thousands of flashing glow sticks in the air, sexy podium dancers who were flown in from New York were on stage, the atmosphere electric, the temperature hot. We were all witnessing history in the making, a momentous heart felt moment, it was a special event to be part of.
The crowd were mixed ages all friendly and polite without the attitude you would expect at many other dance music event's, this was a great advert for Barbados, what makes this island special, people all came together to support and help, the weather did not dampen the spirit, it wasn't about big named DJs or large sponsors, it was about the music and people all together as one like the early house days how Ibiza once was.
This is a new movement in the Caribbean that has just started and looks like it is set to grow. Can Barbados now become a destination to visit once or twice a year for Dance music enthusiasts & high end clubbers?
Flights from the UK do not come cheap but once you arrive I can assure you it will be worth every penny.
