A Doof Decade in AUSTRALIA

Trance freaks have been going walkabout to outdoor 'doof' parties for well over a decade... and these Australians really know how to throw a party, with the dance floor being the main focus as a playground of expression through dance, situated in the stunning forest bush of Australia.

Melbourne based production crew Earthcore is probably the largest dance music event organiser down under, notorious for bringing some of the biggest psy trance names to the flipside of the planet, holding huge events for over 12 years now, as well as touring artists all over the country and  organising a weekly night called Freebase. Their music policy covers all underground dance music, but psy has always been a big part of the story. Another popular Melbourne crew is Green Ant, who are known globally for organising the annual Rainbow Serpent Festival, which is always held over the long weekend of public holiday Australia day (Jan 26th) with Rainbow, as its fondly known by its yearly veterans, about to celebrate its 10th year in 2007. All forms of trance from full on psychedelic to groovy progressive are showcased on the main RSF stage, with an alternative stage running even more diverse sets including breaks, minimal, dub, phat disco and  more. One of the bigger party crews in Sydney is Yak and Yeti, focusing on the darker side of psychedelic trance and on the otherside of the coin is Rif productions, becoming more and more minimal with their monthly Deep As Funk night. Byron Bay also deserves a mention as the hippy haven for many years and still seeing underground trance parties happening nearly every weekend somewhere in the Byron area, a magnet for creative and spiritual people. There is also a really cool festie called Exodus organised by Happy People Productions which happens every year now too. Further up north in Cairns there is a rapidly growing scene, as in Adelaide and in Hobart in Tasmania and the main movers and shakers in Perth are a crew called Namaska, beautiful vibes from beautiful people.

One of the oldest record labels in Australia is Psy-Harmonics, run by trance dj Andrew Til, releasing the finest from Australian psychedelia for a long time now. Deco is also a big thing in the bush and I have seen some of the most amazing installations coming from Mutoid Waste. There is also a whole host of internationally acclaimed artists homing from Oz, including well known producers like Sensient, Sun Control Species, Olli Wisdom, Benza, Nick Taylor, FreQ and Infusion, as well as local hero DJs like Raptor, Aaron Smiles, Blue Llama, Eegor, Kasey Taylor, D-mac and Gavin Martin. I would also like to mention here the sad loss to the scene when Australian dj Beka passed away last year. Beka was an amazing woman, a great dj and a loving mum who will be missed greatly by us all.

As for the future, well how far do you want to look ahead? If 10th year anniversary parties are not enough to get you down here, then 2012 is when Australia will see the next total eclipse of the sun  and a little bird tells me that Green Ant and Exotic Native (the organisers of the Outback Eclipse Festival in 2002) are already making plans for a monstrous gathering... but I sincerely wish you get a chance to come and visit us sooner.

Facts

• The Australian sun is harsher than anywhere else on the planet and on a cloudy day its still possible to get severe sunburn, so dont forget to wear your sunblock.
• Hats are a great way to protect you from the sun and also a fun addition to your funky party outfit.
• Be prepared for weather changes when partying outdoors, especially in Victoria where you can sometimes experience four seasons in one day!
• Alcohol is not for sale at most outdoor trance events. But it's ok to bring your own ; )

Links

There are two main active forums: www.oztrance.com which is more Melbourne orientated and www.australiens.net which is more focused on Sydney events (but you can also find national info).

Text

Sally Doolally

International DJ playing all over the planet...

sallydoolally@australiens.net

"Life is a party and the dance floor is not a serious place, so laugh and dance along your way ; )"

photos by Götzlich & Sally