Vietnam’s sonic paradise Epizode Festival wrapped up its 11-day return, aka Epizode², from December 31-January 10 on Phu Quoc Island, bringing together some of electronic’s biggest names and thousands of partygoers from around the globe.
Across three stages, Epizode² hosted international house and techno titans as well as a wide array of Asia-based and homespun talents. The festival kicked off with a New Year’s Eve party featuring icon and Main Stage headliner Carl Cox, Tyoma, Sacha Muki and Eric Powell. Needless to say, Phu Quoc’s Sunset Sanato beach was packed with ravellers who got the ball rolling until the early hours.
HYTE, one of the world’s leading party institutions, presented their showcases on January 5, 7 and 9 with global heavyweights, namely Desolat founder Loco Dice, techno innovator Richie Hawtin, Berghain’s resident Marcel Dettman, power duo Pan-Pot, one of techno most famous ladies Nicole Moudaber, Saved Records’ Nic Fanciulli, Rekids techno mistress Peggy Gou, techno head Yaya, and 50 Weapons’ Bambounou.
Hyte crowd ©Epizode
After smashing the Main stage, HYTE afterhours continued at Freesby Stage, bringing many memorable moments such as Loco Dice and CLR’s Chris Liebing’s sunrise sets.
The takeover of Moscow’s ARMA on January 6 was another noteworthy event. The party continued until the evening hours the following day, thanks to headliner Ricardo Villalobos, Perlon’s Sammy Dee, micro-house masters Dan Andrei, Fumiya Tanaka, and Denis Kaznacheev.
Epizode² hosted even more global icons and leading lights, namely Luciano, Ryan Crosson, Jamie Jone, Dubfire, tINI b2b Bill Patrick, Ame, Dixon, and Nakadia. They were supported by festival residents Tyoma and Roustam.
Loco Dic and Yaya ©Epizode
Eggs Stage was where Asia’s leading batch of talents was served, roping in Hibiya Line, the founder of Ho Chi Minh’s legendary club The Observatory, who played alongside The Obs resident Dan Lo. Representing Hanoi’s hotspot Savage were Ouissam and his resident DJ MINH8 with their eclectic grooves.
Thailand’s very own and internationally acclaimed Sung Hargun brought his signature shades of techno, while another Bangkok-based hero Dan Buri provided his high-octane performance. Also present were Zig Zach, one of the key figures in Singapore’s underground scene, and Cats on Crack, the lady behind The Council. Kuala Lumpur’s top names Alam and Obadius brought their magical progressive deep and melodic techno.
Hong Kong’s leading DJ ladies Ocean Lam and Jo.D twisted the crowd through deep techno tantrums and warm house tracks. Marcus L, the founder of Seoul’s iconic Faust Club and Ameniia Records, presented his syncopated brand of electronic music before Myle spinned her fusion of organic, ethnic and synthetic sound and Australia’s A Friend of Marcus transformed grinding beats, spacey techno and mechanical bliss into the sculpture of deep grooves and pure energy.
©Epizode
“Our goal is to position Epizode as a perfect New Year’s Eve musical getaway,” the festival team proclaims. “We are happy that this year, we had people from all over the world, enjoying parties, after parties and spreading a very special vibe we’re proud of. Investing into the local Asia community is one of our priorities. We’re happy to provide the top-quality music program that push the boundaries in Asia, and we are happy to have hosted the best Asia’s DJ talents alongside the international superstars. This is just the beginning, we will keep on working closely with the local representatives and strengthening the relations with local community.”
