RALPH LAWSON’S FAVE FESTIVAL ANTHEMS
2020 Vision man tells us his evergreen outdoor bangers
Ahead of his headline appearance at Farm Festival in August, Ralph Lawson has given us his top ten favourite festival anthems. It’s an eclectic mix, as you can see below, and even though he probably won’t be playing all of these at the various festival-type events and label parties he’s playing this summer, you can be sure that these tracks mean a lot to the 2020 Vision boss.
Ralph’s label 2020 Vision celebrates its 20th birthday this year, and he has put together a great comp called ‘Content’ to mark the occasion. 2020 has released over 250 singles, and 30 albums but instead of trawling through its back cat, they’ve called on pals such as Eats Everything, Matthew Herbert, Simian Mobile Disco, Groove Armada and Tom Trago to supply them with new original, err, content. It’s out on June 30th.
2020 Vision will also be doing a number of label parties throughout the year.
Farm Festival takes place August 1st — 2nd in Somerset. It started as a party for friends and has kept that vibe as it’s expanded to include more and more acts. More info here http://www.farmfestival.co.uk/
Here are Ralph’s festival anthems:
Orbital ‘Chime’
“If you were in a field in 1989 around the M25 ring road that circles London, you would have been one of the first generation of people to witness the incredible record that defined the halcyon days of the acid house movement. The fact that most of us weren’t there, or even born, is testament to the power and longevity of ‘Chime’. Here is how it went down 15 years after it was made at Glastonbury: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gd-QkRA8Ik
Daft Punk ‘Musique’
“I also have an amazing Glastonbury memory of Daft Punk playing in the old (and only) dance tent back in 1997. It had been a wet and muddy one and the mood was pretty down before they came on. They re-invented the way people dance in wellies! It was the track ‘Musique' that really blew me away that night. I was lucky to play alongside them as support DJ on their early shows in the UK that year in Leeds and Manchester.”
Galaxy To Galaxy ‘High Tech Jazz’
“This is such an important record for me. The theme to so many end of the night ‘last tunes’ at Back To Basics and also the last track I dropped on the terrace of 'Sonar Pub' the first time I played there in 1998. Sonar was at its old venue the Mar Bella back then and the terrace was right on the beach. I played ‘High Tech Jazz’ as the sun came up over the water around 6am.”
Fat Freddy’s Drop ‘Shiverman’
“They may be from New Zealand but I can imagine ‘Shiverman’ dropping huge at one of the great Australian festivals like Big Day Out. It is an epic long track that FFD work beautifully live. Its twists and turns from reggae to soul and dub techno are truly unique and my kind of sound on a hot summer’s day with a cold beer in hand.”
Trentemoller ‘Le Champagne’
“I’m dedicating this one to Beacons Festival in North Yorkshire. It may be mostly rainy and cold in The Dales but the people are warm and bouncing inside the tents. I played this near the end of my session last year. It’s the kind of rare electronic record that manages to merge the feel of disco with the soul of Detroit but without using any vocals. When the strings come in it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride. I also played this one on the 2020 boat party at Hideout in 2012.”
Eats Everything ‘Adam’
“A future prediction this time, it’s everyone’s favourite festival DJ — Eats Everything. It’s a tougher track that sounds like it has been crafted by Space Invaders playing Defender. This will cause chaos on main stages this summer. Think Cocoon In The Park or 10 Days Off in Ghent.”
Caribou ‘Sun’
“The one ingredient we all truly crave at a festival is the sun. OK, so we put up with the weather most of the time in the UK but when the sun comes out everything changes. I first saw Caribou perform ‘Sun’ at The Big Chill in 2010 and I swear it was cloudy at the start of the song. The clouds parted as it climaxed and out came the orange glow we all know and love. I may well be mistaken but that’s what it felt to me! Chant it like a ritual and see the heavens smile on you.”
John Talabot ‘Destiny’
“Another Sonar moment but this time Sonar by Day 2012. The hall is heaving with anticipation waiting for the next act, a local lad who has just made a truly breathtaking album called ‘Fin’ walks on stage with his partner Pional. John Talabot has arrived and the people love him. ‘Destiny’ still sends shivers down my spine. Every festival should play this tune at least once.”
Stand On The Word ‘Leftside Wobble (Edit)’
“You’re on a boat at The Garden Party in Croatia. The sun is blazing down and Greg Wilson is playing. The first notes of ‘Stand On The Word’ tinkle on the grand piano and the deck erupts in joyful unison. The man behind the edit, Leftside Wobble, deserves credit for tirelessly editing classics well and bringing them back to recognition — this is one of his best. Pure Balearic or Adriatic festival bliss.”
Jaded James Petrou ‘Tonis Pain (INXEC Remix)’
“An unusual one to end on that most people will never have heard, I picked it because it reminds me of my time at Burning Man in 2012. OK, so it’s not officially a festival but no list from me would be complete without mentioning the incredible experience I had in the Black Rock desert. I played this on the Nexus sound system at dawn and it just ended up rattling around my brain for the next few days. Love it.”
