Phat 09 Review
Jared - a C4 viewer journeyed on down to Phat 09 in Inangahua. Check out his thoughts on the festival.
Andy C, Diesel Boy, The Breakfastaz, Noisia, Concord Dawn, State of Mind, The Upbeats, Skream and Benga. Reads like a list of who's who in the world of Drum & Bass dubstep and breaks. So how could I say no to getting lost in the North West of the South Island for 3 days of Drum and Bass?
Local acts Katchafire, Minuit, Tiki, Salmonella Dub, Dubstep Alliance and Antiform teamed up with some of NZ's finest DJ's - Paddy Free, Page 3, Emma G, Timmy Schumacher, Charlie B & Billy Fluid, to keep the tunes pumping for a massive 69 hours straight.
Phat 09 was a celebration. A celebration of heavy bass, the New Year, Speight's and... Mud. Music may have been the reason we were there, but it was the mud that brought us together. Torrential rain from 8am - 8pm on the 31st failed to put a damper on spirits as the Katchafire call got everyone from the bar with an infectious blend of dub and reggae - everyone wallowing ankle deep in mud with a smile.
Anyway - back to the 30th. Right from the start, Phat 09 ran as though they'd done it all before. Which they have - since 2005, Phat Club (Nelson) has hosted what has grown to be one of the premiere international destinations to celebrate the New Year. It's not just the crowd that have fallen in love with this stunning venue. It's rumoured that 90% of the acts who perform at Phat don't get approached to come, they offer.
09 was the third year Phat was held at Brown Creek, Inangahua - and it was easily the best venue of its kind. Hard to imagine, Phat had 5 camping areas, a river and waterhole to bathe, (hot) showers, flushing toilets, and all of this some 2 hours south of Nelson on the rugged West Coast.
As eager punters queued outside from 9am, traffic congestion seemed to be the only delay while Phat staff dug through cars, sleeping bags and the odd door panel to find the sneaky bottle of tequila every car seemed to have hidden.
Within 3 hours, tent city had grown to fill almost every available space, the bar had opened, DJ's were at the decks, and I was suffering at the hands of the sun. Fortunately well priced drink deals (3 for $10 Speight's etc.) kept us refreshed as more people emerged from their tents to the sound of Noisia. Well known for leaning to the heavier side of DnB, this trio from The Netherlands are old hands now - making tunes since 2002 and more recently producing albums for their two record labels.
These Dutch boys know how to party. Flipping between older tunes like Block Control and Stigma and more atmospheric recent releases Massada and Angel Eyes, Noisia showcased a back catalogue that would've sold even the most liquid DnB lover to the dark side. Big wraps must go to Organikismness (Nelson based duo) who kept the party going in the wake of such an epic set.
Sleeping, well that wasn't likely to happen anyway, but it was worth a go. After stumbling over a few hundred 'guide' ropes, the temptation was too great, and I crawled into the nearest tent.
Waking up was easy, as the bass bounced through (everything) so I grabbed an early morning coffee and surveyed last nights carnage. With a solid few still going strong from the night before, the dance floor and bar were empty much of the day of the 31st - not until Optimus Grime then Katchafire did the people give up the battle with the rain and embrace the fact the next two days were going to be all about the mud and bass.
Timmy Schumacher and MC Kyla, then Organikismness and The Upbeats brought the crowd through to midnight, when Andy C brought us, screaming, sweating and muddy, into 09.
Andy C (UK) is the founding father of RAM Records (alongside Ant Miles), one of the highest regarded labels in the UK music scene. With acts such as Noisia, Sub Focus and Chase & Status a part of his stable - he is quite rightly regarded as one of the greatest UK producers.
Throughout his set, Andy dropped tunes from his crew - Subfocus 'Airplane' was huge, Stigma by Noisia had the whole crowd singing "So tell me if I'm right or wrong, I believe we've got a future!" whilst Chase & Status' latest single 'Pieces' had the line of the evening with "I remember when I used to feel something"....
All up, Andy C's set was brilliant. Tight, with perfectly timed drops and mixing paired with MC Lowqui's drawling English vocals, it was the perfect way to welcome the New Year.
Diesel Boy followed at 2am, with MC Messinian on the mic and despite following a legend from the land that invented DnB, he showed the Phat crowd exactly why he is the highest rated US producer - his set keeping us all amped and declaring we were 'Everyday Junglists', whilst a new mix of 'Pusher' gave Messinian a chance to show off his vocal talent. Easily one of the highlights of Phat 09, Diesel Boy's skills on the decks and ability to feel the mood of a crowd (he told us we were all... crazy) was the perfect finish to a huge new years eve bash.
But of course, it's never over at Phat. The Breakfastaz (the guys behind the anthem of 08 "Girls, Money, Drink and Drugs") kicked everyone into a higher gear (or back to their tents) and brought some much needed break beat into the mud.
Relative unknown Lynx brought the sun up, and although I'd migrated to bed before we got there, from all accounts played a great set to wrap up what was the biggest, muddiest, happiest new years party in the country.
Feeling drained after a solid 40+ hours of partying, it took till well after midday before the Speight's were welcome again. As others emerged bleary eyed from their tents, Full Code hit the stage to try and warm up the crowd for another day. Having seen Full Code get an entire dance floor pumping before, it was a shame that sunshine and hangovers kept much of the Phat crowd looking for water or shade and off the now baking mud/ dance floor.
Paddy Free (of Pitch Black fame) then played an eclectic blend of electro funk as a well timed interlude, before Minuit bared the smell of the mud and showcased some exciting new tracks whilst drawing us from the bar with fresh takes on classics from their albums the 88 and The Guards Themselves. Minuit, with their sharp variations in sound, showcased just how great the sound setup was at Phat. The quality cannot be emphasised enough, as despite a few vocal mishaps the speakers and amplifiers shared a sound that puts the Big Day Out main stage to shame.
Tiki Taane shared an intimate and hung-over set with the Phat crew, with DJ Dexter on the decks. Tiki confessed to playing 6 gigs over the new year break and kicked out some chilled jams in the sun before P- Money brought some of the younger crowd out onto the dance floor with mixes of Scribe and his latest chart hit, 'Everything'.
Whilst the main stage remained rather chilled up until 10pm on the 1st, with Aussie's 'Budspells' and Salmonella Dub playing - Emma G and Urban Notion kicked it up a gear on the second stage with some liquid DnB and jungle mixes amping everyone for Bulletproof, Agent Alvin, Concord Dawn and State of Mind to take us through to the wee smalls.
Once again showing my age I slept, missing two big names in the UK dub step community - Skream and Benga (2am - 6am on the 2nd). From all accounts these two producers from London were exceptional, and showed perhaps the future of dance music as fans become more discerning and look for more breaks and dub step samples within their sets. Benga is also renowned for using 'Grime' mixes in his tracks - I can recommend checking out his tune with Coki "Night" as a great intro into Dubstep.
It's impossible to fully describe the vibe of Phat 09, with no fighting, (almost) no campground evictions and no theft, the organisers and the party-goers made Phat 09 a truly amazing experience. The sound quality was fantastic, the DJ's top draw, the mud was smelly, and I would jump at the chance to return.
The tunes finished at 9am on the 2nd, and full credit to those DJ's who kept on trucking right up until an eerie silence permeated the campground.
69 hours of drum and bass, a little sleep, 30+ temperatures and ankle deep mud... Now what? Me, I headed for the beach.
Reviewed by J @ C4