If you’ve looked at the lineup for this year’s Splednour in The Grass, you may be a bit overwhelmed at the sheer amount of great acts the festival has to offer. We have sifted through the lineup to bring you our 15 must see acts, from heavyweights Outkast and London Grammar through to newcomers like Sable and Wordlife. Below is five acts for Friday, Saturday and Sunday that we suggest checking out!
Friday
Outkast
For the very first time, Outkast are heading to Australia exclusively for Spelndour 2014!
With so many monster hits and 25 million albums sold globally, two albums enshrined in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list and celebrating 20 years of making music, Outkast are one of the most successful hip-hop groups of all time.
Headlining 40 festivals around the globe this year including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bestival and Fuji Rock; Outkast are one act that will deliver a one of a king nostalgic set.
London Grammar
There is no doubt Australia’s love affair with London Grammar is fast growing, as their maiden Australian voyage included selling out three headline shows in just a few hours and spellbinding audiences at The Falls & Southbound Festivals.
The young act also landed three (yes three!) coveted spots in triple j’s 2013 Hottest 100, with Hey Now, Wasting My Young Years and a Top 10 placing for Strong.
London Grammar have also been widely appreciated in the current EDM industry with remixes from Arty and High Contrast to Andy C and even Sasha.
Peking Duk
Known for Blending electro house with a slower groovy edge is Canberra residents Peking Duk.
The release of The Way You Are brewed a Triple J request storm whilst holding ground at #1 for six weeks on the ARIA Club Charts. Known for their slower powerful electro house tracks, Peking Duk have also worked with Laidback Luke on their monsterous hit ‘Mufasa’.
With remixes from TAI, DCUP and more, Peking Duk remain unique and fresh and still manage to heat it up. Their current single ‘High’ is getting smashed at triple j and at #5 on the ARIA Charts, hands are high with demand for the duo who are sure to kill it at North Byron Parklands!
Wordlife
Describing their sound as “electronic with no limits” Sydney duo Wordlife will expand your mind while moving your feet. The unique duo comfortably fuse R&B and rap vocals with synthtastic futuristic house and techno. Wordlife have the world taking notice with their releases and remixes supported by the likes of Shadow Child, Cassius, Goldffinch, Sinden, Brodinski, A-Trak, Crookers, Surkin, Eric Morillo, Nina Las Vegas, The Aston Shuffle, Anna Lunoe, and Yolanda Be Cool plus plays on BBC Radio 1 and triple j.
Kilter
There is no doubt Kilter’s infectious and atmospheric sound has been driving people to the dance floor, but it is his live show that sets the electronic whiz kid apart from other producers.
The last 12 months has seen Kilter perform to over 18 thousand Australians playing alongside The Kite String Tangle, Snakadaktal, Basenji, Nicole Millar and more.
Clocking in over 2 million plays on SoundCloud, and two unbelievable remixes for London Grammar and Ben Pearce (spun by BBC Radio 1’s B.Traits) he is certainly heading for super stardom.
Saturday
Art vs Science
Known as one of Australia’s most entertaining and popular live acts, Art vs Science’s accolades are many; platinum and gold EP’s, a #2 and #9 in Triple J’s Hottest 100, a J Award nomindation and an ARIA award for their debut album The Experiment.
Their irresistable energy, touring and undeniable sense of fun has won over countless fans from around the country and beyond including crowds at Bonnaroo and Governer’s Ball fesitvals.
They have just released a catchy new EP Create/Destroy that’s getting a bunch of love on the radio. Be sure to check out their awesome new live show and party with Art vs Science.
Hot Dub Time Machine
If you are wanting to experience a set full of fun and nostalgia Hot Dub Time Machine is a must. On the back of sell-out European tours and momentous feature performances at Falls and Sydney/Adelaide/Perth and Hobart Festivals, the World’s First Time Travelling Dance Party has recently taken his headline show on the road selling out concert venues around the country.
Hot Dub Time Machine is a full audio-visual journey through music history, starting in the 50’s and blasting all the way through to 2014. With Two-story tall screens, confetti cannons, balloon drops and shoulder fights are just a taste of what to expect as what it arguably the Best Party Ever comes to Splendour!
