On the 8th of December, over 28,000 festival goers got together at Sepang International Circuit for the much-anticipated Heineken Thirst 2012.
With a line-up of 12 leading international and local DJs performing across two arenas amid a towering 50 foot interactive art installation, there’s only one word to describe this year’s Heineken Thirst. Something that was definitely worth looking forward to.
With Avicii at the Main Stage as well as electronica superstars and veterans of the festival circuit Above & Beyond. This London-based multinational trio have a huge following in Malaysia so it was no wonder that they were greeted with an earth-shattering roar when they took the stage.
Of course Malaysia’s homegrown EDM superstars Goldfish & Blink warmed up perfectly for them, effortlessly controlling the thousands of fists pumping in the air below them.
Over at the Star Arena, the beats were darker and the mood a little edgier and more experimental as Heineken Thirst demonstrated its progressive edge with the Malaysian debuts of a trio of French acts, Brodinski and Gesaffelstein, two of the scene’s hottest electro producers set the scene perfectly with individual sets of brooding techno and outdoor anthems. Justice, France’s darkwave poster boys, which the crowd was waiting for, and to say they delivered the goods is an understatement. Across two hours of inspired ‘cutting and pasting’ that tripped from genre to genre, their Heineken Thirst set demonstrated exactly why they are regarded as one of the edgiest acts in the EDM community.
And let’s not forget a roll call of Heineken alumni: Mr. Nasty and GuruGuru, Phil K Lee and Tommy Cham on the Main Stage and Nick Haydez, Jee Hoe and Hypeembeats at the Star Arena. And of course, fresh from his set at the Main Stage with Goldfish, Blink closed the night at the Star Arena with partner DJ Xu at their celebratory show as LapSap.
Towering above the futuristic design universe of Heineken Thirst was one of the most iconic international pieces of public and festival art of recent years. Already a favourite at Coachella Fest, Electric Daisy Carnival & more, the 50 foot high Wish made its Asian debut at Heineken Thirst. Designed by San Francisco public art conceptualists Robert James, Wish consists of ‘three contemporary dandelions that are losing their seeds in the wind’. Clad in aluminium leaves and mirrored glass and edged with pulsating LEDs that react to the tempo of the music far below, Wish was the visual anchor to Heineken Thirst.
It was definitely a night to remember – with good music, good art and most of all a heart thumbing crowd with the common love for a good night.
Take a look at what went down:
