Easily my favourite festival discovery of 2018 was the underground dance music paradise: Noisily Festival in Leicestershire! Not knowing a huge amount about it before going, I was so surprised and delighted to find the most magical party in the woods with the loveliest people possible!
Back in 2019 with their 8th edition, Noisily have just released their line up, and there are some really exciting names on there! Personally, I am physically vibrating at the thought of seeing LTJ Bukem & Dynamite MC in the forest valley, amongst the beautiful light installations. Take a look at what other audio delights they have planned:
I can’t wait to go back this year, and would love to hear who on the line up you think I shouldn’t miss. I’m always looking for music recommendations!
The Noisily Festival team are some of the nicest people I’ve worked with, so much so that they even arranged for me to interview one of the founders, Charles Audley! So read on, as we talk about Charles’ top picks from the line up are, how electronica has evolved since Noisily started, and the importance of gender diversity based on merit and not just ticking boxes…
Hi there! Who are you and how long have you been working with Noisily Festival?
My name is Charles and I co-founded Noisily in 2012 alongside 3 of my great friends.
When booking your line up, what’s your process? Start with the big names and work down the list, or…?
When booking the line up we all put together a list of our favourite artists, in no particular order, from big names to up and coming acts, and then consult artists and friends in the industry for their recommendations. We also ask our audience on FB to put forward the names they are most interested in seeing, and take it from there. In 2020 we will be putting together stage think tanks with artists and professionals whom we trust, to make the process even more enjoyable.
And how do you go about discovering new DJs and artists? (podcasts? trawling Spotify? exploring the local music scene?)
Through every medium available.
Who should we not miss on the Noisily 2019 line up?
That’s a tough one, and totally subjective as we represent so many different genres at the festival. If you’re into Techno on the Noisily Stage; check out Extrawelt’s live set, Eelke Kleijn, Oona Dahl, Just Her, Alex Stein, Beth Lydi etc. Psy Trance on the Liquid Stage; Headroom, Gaudium, and the Furthur Progressions 10 Year Session will be a great way to start your Friday. Bass Music and DnD; Opiuo is one to watch, and of course LTJ Bukem & Dynamite MC. There’s honestly too much to choose from.
Do you have any big female artists new for 2019? Is gender equality something you took into account when deciding on the line up?
I was actually invited onto the BBC to talk about gender equality, or rather ‘inequality’ in electronic music and the festival industry last year after I published an article on the subject. Gender equality is a global issue, and in our position of cultural influence it is essential to do our best to shift the paradigm of people’s thought processes and try as best we can to affect positive change in the world via the medium of the content we present throughout the year, and at the festival itself.
We have some very exciting females acts playing this year, and we have many more on our satellite stages to announce too, however it’s important to say that female DJ’s and artists should not be a ’separate concern’ to male artists when booking.
The fact of the matter is, is that there are far fewer female producers out there because they have been against the odds in a meritocracy which is deeply flawed, because it was created by men. We hope to create a platform where the barriers are removed, and believe that in the years to come there is no reason why, in shifting the attitudes of industry and audience alike, we can’t have an event where there is an even split of genders, and not just because we’re trying to fill a quota or tick some boxes.
These things don’t change over night, but in having these discussions and incorporating into our narrative, change will happen, and we welcome it as it does. In the coming weeks Maia Snow, and Phd candidate in Gender Studies at Warwick University, whom I have developed a working relationship with and who helped me a great deal in writing the article linked above, will be writing a piece following on from it from her stance. I’m looking forward immensely to reading it.
[Jessi: This piece from Maia has now gone live, read it here!]
What would you say has changed in the world of electronica since Noisily first began? Are there any artists you’re particularly proud of booking in the early days that have gone on to be huge global successes?
It’s been interesting as organisers to watch several scenes grow and dissipate, that we otherwise wouldn’t have been privy to had we not been in outline of work. Deep House was exploding in the early stages of Noisily, so there was lots of ill fitting short shorts, dark glasses in the shade, those little cycling caps and plenty of fist pumping to female vocals and basslines that sound as though you’re inside a basketball filled with water. Although after a couple of years that became less a-la-mode, and by that point Noisily has grown and diversified to a point where we had so many genres under one roof, that we get to see the longevity and loyalty of so many different crowds. It’s great.
Artists we booked in the early days that went on to become world players, hmmm… Matador in year one was a bit of a coup, and he’s now totally out of the price range. Max Cooper, although he was already on the up when he came to play in year three. ANNA, who’s smashing it now, she’s incredible.
When the festival is on, where are we most likely to find you? Which stage is your favourite?
The Noisily Stage. I love Techno more than most people. Except my wife, I have to say that.
And finally, do you get the chance to visit many other festivals? If so, which are your favourites?
Oh yes! All important market research! Boom is the best festival on the planet, which is the opinion of the 45,000 people who go there and even a handful of the Burning Man crowd who came in 2018 admitted that, which is a big deal as anyone will know if you go to Burning Man you end up talking about it for a whole year afterwards – also Burning Man isn’t classed as a festival so maybe doesn’t count…? Africa Burn, hmmm, maybe that doesn’t count either… O.Z.O.R.A in Hungary is an incredible experience, I’ll be playing there this August which is exciting as it was my first Euro festival in 2008. Fusion in Germany is top of my list, as the line up is incredible. DGTL in Amsterdam. Bass Coast in British Columbia is run by some friends so that’s on the hitlist. Too many to keep listing!
A huge thank you to Charles for taking the time to answer my questions, and the whole Noisily Festival team for pouring their passion into this small yet truly unique event!
Tickets for Noisily Festival 2019 are available now! Come and join me in July!
