Laneway Festival 2012 Artist Preview

It's one of Australia's most chilled out and boutique festivals. The 2011 festival was recently awarded 'Music Festival of the Year' by the Sydney Morning Herald. This year they're again bringing together some of the biggest and most intriguing indie and electronic acts around - both local and international. St. Jerome's Laneway Festival kicks off this Saturday January 28th in Brisbane. To get you in the mood, we've put together our picks of the best acts complete with mixes.



M83

Many touted it as the best album of 2011. M83's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming was an ambitious, sprawling, epic 22-track double album and it's outstanding. French electronic dream-pop artist Anthony Gonzales has next-levelled his previous LP Saturdays = Youth, with a more complex soundscape than that heard on Kim & Jessie. He'll be closing the main stage at Laneway.

Midnight City Remixes EP by M83

Active Child

Active Child's heaven-high vocals were honed in school choirs. Laneway will be Pat Grossi's first appearance in Australia since he toured with a Philharmonic Choir age 11. Last year's debut, You Are All I See, from the LA resident was a synth-y affair that melds danceable hip hop beats, soaring RnB melodies and the harp. Which he plays himself, along with singing vocals. It makes for a diverse sound that has seen him tour with James Blake and School of Seven Bells. Check out our interview with him, in which he reveals his all time favourite "melancholic love ballad", here.

Oneman

Revered for his incredible mixing skills, this London Dubstep king is among the scene's most important. His Rinse FM shows are some of the stations most popular and throw in his legendary London Boiler Room sets and we can be assured that Oneman will get the party started.

Oneman_-_Rinse_FM _07-02-10 by djoneman99

Jonti

Over the past few years Jonti has been quietly making a name for himself as one of Australia's most interesting musical exports. Under various guises, the multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer and vocalist has already worked with Mark Ronson, Santigold, Sean Lennon and the Dap-Kings and producer John Agnello (Sonic Youth). It all started when he won a competition through FBi radio that saw him writing the track for a Tooheys beer commercial. Unusual? He then had to change his artist name from Danimals to Jonti because  of a yoghurt company. Jonti was recently signed to Stones Throw and put out debut Twirligig with them late last year. He describes it as condensed pocket beat-symphonies. Take us to this audio universe called "Twirligig"!

Stones Throw Podcast 67: Jonti - Sine And Moon Mix by Jonti Danimals

SBTRKT

The London producer recently got Sydney crowds going at Musica festival last October, proving that he had what it takes to get a more mainstream audience going with his left-field dub step.

Don't be put off by his terrifying tribal mask. His self-titled debut album (released on Young Turks) pulls off a series of impressive feats: it's bursting with fresh ideas, and yet it sounds immediately familiar; it's warm yet gritty, playful yet seriously powerful. His sound is fleshed out by the guest vocals of Sampha (accompanying SBTRKT at Laneway), Roses Gabor, Jessie Ware and Little Dragon.

SBTRKT rinse fm 3rd january 2012 by sbtrkt

Bullion

Three years ago, the West Londoner self-released a 'mash up' album combining music by the Beach Boys with production inspired by J Dilla. Called Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee, it become a viral sensation on the internet within days. The latest offering from the fast-rising, fresh-faced producer is You Drive Me To Plastic, which drops courtesy of Young Turks Records, friends of the festival and the ultra-hip home of Laneway alumni The xx, Holy Fuck and El Guincho.

Bullion Mix for Benji B (Radio 1) by Young Turks

Toro Y Moi

The blogosphere has located Chaz Bundick, a.k.a Toro y Moi, smack bang in the middle of chill wave. Hailing from South Carolina, the 24-year-old last year released the follow-up to his acclaimed 2010 debut Causers of This. A lyrically rich, stylistically diverse album, Underneath The Pine has firmly established Toro y Moi as an exciting and ambitious talent, who's capable of moving beyond genre pigeon-holing. His recent live shows have been described as akin to "a flashy, sex-fueled 80s rooftop fiesta".

Washed Out

Fellow chill-waver Ernest Greene's dreamy, melancholic pop denoted the arrival of a new scene when his first couple of EPs surfaced a few years back. The poster boy for chillwave proves he's not just a flash in the pan with his highly-anticipated first full-length (and Sub-Pop debut), Within and Without. Live, it's less ‘chill' and more ‘party' as Greene and his full live band nimbly manoeuvre his multi-layered pop out of the bedroom and onto the stage.

St Jeromes Laneway Festival will take place from Saturday 28th Jan - Sunday 12th Feb. You can still purchase tickets here.

St. Jeromes Laneway festival 2012 dates:

BRISBANE – SATURDAY 28th JANUARY 2012 
Alexandria Street, Bowen Hills QLD

AUCKLAND - MONDAY 30th JANUARY 2012 
Silo Park, Beaumont Street. Auckland

MELBOURNE – SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2012 
Footscray Community Arts Centre – 45 Moreland Street, Footscray VIC

SYDNEY – SUNDAY 5th FEBRUARY 2012
 Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) – Balmain Road, Rozelle NSW

ADELAIDE – FRIDAY 10th FEBRUARY 2012 
Fowler's Live and UniSA West Courtyards – 68-70 North Terrace, Adelaide SA

PERTH – SATURDAY 11th FEBRUARY 2012 
Perth Cultural Centre – Beaufort Street, Perth WA

SINGAPORE - SUNDAY 12th FEBRUARY 2012 
Fort Canning, Canning Rise, Singapore

Listen to SBTRKT on Pulse Radio
Listen to M83 on Pulse Radio