Advertisement

Future Music jumps genres

Drake is one of the headliners at the festival.

Future Music Festival and its all-ages sibling Good Life Festival will continue to adapt with the times, organisers say, with this year’s electronic, dance and hip-hop line-up simply a reflection of what’s popular.

The biggest festival of the summer period is set to roll around to Joondalup on Sunday, with organisers hopeful 40,000 punters will show up.

It is short of the 45,000 capacity at the venue but over and above its closest rival Stereosonic, where about 25,000 walked through the gates on both Saturday and Sunday.

Laneway Festival had about 10,000 attendees and Southbound had just short of 25,000 over its two days.

Future Music itself has adapted over the years, showcasting acts as diverse as UK heroes the Stone Roses to South Korean one-hit-wonder Psy.

This year’s line-up is distinctively guitar-free, with urban king Drake, super-DJ Avicii and dance legends the Prodigy headlining an array of acts dominated by EDM (electronic dance music).

Future Music director Brett Robinson says he spends about four or five months in Europe and the US each year attending festivals to see what’s working and what isn’t.

He says Future Music continues to succeed as it is willing to jump around the genres and take risks.

“I think a lot of other music festivals have possibly failed because they haven’t done that,” he says.

“Over the weekend there’ll be some acts that will deliver big crowds while others that maybe I think should get a big crowd — no one turns up.

“But we have social media now, and it’s brilliant.

“We can see what people like and adapt our line-up or the experience accordingly.”

The company also has (the all-ages Good Life Festival the following day, where a further 20,000 under 18s are expected to venture out.