Earthcore (Somewhere in NSW)
Attractions/Facilities: Headliner of the night was Swedish DJ/Producer Robert Leiner, back at Earthcore for a second foray into techno - industrial style. Plus Earthcore regulars and locals, including live acts Sugar and URB (they rocked - watch out for URB at Reclaim the Streets). Other attractions: fire-twirlers, stalls, good corn. The river presided party shenanigans in all its glistening loveliness.
Crowd: Not too many naked people this time. In addition to a few dogs and very small children, there was a rather good mix of party-goers, all with one thing in common. Dedication. Taking the three hour trek across the state border into account as well as the number of city raves taking place on the same weekend, one had to be tremendously dedicated to make it this time. Yet the turnout was large. Earthcore just gets more and more popular.
The Score: It was a journey. A trek. A pilgrimage, even. To me it was well worth it. The 3-4 hours spent cramped in a hot car with other impatient persons came to an end with a flashing light and low-profile red arrow pointing down a long dusty driveway, lines of cars disappearing down its path and into the trees. One of the biggest rushes I ever get at Earthcore (purely natural of course) is on the driveway, when I first spy the vast glow of lights rising through the bush and hear the thump thump of techno music.... only this time it was drum n' bass. Beat-mistress Chewy was mashing it up in the main arena while jacket-clad and beanie-topped party-goers bounced up and down to prev ent their appendages becoming frozen solid in the icy temperatures. The real freaks were the ones jigging around in skimpy singlet tops and nothing else. Brrrr.... The vibe was a bit low at the start ("This is Deadcore," someone said) but after 3am, the action definitely kicked in. Funky acid techno and house drove Earthcoreans to the floor with excited faces and prancing limbs. Perhaps the limbs pranced (or stamped) too hard; it was a dust extravaganza. We were literally eating the stuff - I am coughing out clouds of it as I write. Eat dirt suckers!
Earthcore crowds I always find to be more friendly than city rave crowds, and tonight was no exception. Beaming faces, a warm party atmosphere... perhaps it due to the effort of the journey, the cold ... who knows- People danced on both sides of the river, tripped (over logs) and even got married. Congratulations to the lovely couple, by the way. May your children grow up to be upstanding citizens who say no to drugs. Another thing - what was the story with that ritual you did, the fiery circle in the middle of the river and all that- Well, it was nice anyway.
As the sky changed from black to deep blue to a bright sky blue, the temperature soared from one freezing extreme to another and people still danced away like loons. Cold water was sprayed on the masses of shagged-looking faces, while others took the smart option and jumped in the river. There was some bad points: a first-aid sign that pointed to the hat stall (where the hell was first-aid-) the shit-loads of dust, the shitful - in a literal sense - toilets (you were better off using a bush). Earthcore has changed over the years. No longer appealing to just ravers and hippies, it now appeals to all sorts, and whether this is a good or bad thing is prone to argument. Nevertheless, Earthcore always succeeds in dishing up three imperative things: the most friendly party people in the universe; an open-minded approach to music; plus the trees, the air, the open sky. That's why Earthcore still rocks.
Tags