Have you recently sat down, stared deeply into a wall and thought, “What is responsible for the sudden influx of awesome EDM artists gracing our shores?” Well, stop staring at the wall and read on and find out about a crew that are changing the face of the Melbourne dance scene.
Have you recently sat down, stared deeply into a wall and thought, “What is responsible for the sudden influx of awesome EDM artists gracing our shores?” Well, stop staring at the wall and read on and find out about a crew that are changing the face of the Melbourne dance scene.
Firstly, 100%’s breathe has been well and truly taken away by the fact that on Jan 8 next year you have a incredible international line-up at The Hi-Fi Bar featuring Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, Harmonic 313, Killa Kela and Dam-Funk. How did you manage to pull together this line-up?
Blood, sweat and tears. It has been a lengthy process but I wanted to bring something totally different to the Melbourne scene, a world class electronic line-up that would be unforgettable. A while back I imagined something like this could be done, but more often than not you would only find it on festival lineups that were not in Australia. Having toured the core trio of Hudmo, GLK and Flylo before it only made sense to have them all out at once, and the rest fell into place with bribes, the use of nifty spy gadgets and other various espionage activities.
Tell us how The Operatives was formed and who makes up the team?
It mainly stemmed from the desire to be an advocate for excellent music, live or electronic. The Operatives was formed by myself, to cover all aspects of the business including touring, artist management, event management and promotions. Essential agents include Nam (2IC), Concord Dawn, Opiuo, Hooves, Galapagoose, Dust, Fiend, Sean Deans, Fugitive, Joe Seven, Consequence, and several that must remain unnamed to protect their identity.
What styles of music get played at the nights you put on?
With most of the events, unless they are very specific, there are no genre boundaries. It’s more about good music and making sure there is a smooth and progressive flow with the line-up, the variation and diversity keeps the night interesting.
Some of the people who have played for The Operatives:
Drum and Bass – Concord Dawn, Lynx, Marcus Intalex, DJ Marky.
Dubstep – Coki, Loefah.
Future Beats – Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, Ras G, Samiyam.
House/ Broken Beats – Theo Parrish, Maurice Fulton, Bugz in the Attic, Recloose.
Hip Hop – Mixologists, DJ Craze, Waajeed.
Reggae – Katchafire, House of Shem, The Red Eyes.
Dancehall – Mista Savona.
Soul – Aloe Blacc, Dam-Funk, Ladi 6.
Also, what are some other highlights from previous Operatives nights and any other high points in the brand’s history?
Crowd Surfing at DJ Marky; Selling out the first Flying Lotus show; watching Katchafire play to a capacity crowd in Sydney and Melbourne; Dam-Funk’s keyboard solo in the middle of the Roxanne Parlour dance floor. Also watching Amp Fiddler at Miss Libertine with the most amazing 5 piece and having someone propose to his girlfriend on stage after Concord Dawn finished his set.
What other Operatives shows are coming up?
Friday December 10 – MC TIKI (Tiki Taane, Johnny Hooves, Sean Deans, JPS.
Friday December 17 – Monsta (Espionage vs Racket) feat Opiuo, Spoonbill, Cloudspeaker and more.
Sunday December 26 – All crews boxing Day special.
Friday January 7 – Chase and Status (DJ Set), Subfocus, 16 Bit, Netsky
Saturday January 8 – Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer, Hudson Mohawke, Killa Kela, Dam-Funk, Kito, Harmonic 313, and more.
Friday February 4 – Aloe Blacc and the Grand Scheme, Waajeed, Benji B.
Also some artists in the pipeline include: Mount Kimbie, Calibre and DRS, Lorn, Slugabed, Teebs and Onra to name a few.
