The third Quest is mere days away and the line up has just been announced. The festival’s musical and marketing director Luke Travis Poulson who will also take to turn tables himself as DJ BlipBlop has put together a sound selection of the artists his team is banking on to keep the party going all weekend. The tunes below should get you in the mood for the weekend to come.
This Quest we were really keen to get a reputable international headliner in. Alton Miller is that headliner. A godfather of the Detroit/Chicago house scene he’s had a profusion of hits on respected labels such as 2020 Vision, Batti Batti and Yore records. His sound is soul filled and groovy, accessible and easy to listen and groove to. Yet it still keeps its feet firmly cemented in the underground. His soulful tunes and solid mixing hold him high in the estimations of all the big house DJs and he has rocked dance floors from Detroit’s huge Movement festival to Tokyo’s classiest establishments. To say we’re excited to have Alton over to play at Quest is an understatement, we’re truly lucky to have such an established DJ to show us the true sound of house music and keep the beat moving. Expect an extra long set with some of the sweetest soulful and jacking house melodies about.
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Lights
Shadows
After putting the word out that I wanted to source some true underground sounds from the Hanoian youth, I was put in touch with two people: Nguyễn Thu Hằng a.k.a Lili Larsen, a knowledgeable music enthusiast and Hung M.O.X from Bluemato, who is the guy to talk to when in search for decent talent in Hanoi’s underground scene. After sitting down and realising we had a shared vision when it came to exposing local acts they give me a list of bands and Proportions were the first act I had the pleasure of listening to. They threw me right back into the DIY punk/hardcore scene I had been connected to back in the UK. They have that raw desperation that bands such as Funeral For A Friend and Aereogramme possessed during their early stages. Proportions posses an incredible ability to keep things hard, raw and powerful whilst holding on to melodic structures with amazing technical ability (check out the lead guitar solo in Lights!). These guys are a band to watch out for and I can’t wait to see them blow Quest apart.
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Xai @ HRC
After an absolutely mesmerising performance at the ASEAN pride festival early this year, these guys really put themselves on the map. I’m not quite sure what to refer to them as, their sound is quite genre defying but an undeniable fact is that they pack an extremely immersive vibe, using not just sonic tomfoolery but stage performance, visuals and live instruments to bring about a frenzy of creativity that pretty much sums up what we want Quest Festival to be about.
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GiMiX NoMaD & Niko Power
GiMiX NoMaD
Niko Power
Gigi Mix is a stalwart of the ghetto funk scene. You would be hard pressed to find someone else with such an in-depth knowledge of all things funky. His vibe is strictly good times and groove. When you have such a mixed crowd as Quest draws and you want someone to make the dance floor accessible with highly danceable sound Gigi is always the first guy to spring to mind. His infectious energy and cheeky baselines have landed him global respect from the funk scene. He will be bringing his partner in crime Nico Power to the event and we have been promised everything from fat bass drops to samba rhythms.
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Dee.F is the alter ego of local event organiser and producer Phú Phạm. Since arriving in Hanoi I have listened to Phú’s sound warping from deep dub step into the further reaches of experimental techno. I remember seeing one of his first Dee.F sets upstairs at Hanoi Rock City and I was taken aback by the depths of the sounds he had created. There was a rolling minimal techno beat drawing the track along but a lot of the focus seemed to be on the subtle ambient pads building emotion within the track. For me it’s the perfect blend of techno and soundscape ambient. Phú is a passionate producer who has done a great deal to advance and encourage the emergence of an electronic underground here in Hanoi. His deep sounds will be heard late into the night and I’m really excited to go on that sonic journey with him.
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Đom Đóm
Trà Chanh have that garage rock feel that really encapsulates what me and the team wanted Quest’s live line up to be all about: raw, youthful energy and creativity. Their crackly recordings don’t do their electrifying live performances justice. They swap between shoe-gazey lyrics and indie fuelled guitar riffs throughout their performances and its this variety that I loved so much when I heard them the first time. I’m looking forward to them rocking the main stage.
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Glitchy Atoms
Dan Henneberry was an obvious choice for me as we will be introducing a new chill out area at Quest where the focus is on ambient and down-tempo sounds. Dan’s electronic noodling revolves around beat-less soundscapes with a massively experimental edge, his sounds vary from subtle changes to large dips in effects and loop patterns. Static universes can be fused with tinkling melodies lost in seas of echoes. Perfect for getting lost and letting the mind wander.
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Quest Festival will take place at Sơn Tinh Camp from 28 to 30 November 2014. You can find all the information you need on their Facebook page.
