Overview
Dance music lovers are well and truly catered for this Spring. With the S.A.S.H. Sleepout geared for September, lovers of big drops and tight beats have already been planning carpools for the warmer months. Planning an exclusive dance music haven to rival your imagination, festival promoters Disktrict want to keep the tempo high until November with the second instalment of Return To Rio — with the 2014 lineup announced this morning.
Founded by Ricky Cooper (Tricky) and Nick Law (Lawless), Disktrict launched as a local dance party arbiter of Sydney's east in mid-2012. It didn't take the DJ duo long to dabble into festival territory, holding a rainy but relatively successful Return To Rio a year later. The three-day dance music festival has released its 2014 lineup for November, with Ibiza favourite Ten Walls headlining a solid beats-heavy crew — including Berlin-based DJ and producer Lake People, Sydney 'We Speak No Americano' duo Yolanda Be Cool, Leftroom/Crosstown Rebels label mates Laura Jones and Gavin Herlihy, '80s house pioneer Mr C Superfreq and '90s underground acid house king MC Scallywag.
RETURN TO RIO 2014 LINEUP:
TEN WALLS (LIVE)
LAKE PEOPLE (LIVE)
LAURA JONES
MR C
MC SCALLYWAG
GAVIN HERLIHY
YOLANDA BE COOL
NEIL HODGKINSON
GOODWILL
SIMON CALDWELL
KEN CLOUD
BEN KORBEL
NICK LAW
+ MORE
Taking over the Del Rio Riverside Resort in Wiseman's Ferry for a weekend in mid-November, Return To Rio shares many of the same traits with the ill-fated, end of summer retreat, Playground Weekender. Due to a major risk of flooding, the five-year-strong dance festival was cancelled in 2012 just hours before it was meant to take off, and wasn't able to recover from the financial blowout. Hopefully the weather doesn't make any threats this time around.
Ticket prices have taken a small leap up from $120 to $150, but Return to Rio have delivered a severely beat-heavy lineup akin to last year's, which included Mad Racket, S.A.S.H., Love Bombs, Start Cue, Murat Killic, Wonderland Ave and a truckload of others.
Return to Rio runs November 14 – 16 at Del Rio Riverside Resort, Wiseman's Ferry. Tickets and more info available here.
Images by Kate Ryan.