- The Big Chill (music festival)
infobox music festival
music_festival_name =
location =Ledbury ,Herefordshire ,England
years_active= 1994 - present
founders =Pete Lawrence andKatrina Larkin
dates = Early August
genre = Indie,Dance music ,World music ,Trance ,Reggae ,Folk music ,Dub music , Ambient,Chillout The Big Chill is an English festival of alternative and chill-out music, started in 1994.
History
Founded in
1994 byPete Lawrence andKatrina Larkin it began as a series of ambient parties at the Union Chapel inIslington , but developed into an outdoor festival in1995 with an event in the Black Mountains ofWales . In the early days the most prominentDJ s wereMatt Black ofColdcut ,Tom Middleton ofGlobal Communication andMixmaster Morris also known as the Irresistible Force.Location map
Herefordshire
label=
lat=52.03006
long=-2.39001
width=180
float=right
caption="Location ofEastnor Castle shown withinHerefordshire " (gbmapping|SO711376)After a false start that nearly bankrupted the fledgling festival, in 1998 a new home for the event (now known as "The Enchanted Garden") was found at
Larmer Tree Gardens inEngland where it was held for 5 years. During this time it slowly developed its hallmarks, such as high quality visuals, an excellent range of food stalls, highly unusual line-ups and a Body & Soul field with many healers, masseurs and alternative therapists. In2001 a second summer festival was also held atLulworth Castle in Dorset.The festival has continued to grow in popularity with attendance and ticket sales generally increasing each year. In
2002 the last festival took place at the Larmer Tree Gardens, and then the event moved to its current home atEastnor Castle where it now takes place each summer at the beginning of August. Attendance at the first "Enchanted Garden" was only a couple of thousand people, rising to around 6-7000 people towards the end of its time atLarmer Tree Gardens . In2003 this had increased to 17,500. Additional space at the Eastnor site has permitted the festival to grow further to 27,000 (2004 ) and 30,000 (2005 ) people. In2006 the event was licensed for 35,000 people, and in the 2007 festival was marginally smaller. Nowadays the festival has moved on from the vibes of its small beginnings and has a plethora of corporate sponsors and professionals involved in the production.Throughout its history, the Big Chill has showcased a variety of music, uptempo as well as ambient. Nowadays DJs like
Norman Jay ,Mr Scruff andGilles Peterson are regular performers, and more dance music is heard, but the festival also provides a diverse range of music from folk and jazz to African and dub, as well as art, films, poetry, cabaret and gourmet food. A couple of TV documentaries have helped The Big Chill become a regular fixture of the English summer.Festival Site
The festival is situated in the grounds of
Eastnor Castle nearLedbury inHerefordshire . The grounds are normally used as a reserve fordeer . The organisers encourage a "Leave No Trace " policy to dissuade people from littering the site. There are several stages and large tents. These include: The Castle Stage, The Big Chill Stage, The Sanctuary Stage, Media Mix Tent, Club Tent, The Village Green stage, and several sponsored bars which have their own DJs and soundsystems. Away from all the tents and music there is an Art Trail, an exhibition of unusual, avant-garde art installments. There is also a Kids tent and in 2007 a new cabaret tent, Big Chill Nights.The Big Chill 2008 Line Up
Music
*Camille (singer)
*Bomb the Bass
*Roots Manuva
*DJ Vadim
*DJ MK
*Fujiya & Miyagi
*Jilted John
*Leonard Cohen
*Little Dragon
*Múm
*Nina Nastasia
*Norman Jay
*Orchestra Baobab
*Plaid
*Portico Quartet
*Rachel Unthank & the Winterset
*Svetlana
*Thievery Corporation
*The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
*Sheila Chandra Comedy
*
The Mighty Boosh
*Bill Bailey
*John Shuttleworth
*Robin Ince
*Rob Rouse
*Ida Barr
*Al Pitcher
*Jarred Christmas
*Pete Cain
*Dave Johns
*Ed Petrie
*Howard Read
*Alistair Barrie
*Susan Murray
*Jeff Innocent
*Jonathan Mayor Spoken Word
*
Apples and Snakes
*Ben Goldacre
*John Hegley For Children
*
Ara Malikian Presents - My FirstFour Seasons
*Claytime
*Comedy Club 4 Kids Mixed Media / Cabaret
*
Club de Fromage present Sports Night
*Exceeda
*Light Surgeons
*Perverse Universe Victorian Freakshow
*Noise of Art Other attractions Victorian funfairThe Big Warm - bonfire space
Other Projects
The Big Chill has also spread its wings internationally, having created events in Naxos
Greece ,Cairo inEgypt ,Japan ,Australia andPrague . With the exception of Naxos, which ran for three consecutive years (2000-2002), all of these have been one-off events. In 2007 they held a two-day event at Aswem Beach inGoa ,India .They have also released a series of compilationCD s, and recently started signing acts such asAlucidnation ,Tom Middleton , AGK,Chilled By Nature and Eva Abraham to their own label - Big Chill Recordings.They broadcast two weekly radio shows on
Chill (radio station) every Monday at 2000, and every Wednesday at 2200.There is also a Big Chill Bar in
Brick Lane ,London . The "Big Chill House" opened inLondon in August 2006.Bands and Artists that have played at the festival
*
Zero 7
*Adem
*The Memory Band
*Martin Carthy
*Amadou and Mariam
*The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain
*Seasick Steve
*Nouvelle Vague
*Kieran Hebden andSteve Reid
*Coldcut
*Mixmaster Morris
*The Bays
*Goldlix
*Jose Gonzalez
*Nouvelle Vague
*Urban Myth Club
*Bent
*Bill Brewster
*The Egg
*Skylab
*Andrew Cronshaw
*Shur-i-kan
*Mr Scruff
*Rodrigo y Gabriela
*Martha Wainwright
*Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
*Blue Man Group
*Four Tet
*The Cinematic Orchestra
*Lily Allen
*4 Hero
*LTJ Bukem
*Lambchop
*Lemon Jelly
*John Peel
*Ulrich Schnauss
*Rob da Bank
*Norman Jay
*Arrested Development
*Gilles Peterson
*Patrick Forge
*Bugz in the Attic
*Tom Middleton
*Vashti Bunyan
*Jalebee Cartel
*Max Richter
*AGK
*Herbert
*Squarepusher
*Tunng
*Chas & Dave
*DJ Derek
*Kruder & Dorfmeister
*Future Loop Foundation
*Chris Coco
*Tonto's Expanding Head Band
*Transit Kings
*Cymande
*Isaac Hayes External links
* [http://www.bigchill.net/ The Big Chill website]
* [http://www.warnfestivals.co.uk/bigchill/ Warnfestivals The Big Chill Page]
* [http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/bigchill eFestivals festival coverage]
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