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This year’s Playground Festival brings together many of the godfathers and innovators of house, techno and electro music alongside those making a significant rise on current underground scene to create a truly retrospective festival experience.
Headliners Leftfield, Squarepusher, Gary Numan, Digitalism, Vitalic and Unkle’s James Lavelle will be joined by a whole host of upcoming and respected talent as they all play under one roof at Brixton Academy on the 7th – 8th June.
Unparalleled in their status as one of the UK’s biggest electronic acts of all time, Leftfield, join the Friday leg of the festival with a rare electronic dj performance.
Their seminal debut album Leftism went platinum within a number of months of its 1995 release and earned a Mercury Music prize nomination later that year.
The Saturday will be topped by contemporary experimental producer Squarepusher.
This producer has redefined the spectacle of live performances. Using a giant screen, stage board and head-mask comprised of nothing but choreographed LEDs, Squarepusher’s live show now mirrors the incredible attention to detail he brings to his music, as well as highlighting the incredible technology it takes to be one of the world’s best producers.
Joining the list on the Saturday night will be legendary songwriter and innovator to electronic music Gary Numan. Since his groundbreaking work and named as one of the figureheads of the electronic movement in the late 70s and early 80s, Gary Numan has been a pioneer of forward-thinking electronic music and a living legend to the UK’s musical history.
Topping Friday’s bill will be the electronic duo Digitalism, making a very rare LIVE performance at Brixton Academy. Known for their breakthrough single Pogo, Digitalism have been a huge driving force in underground electronic music and their critically acclaimed live show is all part of why we wanted them at the top of the bill.
Joining Digitalism on the Friday will one of the founding members of alternative electronic duo Unkle, James Lavelle is a true staple of the UK’s music scene. Forming the group, alongside DJ Shadow, in 1996, Unkle are regarded as one of the most groundbreaking electronic groups the world has ever seen with their debut album Psyence Fiction regularly brought up as one of the greatest albums of all time.
French techno will also get its representation at this year’s festival with an incredible live performance from one of the country’s most formidable producers Vitalic. Since the release of his debut album OK Cowboy, Vitalic has proven to be one of the world’s leading beatmakers on the techno scene.
From his early debut work with La Rock 01 to his current heavyweight album Rave Age, Vitalic has never failed to bring the party atmosphere everywhere he goes and earned his place on this year’s bill.
Kavinsky will be bringing his unique brand of 80s infused electro to the festival on the Friday night. After all the hype Kavinsky received from his contribution to the Drive soundtrack, the producer finally released his debut album Outrun this year.
James Zabiela also takes the reigns on the Friday night and has been one of the UK’s most praised DJs over the last decade.
Completing the top of Saturday’s line up billing will be some of the most inspiring and influential artists in the world. Including German-born Pantha Du Prince, a staple of Europe’s ambient techno scene whose new collaborative album with The Bell Laboratory Elements Of Light is looking to be one of this year’s most anticipated new releases.
Also added to Saturday’s bill will be one of the founding members of electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, Wolfgang Flur. Flur left in the group in the mid 80s to pursue other projects that have seen the producer create a number of unique and diverse productions right up to the present day.
The Playground Festival will host a huge array of talent across both nights of the event which promises to kick start the summer off with a bang (or beat?)
For ticket information visit www.theplaygroundfestival.com/tickets/