- There's a pocket of rural Victoria, cradled by the Grampian Mountains, where fields of wheat merge into large expanses of yellow grass and blue gum trees dot the landscape. This striking scenery formed the backdrop for the first edition of Pitch Music & Arts Festival, a new three-day event from two heavyweight promoters, Novel and Beyond The Valley. It represented a departure from the traditional Australian festival model: less bush doof, more European weekender. What really set Pitch apart in that respect was the lineup, a house and techno extravaganza the likes of which Australia had never seen. "Pitch is a musical and artistic collaboration built on an aesthetic inspired by a number of large-scale music events in Europe," one of the directors told me. When pressed, he cited Germany's Melt! as a key influence.
The first two nights featured stellar performances from Donato Dozzy, first as one half of Voices From The Lake and then solo. On Friday, Dozzy and Neel dished out atmospheric techno from a mess of hardware, their acid-tinged beats anchored by the unmistakable sound of the TR-909. The following day, Dozzy stepped up to the Electrum stage alone, backed by a plummeting orange sun. His deft mixing and minimalist approach, where each element in the mix is given space to breathe, sent the crowd wild. Of all the acts, only Paula Temple received as strong a reaction.
In addition to the music, there was an engaging art programme. There were fake casinos, real-life roller discos and interactive installations that had previously been housed in London's Tate Modern. Creative director Matt Bonner retrofitted a Ford Falcon into a mobile "rave police" unit. One of my favourite pieces featured a pair of binoculars set on a raised platform that pointed out to the nearby mountains. But when you looked through, all you could see was photographic film of melting polar ice caps.
Andrés, one of several Detroit artists booked, failed to impress during his early set on Saturday, though, in his defence, he was given a difficult slot. The crowd looked on nonplussed as he mixed tracks like his own "Genos Pimp Suite" and "New For U" with classy disco burners and A Guy Called Gerald's timeless "Voodoo Ray." His hard cuts and scratch-heavy style didn't go down well. Later, Omar-S was guilty of a few sloppy mixes during what felt like a lacklustre performance. It wasn't until Octave One that things improved, the brothers delivering their brand of fun, dynamic techno in style.
Henrik Schwarz, who played live on the imposing main stage on Sunday, also impressed. His set had a great energy, crafted via flashy build ups and infectious vocal samples. The first half was particularly memorable, thanks to airings of Raul Midón's "Sunshine" and his remix of Emmanuel Jal's "Kuar." Almost 12 hours later, Ben Klock closed the same stage in fine form. The concrete structure, which jutted out from a clearing of trees, suited the German's frisky techno to a T. Every aspect of his precision mixing was brought to life by the Funktion-One's 32-inch Vero subs (which, I found out, were being used for the first time in the southern hemisphere). Klock, as if in acknowledgment of the system's brute power, rarely withdrew the kicks. As the festival approached its finish, the stage's iridescent lights carved up the night sky.
Pitch placed a lot of emphasis on aesthetics, but I was relieved to find the music just as carefully considered. Although some of the big names weren't at their best, the programming felt fluid and rarely jarring. The sound was mostly top-notch, the atmosphere was feel-good, and the setting was nothing short of stunning. Hats off to Novel and Beyond The Valley for approaching the project from a fresh angle. By and large, they did a great job.
Photo credit /
Duncographic
In addition to the music, there was an engaging art programme. There were fake casinos, real-life roller discos and interactive installations that had previously been housed in London's Tate Modern. Creative director Matt Bonner retrofitted a Ford Falcon into a mobile "rave police" unit. One of my favourite pieces featured a pair of binoculars set on a raised platform that pointed out to the nearby mountains. But when you looked through, all you could see was photographic film of melting polar ice caps. Andrés, one of several Detroit artists booked, failed to impress during his early set on Saturday, though, in his defence, he was given a difficult slot. The crowd looked on nonplussed as he mixed tracks like his own "Genos Pimp Suite" and "New For U" with classy disco burners and A Guy Called Gerald's timeless "Voodoo Ray." His hard cuts and scratch-heavy style didn't go down well. Later, Omar-S was guilty of a few sloppy mixes during what felt like a lacklustre performance. It wasn't until Octave One that things improved, the brothers delivering their brand of fun, dynamic techno in style.
Henrik Schwarz, who played live on the imposing main stage on Sunday, also impressed. His set had a great energy, crafted via flashy build ups and infectious vocal samples. The first half was particularly memorable, thanks to airings of Raul Midón's "Sunshine" and his remix of Emmanuel Jal's "Kuar." Almost 12 hours later, Ben Klock closed the same stage in fine form. The concrete structure, which jutted out from a clearing of trees, suited the German's frisky techno to a T. Every aspect of his precision mixing was brought to life by the Funktion-One's 32-inch Vero subs (which, I found out, were being used for the first time in the southern hemisphere). Klock, as if in acknowledgment of the system's brute power, rarely withdrew the kicks. As the festival approached its finish, the stage's iridescent lights carved up the night sky. Pitch placed a lot of emphasis on aesthetics, but I was relieved to find the music just as carefully considered. Although some of the big names weren't at their best, the programming felt fluid and rarely jarring. The sound was mostly top-notch, the atmosphere was feel-good, and the setting was nothing short of stunning. Hats off to Novel and Beyond The Valley for approaching the project from a fresh angle. By and large, they did a great job. Photo credit / Duncographic