Earth Frequency Festival brings music, arts and lifestyle together with workshops and a community-driven consciousness for a massive multi-faceted, four-day festival in south-east Queensland.
Now in its eleventh year, Earth Frequency has become a premier festival destination featuring national and international musicians, artists and performers, along with a massive selection of workshops, lectures and market stalls.
The man responsible for this alternative mecca of music and culture is promoter and DJ, Paul Abad, who has proudly run Earth Frequency since it began.
As Earth Frequency enters its second decade, what is the biggest change in the festival's operation?
Obviously the size of the event has changed a lot, and that changes the operation in many ways. But aside from that, it's been the process of managing the transition from being a smaller, electronic-doof orientated, smaller event to becoming a full blown, multi-day festival that covers a wider range of music and activities. It's very complex managing all the various expectations of our supporters who are a diverse group of people, while keeping things professionally run, logistically sound and compliant to all the various council regulations.
Have their been any changes to the original, core philosophy of Earth Frequency?
The concept was always about coming together in a shared space to celebrate music, art, community, nature and life, with the aim of leaving behind some positive benefits to the local area hosting the event. That hasn't changed at all.
"We have a big programme of workshops, lectures, healing and yoga, live painting."
What impact has Earth Frequency had on music culture in south-east Queensland?
I would like to think it has contributed to dissolving some boundaries between the live music and electronic music scenes, and that it's helped create a space where new musical styles can come through this region with ease, and help keep the SE Qld music scene current. It's also been a great launch pad for many locally based artists to the national and international circuits.
How will the 2016 event compare to the first Earth Frequency Festival?
It's been such a huge progression, there's no comparison really. In 2016 we're expecting somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 people and we're preparing ourselves for our first limited capacity/ sold out event if things go well. The first edition of the event was way back in 2005 and had about 300 people and was a small, one-night landcare and music event on a private property. The evolution has been staggering and it's amazing to have watched it grow into the epic creation that it is now.
Festivals tend to have an entropic nature – starting well on a small scale then dissolving into chaos as they grow bigger. Do you have any concerns about this happening to Earth Frequency?
I have always thought that it's just as hard to control growth as to kickstart it, and maintaining the vibe and the original idea once you start getting massive can be a real challenge. We made the decision this year to cap numbers at 5,000 and instead of growing as much as possible, focusing on refining the festival and perfecting it around what we see as a good number for this region. Maintaining the festival's friendly, community vibe is top priority to us.
As the promoter, what for you is the proudest achievement of the festival?
Making it to the ten-year mark without becoming jaded or burning out! Also, having put together a really awesome team of dedicated, professional people, all of who I consider friends and allies.
What do you think keeps people coming back to Earth Frequency?
From the feedback I get, I would have to say it's the line-ups we do each year, the sense of community that has developed over the years, and the fact that we have been able to maintain a special vibe through the evolution of the festival where people feel safe, happy and full of love. There's no exact science to those things, but it is the intention we put out each year and it seems to keep working.
Can you recommend some bands and artists who should not be missed at EFF 2016?
Funk Hunters and Chali 2na are going to be something special – they have done a big, US tour this year, mashing up Chali 2na's tracks with the Funk Hunters' glitch hop and drum & bass beats. Blue King Brown have an epic stage presence and is a really standout booking for EFF. For the techno lovers, Boris Brejcha and Sebastian Mullaert (aka Minilogue) will totally own the Sunday afternoon session!
At this point, are you finding you have to say 'no' more than 'yes' to artists applying to perform?
Yes. 400+ applications for around 100 spots. It's not easy! And then there's all the people who ask but don't apply. It's not an easy task getting through all that keen interest and putting a line-up together.
Aside from the musical line-up, what's on offer for 2016?
As usual we will have a big programme of workshops, lectures, healing and yoga, a visionary art gallery, live painting, a family space, and an amazing market-stalls area full of fashion, art, craft and tasty food.
Earth Frequency promotes an all-inclusive community atmosphere, including an area designed for kids and families. Has this been a success, and do you have families that keep coming year after year?
Absolutely. The Family Realm keeps growing in size each year and is a big part of making the festival a real community space and not just a festival for a specific demographic. I think if a festival of this nature is serious about maintaining a sense of community over a long period of time, it's important to have a family-friendly approach and provide a space with activities for the families that attend.
Let's talk about the small army of volunteers who collaborate and contribute to create Earth Frequency each year. How integral are they to the success of the festival?
It's incredible really. We had around 400 volunteers in 2015 and they work a huge range of tasks from the info tent and front gate, to artist services and sustainability. We love our volunteers and the festival wouldn't function without them. Volunteering is a great way to support the festival, meet new people and work for your ticket, so if that sounds appealing we encourage everyone to apply to volunteer! Applications for volunteering are open at the moment.
Finally, what are your plans for Earth Frequency into the future?
Our goals at this point are to perfect our systems around a limited-capacity model of around 5,000 people, expand the local charity and philanthropic outcomes of the festival so it is an event which 'makes a difference' rather than just providing entertainment, to keep putting on a diverse and cutting edge line-up, and hopefully operate on that model sustainably for at least another decade!
Earth Frequency Festival takes place 12-15 February, 2016, in south-east Queensland.
