- Dance music events have traditionally been spaces of inclusivity and acceptance, but rarely has that extended to children and families. Piknic Électronik has been attempting to redress this for the past 13 years. Originating in Montreal, the international party series has recently expanded at a clip, with franchises popping up first in Barcelona and later spreading to Melbourne, Santiago and Dubai. Bringing together a mix of families, older ravers and millennials, these daytime sessions have a breezy, laid-back vibe that's easy to get down with.
For its third season in Melbourne, Piknic traded Federation Square's bland Paddock for the rolling slopes of Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The closing party, which took place on March 19th, featured arguably the most ambitious lineup of the series, with headliner François "K" Kevorkian joined by Space Dimension Controller and The Hacker. Kevorkian, one of New York's original disco and house DJs, appealed to the older demographic Piknic embraces.
Set times were frustratingly difficult to come by; when I couldn't find any posters, I asked some members of staff, who were none the wiser. The Hacker wasn't difficult to identify, though, pounding out fast techno and electro on the main stage. The sun was beating down by this point, but no one seemed to care. Sidney Myer's sloping lawn, a space not built for comfortable dancing, was covered by a mass of umbrellas, sombreros and Peppa Pig bucket hats.
Thankfully, the second stage was level and carpeted with sand. Space Dimension Controller performed a hypnotic live set here, triggering cosmic riffs and squelching synth lines with a Maschine. His romantic house suited the outdoors vibe. Melbourne veteran Dave Pham followed, his closing set overlapping with Kevorkian's headline slot on the main stage. As soon as Pham put down his headphones, a mass of people trotted off to find their spot on the hill.
They found the Deep Space founder looking composed and in the mood for mixing it up. His selections ranged from the big room techno of Gary Beck's "Feel It" to Dimitri From Paris's edit of Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover." This way, there was something for everyone, from the 46-year-old married teacher who's been following Kevorkian for as long as I've been alive, to the hundreds of teenagers strewn across the site. I'm not sure I've ever been to a party with such a wide age gap. It made for a great atmosphere.
Photo credit /
Jess Middleton