THE PLEASURE GARDEN FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FIRST ROUND LINE UP 

In its inaugural year The Pleasure Garden's first announcement of artists includes The Cat Empire, The Opiuo Band, The Correspondents, Tash Sultana, Spoonbill, Dub FX, Jakubi, Mista Savona, Boogs, Steve Ward and Kodiak Kid. With many more to be announced.

Reminiscent of established UK festivals such as Bestival, Secret Garden Party and Boomtown Fair, Melbourne's Pleasure Garden will be the first offering of its kind in Australia.

A diverse and unique musical programme, mischievous roving theatrical performances, inspiring art installations and large, themed stages. All set to a backdrop of picturesque parkland, complete with lush green lawns and shady Palm trees to relax under. An event filled with colour, movement, eye-catching décor and art, carnival rides, and boutique cocktail and food options.

Dedicated to creating nothing less than an extraordinary experience for the punter, The Pleasure Garden festival directors, are also excited to announce that the music will be delivered through the state of the art Funktion One Vero PA system. They are also utilising technology that will allow pre-emptive 3D sound modelling and mapping, as well as delay towers and multiple speaker stacks to ensure the sound is delivered in its highest quality to the festival goer. This, plus rear- facing, noise cancelling sub arrays at the back of speakers and integrated acoustic paneling mean less noise spill and more volume on the dance floor!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

THE CAT EMPIRE

For over a decade, The Cat Empire have been known far and wide as one of the world's greatest party bands and we are ecstatic to have them head up the first Pleasure Garden announcement. In 2015 The Cat Empire toured over 15 different countries, playing many festivals including Hurricane and Southside Festival, Germany, Secret Garden Party, UK and Rock Wertcher in Belgium as well as the career highlight of Royal Albert Hall in London. The band's most recent release, sixth album, Rising With The Sun debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts and achieved Top 10 debut in 7 countries. Six musicians, unstoppable on the global stage and synonymous for freedom, summer, running from the dark side and quirky love songs, The Cat Empire will treat the crowd to a fiercely uplifting live show.

THE OPIUO BAND

Opiuo recently released his third album Omniversal, hard hitting electro funk, techno smothered instrumental soul and deeply melodic. Acclaimed both at home in Australia and abroad, Opiuo stormed on to the scene in 2010 when his single 'Robot Booty' rocked the airwaves and festivals through out the globe and debut LP Slurp and Giggle was nominated for Best Independent Dance Album at the AIR awards. Follow up release, album Meraki, took out Best Electronic Album at the New Zealand Music Awards. We welcome The Opiuo Band to Pleasure Garden, with a unique take on electronic music, Opiuo has graced stages at the likes of Glastonbury and Coachella and it is guaranteed to be a feast for the ears, the eyes and your dancing thighs!

THE CORRESPONDENTS

Growing up in South London, the duo that is The Correspondents, quickly established themselves as one of the best live acts in the UK, winding up in The Telegraph's Top 10 Highlights of Glastonbury for two consecutive years. The Correspondents are Mr Bruce, singing, scatting and dancing like his life depends on it, while producer Chuck offers a multitude of genres from jazz and blues to electro and drum and bass.

TASH SULTANA

A huge buzz of late, Tash Sultana is a one-woman band powerhouse. Bringing a crafted, edgy fusion of multi-instrumental pieces, from beat boxing to unique guitar and percussion styled finger-tapping guitar which has left audiences in awe. From busking on the streets of Melbourne to homemade videos going viral, Sultana's recent single 'Gemini' has scored her not one but two international booking agency deals and she is heading off to tour Europe before returning to Australia for Pleasure Garden.

SPOONBILL

Glitch-hop, broken beat and bass music will be delivered by Spoonbill's genre defying signature sound. Beat-less sound art to dub infused rhythms and downbeat grooves. One of Australia's most unique electronic musicians, Spoonbill recently released his 4th album Tinkerbox, a sonic anthology that traverses the landscapes of cinematic groove electronica which followed the success of 2009 album Zoomorphic which landed many accolades including FBI and Radio National's Album of the Week for its high class production and infectious groves.

DUB FX

Dub FX will be performing a mixture of new tunes from his forthcoming album Thinking Clear (out August 2016), along with the classics that got him world wide recognition on YouTube. Since 2006 Dub has dominated the world of street performance as a solo artist using his voice and a loop station, and has performed in over 40 countries and at almost every major festival worldwide including Glastonbury, Coachella, Sziget, Boomtown, Shambala & Exit.

JAKUBI

Eclectic Melbournian outfit Jakubi bring their unique sound to Pleasure Garden. A sound hard to pigeon hole. Elements of funk, soul, hip-hop and pop make up Jakubi's unique flavor which stems from a combination of jangly guitars, hip-hop beats and sailing synth sounds. Talk box one minute, reggae-inspired guitar the next. Jakubi are guaranteed to get everyone dancing. Touring in the US, Jakubi have performed with The Roots, Ben Harper and Chance The Rapper.

MISTA SAVONA

Australia's leading reggae and dancehall producer, Mista Savona deliver a seamless meshing of genres from hip hop, roots reggae, dubstep, electronic and world music. Mista Savona records and tours regularly with some of Australia's leading singers and mc's, as well as collaborating with a host of international artists from Jamaica, Europe, the Pacific and beyond.

BOOGS

A true leader of the Melbourne underground club scene, Boogs is supremely talented and original. Famous for his 7am Revolver Sunday's sessions his sets combine incredible technical skills with an ear for new music.

STEVE WARD

Australian born DJ and producer Steve Ward offers up a blend of tough house grooves coupled with the power of techno and the euphoria of Detroit, a proven recipe for packing dance floors from London to Tokyo, Amsterdam to Ibiza. Ward has written music with the likes of Carl Cox, Nile Rodgers, Oliver Lieb, Secret Cinema and Alexander Kowalski. Live, Ward is electric, using cutting edge technology fused with his passionate background of traditional instruments, live keys and vocals, a performance you won't forget!

KODIAK KID

The impact that has been made on Melbourne's underground Bass scene by Kodiak Kid is beyond measure. It Is with a core resonating understanding between self and sound that lays the foundations for his unique signature style that has placed Kodiak Kid as one of the country's finest DJ's, earning him invites to perform at some of the premium festivals and events across Australia including Splendour In The Grass, Rainbow Serpent Festival, Eclipse, Earth Frequency Festival, Island Vibes, Wide Open Space, Regrowth, Let Them Eat Cake and IN North America at the mighty Burning Man Festival.