The US may have the likes of Ultra Music Fest in Miami, EDC NY, EDC Chicago, EDC LV, and EZoo. Europe may have the likes of Tomorrowland, Sensation and crazy summer parties in Ibiza, but when it comes to the EDM festival scene in the Asia Pacific, nothing tops the Australia’s dance music juggernaut – Stereosonic.
Stereo 2013 marks the fifth anniversary of the festival which always boasts an impressive line-up and to refresh your memory a little bit, in May 2013, Stereosonic, brought together by various groups including Totem Onelove Group, Hardware, Onelove, Nova, inthemix, Channel [V], Mixmag and Rdio, announced the unthinkable – the festival will be extended from a one-day festival to a two-day festival across the country in different cities. We have copied for you below the times of the festival across the different cities so it is absolutely not an excuse for anyone to miss these important dates!
Saturday Nov 30 & Sunday Dec 1 SYDNEY SHOWGROUNDS
Saturday Nov 30 & Sunday Dec 1 CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS, PERTH
Friday Dec 6 & Saturday Dec 7 ADELAIDE SHOWGROUND, ADELAIDE
Saturday Dec 7 & Sunday Dec 8 ROYAL MELBOURNE SHOWGROUNDS
Saturday Dec 7 & Sunday Dec 8 RNA SHOWGROUNDS, BRISBANE
The news of the extension of the festival is definitely cheered by avid dance music fans across Australia. Do you think Stereo will just stop right there? If you do, think twice. On 4 July 2013, Stereo announced the highly anticipated lineup for 2013 and the lineup showcases the biggest, the best, the up-and-coming and the most talented musicians/DJs/producers/bands that are from a wide spectrum of music genres ranging from electro house to trance to rock to heavy bass acts. As Richie McNeill, the Managing Director of Totem Onelove, puts it, “For the first time ever in Australia, the world’s biggest acts from all spectrums of the electronic world, will be playing at one festival, Stereosonic. This is a groundbreaking lineup supported by a spectacular festival environment”.
A few notable mentions to please all the dance music fans will be the return of the king of Trance and the number 1 DJ, Armin van Buuren, to this year’s edition of Stereo. Fans of Armin have surely missed him as it has been awhile since he played a festival set in Australia – he played in Stereo 2011 and described the atmosphere and experience as ‘like a dream’ during his interview on StereosonicTV. We will surely be hearing drops of his new album, Intense, along with his classics in his much anticipated sets.
For notable mentions, Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso definitely cannot be missed. Debuting at Stereo 2013 and performing the first sizable gigs in Australia since their One Last Tour as Swedish House Mafia earlier this year, fans can expect some energetic performances from the two Swedish superstars. Recent chart-topping singles such as Axwell’s Center of the Universe and Sebastian Ingrosso’s Reload will surely be dropped in their sets to get the crowd rocking on their feet.
Afrojack, who played in Stereo 2011, will also return to be part of this year’s massive lineup. Fans will be prepared to hear him drop his new album, which is due to be released later this year, in his signature sets. Alesso, like his great pal Sebastian Ingrosso, will also be debuting at Stereo 2013 as he is returning to Australia for his first festival gig since his epic performance at Creamfields 2012. Expect nothing less than a pumping set from this young swede who has been having an incredible year 2013 with his remix of OneRepublic’s If I Lose Myself, which is one of the most-played songs in recent festivals.
Other DJs who are not to be missed would include local residents Tommy Trash and Will Sparks, Mat Zo (the young Brit played one of the best sets in EDC Vegas), Andrew Rayel, Above and Beyond, W&W, Zedd, and Bingo Players, just to name a few. Without further ado, the following is the full Stereo 2013 lineup:
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Armin van Buuren
Above & Beyond
Acid Jacks
Afrojack
Alesso
Aly & Fila b2b John O’Callaghan
Andrew Rayel
Andy C
Axwell
Bingo Players
Boys Noize
BrEaCh
Bryan Kearney
B U R N S
Cajmere
Claude VonStroke
Clockwork
Destructo
DJ Falcon
Djedtronic
Doctor P
Dog Blood
Drumsound & Bassline Smith
Empire of the Sun
Feenixpawl
Ferry Corsten
Flight Facilities
Fritz Kalkbrenner
Gareth Emery
Generik
Giuseppe Ottaviani LIVE
Hot Natured
Hot Since 82
Infinity Ink
Jamie Jones
Jochen Miller
Justin Martin
Kaz James
Krewella
Labrinth
Late Nite Tuff Guy
Lee Foss
Lemaitre
M4SONIC
Maceo Plex
MaRLo
Mat Zo
Matrix & Futurebound
Nero
Nick Thayer
Nicky Romero
Noisia & Foreign Beggars present I AM LEGION
R.L Grime
Robert DeLong
Sebastian Ingrosso
ShockOne
Showtek
Solarstone
Solomun
Stafford Brothers
Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano
The Bloody Beetroots LIVE
TJR
Tommie Sunshine
Tommy Trash
Tritonal
ƱZ
W&W
What So Not
Will Sparks
Zedd
For the high energy ravers and party-goers who feel 10+ hours of dancing and fist pumping at the festival grounds is not enough, from past experience, there will be after parties for all of you to get some closer interaction with the DJs in the local clubs. I was there for Stereo 2012 in Sydney (and trust me, I had a blast, crowds were insane at the spacious Sydney Showgrounds) and there were after parties at the Sydney Soho Club, which boasted the lineup of Bingo Players and Zedd, Pacha Sydney, where Martin Solveig and Laidback Luke played on its opening night, and also Marquee, where Porter Robinson spun his always fun and diverse sets.
For all those who want to experience the largest dance music festival in Asia Pacific, don’t say we did not warn you, get your hands around the tickets before they sell out quickly!
