Interstellar Groove Festival is making its debut in 2021.
The three-day event runs between the 1st and 4th of October in East Gippsland, Victoria. Boasting an all-star cast of Australia’s most talented DJs and the best house and techno the scene has to offer! The festival promises “A place of individuality, freedom & community, while exploring a galaxy of electronic music in a whimsical wonderland”
The music will predominantly focus on deep and melodic sounds with a splash of techno, but through the three days, attendees can expect to hear a broad mix of electronic music genres. Along with the live music and DJ performances, the event will also cater to art and lifestyle.
Bringing together a fine selection of talented DJs from across the country, those playing the event range from veterans like Anthony Pappa & Jamie Stevens to festival favourites like Thankyou City and GMJ & Matter! Not to mention a bounty of established artists and fresh faces we look forward to seeing on international lineups in the not to distant future!
Check out the interstellar Groove 2021 • Artists Spotlight playlist below. Let’s get warmed up!
On top of this, we have some of our all-time favourite Flow/333 sessions guests, after you read the article check out the amazing sets they did for us here Anthony Pappa, Eric Lune, Funkform, Luke MCD, Jamie Stevens & Thankyou City! Safe to say we will see you front left!
We got to chat with Morning After, owner and director Andrew Cook about his upcoming festival Interstellar Groove and more, here’s what he had to say.
You have been running Morning After for a number of years, tell us about how you got started with this project?
Hey guys… Mmmmmmm….. I’d been a punter and a DJ for 14-15 years before Morning After was born. I think I always wanted to run my own events and the touring side of the industry also interested me. I think I combined those 2 by bringing out some artists initially who hadn’t been out to Australia and had them play the Melbourne show for Morning After and then started trying to get them to other cities for shows and building them a tour around my show/event In Melbourne. It also came off the back of a really inspiring trip to South Africa where I met some incredible people and grew the courage to have a go at making it a reality.
For a 1st year event there has been a lot of support, do you attribute this to the homegrown lineup?
Yeah, I think our local domestic artists are the bomb. They’d have to be pound for pound the best in the world. I think everyone in the industry is so keen to get out and celebrate the great scene that we’ve been robbed of the last 18 months and celebrating our homegrown artists certainly adds a brilliant touch to things.
How did you come up with the concept for the secret seller’s network? It’s genius!
Hahahaha……. I just thought that growing the festival from within rather than out would be a much better idea long term. So all of the artists booked and our core team became our ‘Secret Sellers’. I thought if we kept things offline initially that the people we value most (those involved and their extended friends/crew and the community we’d started to build from some of the previous Morning After events, that this would be the best way to get tickets to those that wanted them the most and those that got us, the way we run our events and the music we push. I also thought that if things went to plan and there was significant interest, the fact it was harder than normal to find and get a ticket, the more demand and interest it would organically create. Something in demand that’s scarce…… This seems to have happened which has been great.
We are excited for the 1st edition of interstellar groove, let us know a bit more about the location?
The location is incredibly stunning. It’s located in East Gippsland, has fixed accommodation for 300 In cabins and dorms, beautiful lush campgrounds, a stunning lake & views in every direction you look, and is just a magical venue & site to host our intimate boutique festival. We couldn’t be happier. Want to see it with your own eyes check it out 🙂
An amazing location with an all-star line up it must have taken a lot of work to put something like this together?
Yeah, you’re not wrong. I’ve got notes about this event/festival on numerous notepads and computers going back 5-6 years ago…… I’ve been thinking about this and on the hunt for a site to make it happen for that long. Things were in place with the site in 2019 to actually launch in 2020 but COVID then took hold of our lives, but this was a blessing in disguise. With that delay, it allowed time for my best mate Reuben Cullen and Festival partner to be able to commit and get involved and we launched our own separate brand/company called Peas & Carrots which Interstellar Groove falls under. Reuben has been instrumental with the operations and logistics side of the festival and takes care of all the services, contractors, on-site build, production and operations. We’ve been partners in crime & mates for almost 20 years, so to come together and do this is a dream come true for both of us.
What advice would you give anyone interested in organising their own festival?
Oh…hahahaha…. I’m not sure I’m anywhere near qualified to answer this question but I would definitely say don’t force things & take your time. After having to wait 5-6 years and even with the delay with COVID, I feel because of those delays, I’m more ready to hopefully execute a really fun, safe and inspiring festival than I may have been at any time previously. I’d also say you need to be super passionate about the music and people at your core and to be willing to probably take on more than you should because there really is a truck load to do. Having a reliable team and close network of really good, helpful, positive and inspiring people who are willing to help is and has been such a key ingredient for making this happen, without them it would be almost impossible. So a good team is key!
What is your favourite festival you’ve attended and why?
Without a doubt, Rainbow Serpent Festival. It’s been the single biggest influence on me and my love of music over the last 11-12 years and has ultimately inspired me to do a lot of what I’ve tried to do with the agency, events, and now the festival. From the acts booked and programming at Rainbow by Thad Lester, just incredible from the minute you got there on a Thursday / Friday to when you left Tuesday, to the layout and flow of the festival site, to the stages, the people, the art and just the way they nailed and catered for you no matter where you were in your journey across 5 days, it’s just the most incredibly well put together event and festival and I can’t wait until it’s back!
Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us Andrew, we here at Flow would like to congratulate you on bringing this event to fruition, and hope to catch you on the dancefloor!
The final general admission tickets will be available from Aug 16th, you can find the full line-up below and order tickets from HERE
