PARKLIFE NATIONAL TOUR 2009

Belgian-based duo Stephen Fasano and Vito Deluca. Their sound is instantly recognisable yet difficult to pin down, with their weaving of psychedelic guitars, pop keys and catchy bass lines producing a genuinely beautiful balearic/nu-disco hybrid. Emerging as one of the best and most sought after re-mixers of 2008.

Triple J 2008 unearthed winners Art Vs. Science - no laptops, no backing tracks, just drums, keyboards, synths and three sets of funky hands. "An expression of their long immersion in the dark, seedy recesses of club-electronica", Art Vs. Science breathe fresh air into the genre, with an immediate, breath-taking live show, and songs that sound pleasing, joy-inducing; as if meticulously designed, element by element, to intensify user stimulation.

The Aston Shuffle have rapidly become notorious for being of one of Australia’s finest party-starters. First coming to prominence when they made us shake our badonka-donk to their take on Malente’s Killer Applikation, the brain-child of Vance Musgrove and Mikah Freeman, have gone on to remix an all-star cast, produce acclaimed originals For Everyone, Stomp Your Shoes and more recently Do You Want More?, which swiftly found itself on high rotation at JJJ in April.

Things have come a long for A-Trak since snapping up his first set of turntables with his Bar Mitzvah money, with the DJ whiz kid now nothing short of a superstar of the game. A-Trak has pumped out enormous remixes of tracks from Boys Noize, Digitalism, Simian Mobile Disco, The Count & Sinden, Sebastien Tellier and of course Kanye.

Formerly one-half of Aussie electro-duo Riot in Belgium and the Bang Gang DJs, Beni, or Ben Single has been carving out his own recipe for success in the last 18 months. Bursting back into our consciousness with the last Summer’s sleeper hit My Love Sees You, which was championed by everyone from Digitalism and Diplo to A-Trak and Busy P, Beni has found a new home into the comfortable and oh-so-cool arms of Kitsune, who have been jet-setting him around the world as part of their highly-revered Kitsune Maison Tours.

Bertie burst onto the Australian music scene in 2004. Her stunning single ‘Favourite Jeans’ was a statement of intent. Bertie delivers pop music with depth. Her voice is seductive; her lyrics are inventive and honest. And Bertie is a mesmerizing live performer. “When I’m playing the music, I just disappear into what’s going on,” she says “It all just kind of channels through.”

Iconic, charismatic and a downright party machine, dance music’s renaissance man Busy P has shown a musical Midas touch to go with his rather Jesus-esque looks to achieve true rockstar status – complete with a cult-like set of hardcore followers. Busy P has built a reputation as one of the most successful frontmen in the game.

Blasting his way onto dance floors worldwide with his iconic hip-wiggling mind-benders Deep Throat, The Whistler and Who’s Afraid of Detroit, the San-Francisco based musical mastermind has caused more than a few hands to be thrown into the air with reckless abandon over the past few years, with a knack for imaginative and inspirational song selection and meticulous set preparation.

With a reputation to match the name, The Cool Kids have turned heads in recent years, going from underground sensations in their native Chicago to one of hip hop’s hottest tickets. The release of their 2009 debut album When Fish Ride Bicycles has set tongues wagging for all the right reasons, and with their dynamic live show phenomenon these trendsetting lads are set to take hip hop to a whole new level.

Multi-instrumentalist Ethan Kath and front woman Alice Glass – voted top of NME’s 2008 ‘Cool List’ – form Crystal Castles, purveyors of the finest blend of unhinged electro, razor-sharp pop and glitchy freakouts around. Their debut self-titled album with tracks such as Alice Practice, Air War and Crimewave leans to distorted punk-screamy vocals, squeaky video game bleeps and pixelated sounds.

Empire of the Sun has become an absolute sensation following their debut album ‘Walking On A Dream’, which has become one of the biggest Australian albums of recent times. Since the first single “Walking On A Dream” reached our ears and eyes via its eye-popping video shot in Shanghai just prior to the Olympics, the music world both here and overseas has been ablaze with talk about Empire Of The Sun.

Formed in Canada 1999, Junior Boys created a sound that would reconcile their influences. Years of collaboration followed and a demo

Elly Jackson from UK electro pop synth duo La Roux is not your standard pop songstress. Together with co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid, their coolly kinky approach to pop has turned more than a few heads, with colossal tracks Quicksand and In For The Kill, and more recently bulletproof destroying the airwaves across the globe. A strong individualistic style makes La Roux one of the most exciting acts of 2009, offering audiences a sharp-edged performance of great intensity that truly brings new wave into the new century.

Canadian foursome Metric take an adventurously intelligent approach to indie-dance, breathing new life into a clichéd scene and making world-wearied hipsters believe in the genre all over again. Founded by front woman Emily Haines and guitarist Jimmy Shaw, the group fuses penetrating lyrics with power pop infectiousness. Returning in 2009 with a fresh approach, a fourth studio album Fantasies and singles such as Help, I’m Alive and Gimme Sympathy; there seems no limit to the band’s ability to win critical acclaim.

After various bands he played for, Joseph Mount became Metronomy; a disillusioned rock ‘n’ roll drummer from the Devonshire hills. Using an out-dated computer and embracing his own limitations, he now writes, performs and produces his own music. After perfecting his craft in the West Country, Metronomy swapped Devon for Brighton. Steadily building up a die-hard fanbase and a reputation for charming live shows, sometimes solo, sometimes with his backing band ‘The Food Groups’.

Jesse Keeler, one-half of super duo - Death From Above 1979, joins forces with DFA's producer, Al-P, to break some beats into the nightlife of clubs all over the world. If The Looks rocked your world in 2006 then Fist of God, MSTRKRFT’s long-awaited second album, will knock you out like a Mike Tyson right-hook. These boys are not only masters of their craft, but will make head bangers and hip-shakers do unimaginable things on the dance floor.

If Miami Horror was the blog-sensation of 2008 then Shazam, the solo producer who hails from W.A, is a shoe-in for this year’s crown. Responsible for disco-pop-tastic remixes of Munk, Empire of the Sun, Muscles, Dizzee Rascal, Sneaky Sound System and The Tough Alliance, and originals Luckier and Pool Party, Shazam, like his 80’s cult cartoon namesake, is definitely responsible for some A-Class wizardry. Destined for big things in 2009, we guarantee you’ll be screaming SHAZAM at this year’s Parklife… although we’re not so sure that you’ll turn into Captain Marvel!

Canadian DJ/producer Tiga has harnessed his affliction to become the electro-clash pinup and dance-floor maverick of modern times. Having transformed the party scene in his native Montreal and started his own Turbo Recordings in the 90s, a turn to production has revealed prodigious talents. Combining pop, electro, techno, house, acid and a bucket load of kitsch, his 2009 album Ciao! has so far brought us Mind Dimension 2, Shoes and What You Need and seems unrelenting in its quest for world domination.