FREEDOM TIME FESTIVAL

Announces Huge 2017/18 LINE-UP

+ Returning To PERTH, MELBOURNE

+ DEBUT IN SYDNEY

FREEDOM TIME Festival returns this summer setting off on its third lap around the sun. The beloved day-night dance-celebration and sound system spectacular will visit three Australian cities; returning to its spiritual home in Perth on New Year’s Eve, then back to Melbourne’s much loved Coburg Velodrome on New Year’s Day, and, for the first time ever, FREEDOM TIME will grace the shores of Sydney, heading to Manning Bar and Gardens on Sunday the 7th of January.

Renowned for its eclectic line up, positive energy and free-spirited atmosphere, FREEDOM TIME features some of the world’s most respected & highly regarded artists, producers and DJs, alongside the best local talent each city has to offer, united together for an open-air celebration of music, diversity and community.

Bringing his incredible live PA & VJ experience, and leading the vibrant lineup of national & international guests, is pioneering house producer Larry Heard (aka Mr Fingers). Having created some of house music’s most iconic and enduring tracks under a myriad of different guises across his 30-year career, the Chicago house icon will close out the festival across Australia. Performing alongside him is legend of Jamaican music, Johnny Osbourne, bringing his roots and reggae sounds to shores nationwide. London’s Rhythm Section International will host a special label showcase in each city with local artists hand picked by head honcho Bradley Zero, and touring with modern soul duo, Silentjay and Jace XL, and the percussion based Phil Stroud Band (Perth & Melbourne). Swiss DJ and Patchworks Party founder Sassy J will also be sharing her inspired and comprehensive selections across the country.

PERTH punters can anticipate an epic three stage, eight hour affair, as FREEDOM TIME returns to the place of its humble beginnings in the cosy confines of a Northbridge carpark. The day-night event will feature a spectacular selection from the depths of Perth’s dance music and DJ communities, including dub and reggae masters Earthlink Sound letting loose on the KBI Sound System, RTRFM presenter and DJ Rok Riley, and the mighty METHODS crew. Across each stage, the likes of Din Daa Daa DJ’s Jaxon and Nicole Filev, house producer Guy Contact and beat maker Kuzich and will set the scene, as party-goers prepare to count down the new year.

In MELBOURNE’s Coburg Velodrome, the New Year’s Day event will welcome the multi-talented disco vocalist Leroy Burgess as he teams up for a special collaborative performance with producer Harvey Sutherland and his All Star Freaks for this inter-generational world debut, plus a set from his famed trio Bermuda. Enigmatic songstress Nai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote will also perform, along with Melbourne’s much-loved CC:DISCO and highly acclaimed Brisbane-via-London vocalist Jordan Rakei, who’ll infect his soul-stirring, neo-jazz onto the night. Zambian-born, globally-loved poet and singer-songwriter Sampa The Great will lay down her hip-hop magic, as well as jazz-fusion four piece Krakatau providing explosive jams throughout the ten hour celebration. With renowned psychedelic disco connoisseurs Wax’o Paradiso commanding their own stage once more and Crown Ruler in charge of proceedings you can count on a fantastic outdoor, four-stage day-nighter to perfectly kick off the new year.

Wrapping up in style, FREEDOM TIME will take over the leafy surrounds of SYDNEY University’s Manning Bar and Gardens. Disco soulman Leroy Burgess and boogie minimalist Harvey Sutherland will also be joining the Sydney line-up with local flavour added by some of the city’s finest; Stalwarts Ben Fester & Simon Caldwell will bring their tenacious house and techno selections to the day, alongside local acts like Freda and Jackson and Jonti. International party crew Rimbombo will see their Sydney allies shine as James Greville, Adi Toohey and Earl Grey throw their collections into the mix, while the Inner West Reggae Disco Machine will offer their glorious sound system to the multi-stage, prestigious Sydney location.

Starting out as a 400 person block party in Perth in 2015, FREEDOM TIME has quickly grown into a unique and lovingly curated boutique open-air music festival, established by the Crown Ruler and Wax’o Paradiso teams in Melbourne and M.O.V.E. Foundation in Perth. Since the beginning, the FREEDOM TIME team has had a common goal to bring world leading artists and musical pioneers together in celebration with Australia’s own world class music communities. In just a few years, they’ve stepped up operations to offer a New Year’s Eve event in Perth, Melbourne’s phenomenal New Year’s Day party, a FREEDOM TIME Winter event and now they journey to Sydney for the first time to carry on the party into January.

Having previously featured diverse and impressive acts such as cult-icon DJ Harvey, UK act Floating Points, Chicago’s Sadar Bahar, Brooklyn’s Kim Ann Foxman, Detroit’s Theo Parrish and Paris DJ Jeremy Underground, FREEDOM TIME has built a reputation for providing world class acts and lovingly produced venues across Australia.

FREEDOM TIME is set to bring its biggest lineup yet across the nation this summer. Come see in the new year with the FREEDOM TIME family and their expertly curated festival for discerning dance enthusiasts.