Live Review: Stereosonic 2012

Ah, Stereosonic. What finer way to bring in the advent of another glorious summer than partying with some of Perth's…youngest people. Gosh I feel old. Wow. Doesn't she feel a little exposed wearing that? Never mind. In keeping with previous iterations of the festival the layout made good use of the Showgrounds, particularly for a crowd touching 35,000. Thanks to a tantalisingly booming sound system and a heaping of commercial cheese the main stage remained packed from pretty much the outset, where early on Bingo Players gave fan faves like Rattle a spin to the already-bustling main oval. Starkly contrasting with the generic electro beats was the techno bonanza offered at the Carl Cox tent next door. The award for the hottest DJ of the day, if not ever, easily went to Nina Kraviz. Truly spunky in both looks and tunes, the effervescent Tsarina of Tech weaved together a fine set including her own bumping 'Ghetto Kraviz. In the similar vein of attractive DJs doing fine work, Chicago troupe Krewella took to the Bass Stage with further, the sisters swapping between mics and decks with main DJ Rain Man. Plenty of jump-up, and jumping up-and-down, ensued. Joris Voorn followed Kraviz in the Cox arena but lost a bit of the momentum with some tepid tech-house, which the hushed volume in the tent only made worse. Part of the problem was some slight bleed from Martin Solveig's main stage set, which felt like a run-through of 2012's top dance hits, with the producer using fade-outs and drops to bring in tracks rather than mixing. Hits like Swedish House Mafia's Don't You Worry Child, Kanye and Jay-Z joint Niggas In Paris and Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl's In My Mind (featuring WA's own Georgi Kay) got the first of many, many spins on the mainstage the other day.

While the giant inflatable E above the main stage began to deflate, it seemed like most of the crowd's were just kicking in as Dutchman Laidback Luke toughened things up a little with a harder brand of electro-house, before entering the Kabuki tent for Simon Patterson's set and finding it was apparent the volume problem was rife. The system was underpowered, which for trance is verging on tragic. It was an excellent set regardless, shifting from dark psy-trance to booming tech-trance like his killer tune Bulldozer. Minus DJ points for what appeared to be chronic mobile Facebooking in-between mixes however. No such problem with the always fun, ever-energetic Infected Mushroom, doing their live psy-trance bit with fervour to an appreciative crowd, enjoying a smaller stage filled with actual people as opposed to epic ones with one tiny man in the centre. Loco Dice took the reins in the Carl Cox stage and delivered a solid set of European tech house. There was a marked improvement in volume and the packed tent was in full festival party swing, getting the hands in the air for some cracking beats including Loco's signature Definition. In the walk back over to Kabuki the other live act on the line-up, Example impressed with an infectious enthusiasm that rubbed off onto the bustling crowd, especially given the popularity of megahits like Kickstarts and We'll Be Coming Back.

Tiesto

Example's sometime partner in crime Calvin Harris followed, and the lanky Scot appears to be taking on his role as stadium-filling DJ with aplomb. While his production-work of late all has an incredibly samey kick-snare feel to it, you can't deny the hooks and sing-alongs on older faves like Bounce and newer, Florence Welch-featuring hits like Sweet Nothing. Aly & Fila rarely present anything less than a masterclass in trance and Sunday proved no exception, ripping through euphoric anthems that had the fist-pumping punters in raptures. As the sun went down the big man stepped up: quintessential showman Carl Cox. You could never accuse Cox of being a one-note DJ. He revels in diversity in all things techno and beyond. This has fallen flat in the past like his set at last year's Stereosonic (d'n'b just ain't your bag Coxy), but even then the music is rarely boring. The seething masses were treated to one of his better performances with a true old-school rave-up party set that ranged from breakbeat hardcore to clinical techno like Plastikman's Spastik.

Young gun Porter Robinson kept energy levels in the Sonic stage at all time highs following Infected Mushroom, the producer rocking a heaving set of crunchy, bass-fuelled electro including latest hit Language. It's hard to believe someone so assured behind the decks is only 20 years old, but if it keeps up Robinson is destined to become a huge player in years to come. Bassnectar and Flux Pavillion closed out the Bass Stage in typically heavy style, the speakers in that room also finding their levels rising to the finish line, as was the case in the Carl Cox stage the moment Adam Beyer laid down his first heart-stopper. Thunderous chugging glory marched from the stacks, pummelling the hearty hip-shakers into not submission but frenzied rhythmic celebration. Nextdoor to Beyer Dutch megastar Tiesto did his thing, with plenty of confetti, smoke and fireworks to the joy of weary – yet still boogying – punters. Likewise in the Robinson Pavillion Major Lazer played another doozy of a Stereosonic closing set, Diplo and co. (sadly minus Skerrit Bwoy) rocking through a selection of ML faves like Pon de Floor, Jah No Partial and a couple of versions of Get Free. The d'n'b remix finale, combined with Diplo walking out over the crowd in a giant plastic orb, was the ideal closing set for an ideal summer-opening festival, which saw the bedraggled thousands home with nought but smiles.