- Before it even left the dock, the Music On Board Festival was already a success. More than 1,700 tickets for the cruise were sold out in just eight weeks of sales, all the way back in August of last year. In its third edition, MOB has secured its place as one of the most anticipated festivals by young Brazilians into electronic music. National and international DJs agree: Seb Fontaine, Solarstone and Ricky Ryan claimed the 2008 edition was one of the best parties they'd ever played.
Musically speaking, those into underground dance music didn't have much to look forward to. The line-up was commercial, and the crowd didn't seem bothered with any kind of musical concept. Reactions were pretty standard when familiar tunes from Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers and remixes of current radio hits were played out throughout the festival. Most of the DJ sets, to put it bluntly, were pretty cheesy.
But, then again, we knew that was going to happen when we boarded in Santos—the main Brazilian port located on the coast of São Paulo state. Although there were big names of the national and international dance music scene around for this three-day festival, the sun and the sea were the best DJs aboard.
Photo credit: Hermes Sant'Anna Filho
Day 1
At 6 PM Friday, party people started to find their places aboard the ship. DJ Magu, a big name in Brazilian progressive house, welcomed the crowd in the external area. A rain shower interrupted the party, and also delayed the assembly of the main stage, by the pool. That meant it was time to relax and visit the facilities: A casino, three restaurants, duty-free shops, a swimming pool, bars, a gym and a theater. At midnight, the party began.
Sirena Club resident Carlo Dallanese opened the festivities with his live act with singer Fabio Castro. They combine guitar and vocals supported by special effects and light projections. It was a pity that the beautiful track "Monday," one of their hits known by the majority of that crowd, wasn't as powerful in its live version though. With a pretty obvious DJ set, which included tracks like Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," Dallanese was followed by English trancers Above & Beyond, who captured the reveler's attention with a very melodic set. Signalrunners' "Meet Me in Montauk" and some of their main hits were the tracks the crowd enjoyed most. Andy Moor, Edgard Fontes and Oil Filter played a blend of trance, electro house and progressive until midday Saturday, when the ship reached the island of Florianópolis.
Photo credit: Hermes Sant'Anna Filho
Day 2
The party continued on the island at Parador 12 Club. Vans and mini-buses took us from Jurerê International beach to the enormous venue, whose VIP areas resembled bungalows around the dance floor. For those overheating, there was a swimming pool, as well as a private beach, just a few steps away. Henrique Fernandes (resident of Parador 12), Dukka Calliery, Jonathan Ulysses (resident of Space Ibiza) and Ely Yabu (resident of Pacha Florianópolis) provided the soundtrack for an enthusiastic crowd, which was well lubricated throughout the evening. (I spoke to at least one person that paid more than 3,500 dollars in drinks.) When Dukka Calliery played "Show Me Love" vs. "Be," it definitely seemed like we were listening to a random dance music FM station. And that was the general feeling of the party.
At sunset, it was time to return to the boat. And after such a lively party, it was hard for the people to find the energy to face the long line-up for the second night. Brazilian live act Crossover, formed by DJ and producer Julio Torres and violinist and arranger Amon Lima kicked off the festivities on the boat. They played, among other things Michael Jackson's "Thriller," but that was only one of the cringeworthy moments of their act. Despite this, though, the mix of electronic music and violin provided a relaxed warm-up for British headliner Desyn Masiello going back-to-back with Rowan Blades. The duo increased the BPMs until it was pumping house music—a style that seems to be coming back in full force in 2009.
Photo credit: Hermes Sant'Anna Filho
Day 3
Felix Da Housecat was an unfortunate no-show for the festival, so the sun rose on the third day to the sound of Jonathan Ulysses, who was followed by Rio de Janeiro's housemaster Leo Janeiro. The party then moved to the DJ booth, seemingly, as Sao Paulo's DJ Mr. Gil invited his friends for a jam session—more than five DJs alternated, playing house and techno together. It was nice to see them having fun at the booth, as much as people on the dance floor. And, musically speaking, it was the best moment of the trip for underground lovers.
Girls in their bikinis and colorful Havaianas danced by the pool as the day passed by peacefully, but the sunset didn't take long to arrive, and it was already time for another party. Dukka Calliery, Timo Garcia and Ricky Ryan began the soundtrack of the farewell night. It was the trio from Rio de Janeiro that stole the show, though. Formed by VJ Vagalume and DJs Leo Janeiro and Marcelinho CIC, Ask2Quit played a very fun and eclectic live set. Despite leaning more to the pop side, they were, by far, more creative than most. Combining music, video and a lot of interaction with the crowd, they made the experience much more interesting. It's been less than a year since they first got together, but they already seem to have a very extensive fan club. (I saw some partygoers wearing a shirt which read "I Love Ask2Quit.")
Photo credit: Hermes Sant'Anna Filho
While the 2009 edition of MOB was good in its way, 2010 should be even better. This year's party was the last scheduled to take place aboard the Island Escape ship. Next year, the cruise will take place on the Vision of the Seas—a much larger ship with bigger cabins, more facilities and space for 40% more guests. Since the new ship is larger, it might even make sense to consider a second dancefloor, with DJs and sets focused on more underground and experimental music. That's our suggestion at least.
Thanks: VJs Vagalume and Tchelo Tavares, MOB Productions