Vivid Music 2015

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  • Blame the balmy climate, the allure of its glittering waterfronts, or the city's notoriously backwards approach to late-night licensing laws, but Sydney—with notable exceptions—has never really excelled at supporting its own nightclub community. Compared to its less superficially sexy rival, Melbourne, where some of the country's most consistent nights out are to be found behind unmarked doors and down piss-smelling alleyways, indoor culture doesn't really thrive in Sydney, simply because it doesn't have to. Music festivals, however, have always played to Sydney's strengths. They promote cheerful, outdoorsy, outgoing fun, while allowing the city to show off its very favourite thing (itself). There is hardly a better example of this than Vivid. The annual winter extravaganza offers much more than club-based fare: the clutch of electronic music acts that feature throughout the festival's near three-week programme are bundled into a wider Vivid Music programme, which is in turn just one strand beside a series of talks, panels and multimedia installations across the greater Sydney area. There are also free, outdoor interactive sound sculptures, large-scale projections and light shows. The potential to literally be outshone by the city's illuminated landmarks is great, but Vivid Music has become an essential part of the annual music calendar. Curated by Stephen Ferris, there is a through-line of coherence and seasoned maturity with the acts chosen. As a longtime DJ, Ferris has weathered the various music trends that have steered Sydney's nightclub punters. An undertaking of this scale could only be realised with the cooperation of local experts, so promoters like Astral People, House Of Mince and Mad Racket, and venues such as Spice Cellar, Goodgod Small Club and Oxford Art Factory secured bankable internationals like Kyle Hall, Matthew Herbert and Trevor Jackson. These acts shared the bill with a healthy dose of homegrown talent, like local-hero labels Future Classic and Elefant Traks, both of which are currently riding high on a wave of international success. There were plenty of highlights. Setting Squarepusher inside one of the lush, wood-panelled theatres of the Opera House was a good move. While Damogen Furies tracks were lovingly brought down a notch from the sugary EDM of the album itself, it was his '90s-era jazz/hardcore compositions that really came to life. The only real gripe here was the seating arrangements—hearing maniac drum & bass on a soundsystem like this makes you want to snap yourself in half, not sit and clap politely. At the other end of the spectrum, there was welcome dance floor looseness and a joyous reception for Champain Lyf at Goodgod. UK garage and 2-step is the crew's bread and butter, and this particular "private coaching session" plotted, literally and chronologically, the points between US garage and UK bass music. Opening DJ LUPR provided a particularly enjoyable transatlantic journey from New York house to early '90s speed garage. The location of Future Classic's tenth anniversary sessions served as a striking testament to its success in taking DIY underground to mainstream acceptance. Essentially functioning as its own mini-festival over two days, FCX was nestled beneath the Opera House's northernmost sail and backgrounded by a glowing Harbour Bridge. It peaked with Flume's feel-good neon melodies, all gobbled up by an eager crowd who cheered with recognition at each track. Around the corner, inside the Studio, House Of Mince toured the cutting edge of the queer underground. Choreographed performance art dance replete with sequins and horse head masks, a charmingly dishevelled live performance by Zanzibar Chanel, wig-flipping, death drops and tough house classics drew links to the ballrooms of New York, with a unique local flavour. And then there was Grace. Any concern that 67-year-old Ms Jones may have run out of steam by her third consecutive night at the Carriageworks hall was instantly dismissed. Dressed in no more than a half corset, body paint and a series of increasingly outlandish headdresses, Grace Jones bewitched, confided in, scandalised, antagonized, and more or less exercised complete control over the audience, from the first bar of "My Jamaican Guy," to her final hula-hooping exit on "Slave To The Rhythm." Vivid's broadest appeal lies in some of the simplest, most effective means of inspiring awe—light, colour and reflection—on the grandest scale. There is no better city than Sydney to host such a visual spectacular, and for fans of thoughtful programming and a variety of live experiences, Vivid Music is worth making effort to scratch through that glossy surface. Photo credits: Daniel Boud (Sydney Opera House), Zan Wimberley (Grace Jones), Prudence Upton (Elefant Trak)
RA