- Set among the pastoral, rolling hills of Riverwood Downs in New South Wales, Subsonic is a festival at one with its beautiful surroundings. To enter the site, you travelled along a dusty road lined with fabric and textile vendors. Its campsites lay within a lush valley alongside the Karuah River, while much of its production and stage design was reflective of sustainable creative practices. The site had a freeform, expressive aesthetic—whether it was people dressed in cowboy collage, trellises stacked with trinkets or the iridescent, psychedelic splash of colour on hemp.
One of the reasons Subsonic is considered one of the best festivals in Australia is for the impressive array of local and international artists it books. Friday evening's opening bill featured some of Sydney's most respected local talent, among them Simon Caldwell, who continued his tradition of warming up the lively River Stage. He played with hypnotic efficiency, moving seamlessly from house to techno via everything in between.
Music wandered its way downriver one way or another. On Saturday afternoon, Eddie Hazel's timeless guitar licks (as heard on Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain") rang out from a communal floatie barge. Further upstream at the popular swimming hole, Kerry Wallace played downtempo house while people swam under the shade of a weeping willow. A short drift away was the weird and wonderful El Stompo, a psytrance stage that's arguably the festival's spiritual home. Like the river that runs through it, Subsonic ebbed and flowed with a consistently positive energy.
In contrast to Saturday night's sinister showcase of dark dub, jungle and drum & bass at River Stage, Move D played a top-shelf set of uptempo house at the Paradiso marquee. A late addition to the lineup after Goldie cancelled, he soon found his feet with the one-two punch of his own "I Gave My Love" into "Reach For Me" by Funky Green Dog's From Outer Space, sending the crowd into a tizz. After all, there's nothing like a joyous piano riff to help shake off the blistering heat.
Events of this size—roughly 5000 people—are susceptible to problems, particularly given Subsonic's substantial growth since its inception in 2008. For example, the main stage felt slightly plain and disconnected from the festival's greater vibe and character. Dub heavyweights Lee Scratch Perry and Mad Professor locked horns here on Friday night, but their set lacked the immersive energy I'd hoped for.
That said, the music on Sunday was excellent, providing the festival with a fitting climax. Sydney-based DJ Mike Who played 90 minutes of rare disco, house and funk at Paradiso. Dial's Lawrence, who I'd previously only known for the ethereal melodies of his ambient techno, delivered an absolutely stomping set of funky, driving tech house to close out River Stage. Perched upon the small, scattered rapids slightly upriver, with the warm sun fading fast, the feeling was one of total bliss.
Growing from 500-odd attendees to 5000 in the space of eight years, Subsonic has done a neat job of gradually blurring the lines between mainstream and doof music culture. Despite its expansion, the atmosphere has remained loose and feel-good, with easy-going security. It's come a long way since its humble beginnings, cultivating a space within which spiritual practice and performance integrate harmoniously with creative artistic direction, a respectful crowd and a motley range of excellent electronic music.