5 Acts to check out at Epizode4

Vietnam has become a melting pot for underground music over the last few years, as their local party scene has joined forces with the international creatives lured into the midst. Set on the breathtaking Phu Quoc Island, between 27th December and 7th January, Epizode Festival has firmly established itself as a serious player in the Asian Festival circuit. We’re excited to get back there again this year for Epizode4 and their New Years celebration which has certainly put them firmly on the list of festivals you must go to at least once in your life!

The now globally-acclaimed Epizode Festival builds a bridge between the East and West as an international music gathering of the highest order, and this year will explore an even wider musical landscape – along with striking art installations, creative stage designs and top-class soundsystems. The programme is a refreshingly unusual combination of names, with the calm and the storm perfectly poised. 11 days. 24-hour music. It’s safe to say we’re pretty excited…

Witling down to 5 is a tough call but if we had to pick our favourites to see at Epizode4 then here we go…

Christian Löffler

There are many great producers that give you a brief insight into the journeys and places they draw their musical power from, but there is something more deeply personal and transformative to Christian Löffler’s releases. A visual artist as well as musical, this man manages to share his painter’s eye with the listener and in understanding the place the creations stem from, you feel very intimately involved with the process itself. Phu Quoc Island is the perfect muse for this interpreter of worlds and it feels only natural that this deep down-tempo brilliance should be set to the rise or fall of the sun – let’s hope the organisers agree.

Behrouz

Burning man has nurtured some incredible musical movements over the years and the desert house storytellers have been a distant fascination for some time. Behrouz has been at the heart of this scene and for good reason. There is a shamanic leadership to this mans style, a man that belongs under the stars with a sea of flowing revellers. There is a sense of ritual every time he plays his intricate and progressive soundscapes – trading desert for beach seems like a natural progression.

Cabanne

Cabanne has been making serious moves with Yoyaku Records for some time. Having now launched his own label Polyson with a killer release from Varhat (Hokenkok EP) and his own Polissions EP – this is the perfect time for him to stamp his mark. If these early releases are anything to go by, then we are in for a whole host of minimal dubbed-out melodic goodness.

Kiasmos

Ólafur Arnalds has been a true breath of fresh air to the festival circuit over the years, providing moments of solice from the chaos with his piano wizardry. Half a decade ago he teamed up with Janus Rasmussen, who added new synthetic depth to the sound and elevated the beautiful Icelandic piano to dance floor euphoria. The debut album was a low-key classic and despite nearly half a decade passing since its inception, the name Kiasmos still feels like a rare sighting on a line up.

Leafar Legov

Leafar Legov became a bit of an obsession following his live boiler set two years ago. There is something to be said for artists that defy genre and focus on mood and story and Leafar Legov certainly falls into that category. There is an incredible, understated and peaceful power behind the limited but brilliant back catalogue. Solid booking Epizode4, see you in December.

Read last years review of Epizode Festival here

11-day Multi Passes are still available for Epizode4 at €259, as well as Sister Multi Passes which allow two ladies to enter for the price of one ticket, while three-person Group Multi Passes are at €649. 3-day Multi Passes are priced at €109 and tickets can be purchased online via the Epizode website here