Wave Racer
Tom Purcell’s blend of future-funk is fast taking the world by storm. The twenty-one year old producer is among the most played artist on Triple J in 2013, appearing on BBC Radio 1 and topping the indicative Hype Machine charts at #2!
After sets at the infamous Miami Music Week, a string of dates on the Mad Decent Block Party and a slew slew of forthcoming remixes set to blow you out of the water we strongly advise you see this one of a king act in the flesh.
Motez
Motez’s beats have been spun by some of the most respected DJs in radio, including Diplo, Annie Mac and DJ Monki for BBC Radio1 and then there was that Stanton Warriors remix that hit #5 on the ARIA club charts. No biggie.
Kid Kenobi reckons he’s a genius, Larry Tee says you should keep an eye on him, and Mitzi and Elizabeth Rose are already signing on to have their work undergo the famous Motez surgery. Open your ears and your heart to Motez. This many top billing DJs can’t be wrong.
Touch Sensitive
Multi-instrumentalist, self confessed synth-freak and style icon, Michael Di Francesco is Touch Sensitive. His 2012 track ‘Real Talk’, in collaboration with Anna Lunoe, saw Touch Sensitive spend five months at the top of the Beatport indie-dance charts with what was universally recognised as one of the underground hits of the year.
2013 saw the worldwide explosion of synth-house EP Show Me The Pizza Guy – with the title track racking up close to 1 million Soundcloud spins and 500K+ views of its star-studded video clip. Di Francesco then took his impressive solo live performance across the pond, most notably alongside Future Classic label-mate and Aussie boy-wonder Flume for a string of dates alongside Holy Ghost / Aeroplane / Perseus.
Sunday
Darkside
Guitarist Dave Harrington and legendary electronic producer Nicolas Jaar, together are DARKSIDE. While both musicians come from vastly different backgrounds, after years of touring together they have found common ground. Dave and Nico use each other as mediums, working on primal instinct and summoning a hybrid of electronic music and psychedelic rock with the kind of artistic depth and breadth for which the term “progressive” was coined.
In late 2013, DARKSIDE unveiled their debut full length, Psychic, to the world through Modular, and in early 2014 played sold out shows in Sydney and Melbourne to celebrate. After blowing minds at Coachella 2014, the duo are ready to return to Aussie shores to play exclusively for Splendour.
Danny Brown
In an era of industry-obsessed MCs, interchangeable hashtag raps, and “viral” everything, it has become increasingly difficult to find a true original in the rap game. Yet ask anyone who’s been paying attention and they’ll tell you: Danny Brown is that dude.
From Spin naming XXX Rap Album Of The Year, to Danny covering the Metro Times and Real Detroit in the same week as their Artist Of The Year; Danny has backed up with his third studio album, OLD, and appeared on tracks by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Ab-Soul, A-Trak & Purity Ring.
He stole the show at Laneway 2014 and certainly one to look out for Splendour in the Grass – his only Australian show!
Phantogram
The New York duo behind the entrancing hit Fall In Love from their critically acclaimed album Voices will bring their elegant electronic pop to Byron.
With live performances as captivating as their film clips, PHANTOGRAM recently sold out a bunch of shows on their US tour, supported M83 at the Hollywood Bowl, performed at SXSW and on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Next on the itinerary is Fuji Rock and of course, Splendour in the Grass! You’ll instantly fall for it.
Golden Features
It was February 2014 when Golden Features arrived into the thriving music world of Australia when Triple J host Lewi Mckirdy dropped the four track EP on his Friday lunchtime show. Swiftly after the first play, fans anticipation for the Australian artist went in to a frenzied excitement for an EP that was brimming with originality and teeming with brooding touches to create this now inimitable wall of sound.
Impressing crowds across the country, Golden Features has a solid future in electronic dance music and with his unique sound he is sure to capture new fans along his journey. This is one act you don’t want to miss.
Sable
Sable only crawled out of his underground studio a few short months ago, but has already torn up the triple j Unearthed charts and blown minds & eardrums at Listen Out Perth and Circo Festival.
With a handful of official releases to his name and plenty more to come, this little forest creature is poised to take his fizzying synth work and live vocals to dance-floors all over the country, to move your feet and usher in the newest sounds!