To bid farewell to winter and kick off the Spring party season, there really is never a better choice than Grietfest. Now in its fourth year, Griet held to all its promises yet again and put on one HELL of an alternative music festival in the heart of the concrete jungle. For us, Grietfest has always kind of been the standard- it’s first festival was one of the first parties we went to at Town Hall, and remains as heart-stoppingly unforgettable as it is almost impossible to remember.
Over the years we’ve seen the likes of TC, The Upbeats, Bart B More, Haezar, , F.O.O.L and Trumpdisco (to name but a few!) grace Grietfest’s many incredible stages. This groundbreaking festival has only gone from strength to strength over the years- the stages bigger and better, the sound always more explosive, the line-ups always even more tantalizing, and crowds that seemed to double in volume with each successive year.
This year Grietfest kicked itself off in style- with groovy electro Swing in the sunshine courtesy of Michael Lesar- who welcomed the early crowd with some chilled vibes, and set the tone for a night of pure bass indulgence.
The party vibes really started to kick in at around 6:30pm, and the genius pairing of Benson & Mr Mon at the Science Frikshun floor drove the crowds wild and (as is standard for Grietfest) had us all up and moving before the sun bid us farewell. Benson layered on those Liquid vibes in all the right ways, and Mr Mon dropped some sick Jungle ish that got even ME jumping! Over at the main stage it was up to Etnik to set the sunset vibe right, who delighted the crowds with some delicious new-age techno – and set the standards high for the madness that ensued!
Back at the Science Frikshun stage Reepa destroyed his faithful basshead following inside Town Hall with a rude awakening that slapped us upside the head and had our feet moving at hyperspeed! Spewing out smashing TUNE after rinsing bass BOMB, Reepa was on top form for the first party of Spring. Adamski, a fantastic artist in his own right, just didn’t seem to keep up with the rinsing Masterclass that is Reepa, and left us feeling a little let down by this much-anticipated back-to-back. UK’s Far Too Loud lit up the main stage and drove his considerable gathering of fans into the darkness with his own brand of electrified bass!
Sibot drove the crowds at the main floor wild with his unique bag of bass tricks, and Toyota proved to be the perfect match for this astounding talent- causing the immense gathering of ravers in the alley to go absolutely wild! Over at the Science Frikshun stage we were rinsed 50 shades of GREEN– this bass-master completely blew us away with a stellar new set, bone-crushing bass and the freshest tunes this side of the equator- we simply couldn’t keep ourselves from moving to the primal rhythm within, feeling that genuine Mr Green bass right down to our core.
Hyphen did Hyphen things at the SF stage and, well, it was all very Hyphen happening in there. Look, maybe I really don’t know what I’m talking about (no, really), but his sets are just so damn difficult to get into. A few years back the man was rinsing crowds left right and center (Jozifest, HGvsSF), but lately it just seems like his vibe doesn’t know which way upside inways down. Anyway, Koan Sound succeeded in creaming the utterly MASSIVE crowds outside at the main floor, and put on a show that delighted both our eardrums and our eyeballs. It’s no surprise that organizers in SA keep on bringing the incredible Koan Sound back to our stages, and little wonder that their fanbase here has completely exploded over a few short years.
Niskerone stepped in and marked the time for Science Frikshun to take control of every wild and writhing body outside in the alley. Dropping massive bass bombs from high up in the stratosphere, this Cape Town master-class drove the energy levels into overdrive and ensured that every last one of us was well prepared for the insanity of this year’s international DnB headliner. Inside Town Hall a completely different vibe had set in, with Das Kapital and his harsh & heavy playlist utterly pounding the crowds inside into submission.
Black Sun Empire kicked off on a high note and guided us down a bitter-sweet, dark and dirty path- with all our most loved tunes and the kind of BASS that made you realize that you had bass all wrong, all along (insert twisted, contorted bass face here), and blessed us with a two-hour long non-stop jam marathon courtesy of (in my opinion) the greatest masters of the genre. Now, maybe some people would have said that they were too tame (not quoting), that they were capable of doing SO much more (still not quoting), that maybe BSE’s Grietfest set just didn’t hit the spot (okay, maybe quoting a little). Look, maybe I really, REALLY don’t know what I’m talking about, and that’s okay. From the only-slightly above average ears of this little basshead, it worked. It definitely worked!
While the most dedicated of our basshead kin braved the bitter cold outside and enjoyed having SF Bossman, RudeOne end the night on a high note, Grimehouse whipped the remaining crowds inside Town Hall into a frenzy. Carfax kept itself packed and tantalizingly warm as Para One and Phat Jack sealed the night with a kiss on their respective stages.
Grietfest utterly blew us out of the water with its most impressive and MASSIVE blowout to date. Did I hear someone say 3000 PLUS ravers? Well yeah, I mean- we all saw that immense sea of bassheads gather and fill the alley to breaking point when Black Sun Empire stepped up and shattered our reality. That main stage was utterly breathtaking, and from where we were on a raised platform near the front, our view was utterly spectacular. 2014 saw Grietfest break away from the much dreaded gangster-security, and made us all feel a lot more relaxed with a new crew of ‘take no shit, politely’ bouncers (in my opinion, one of the best new additions).
Grietfest succeeded once again in gifting us with 12 solid hours of unforgettable memories, sharing with us our favorite artists across electronic genres and introducing us to exceptionally talented musicians that we may not have discovered on our own. Well done Griet, bloody well done!!
xx
Missy Bloodgood
RavingFox 