SYMPHONICA: ARMAND VAN HELDEN WITH THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The New York electronic music icon makes his first appearance on Australian shores for seven years. After rising to prominence in the mid ‘90s, Armand Van Helden has dominated club culture and the airwaves for more than two decades, blessing the scene with countless classics along the way. He is simply one of the most pivotal figures in dance music ever.

“One of house music’s most important figures.” – Resident Advisor

“For over 20 years, Armand Van Helden has been on the cutting edge of dance music, both breaking down walls between genres and accidentally opening up new ones in the process.” – Rolling Stone

“Few dance producers in any style have had the changeability and staying power of Armand Van Helden.” – Red Bull

Armand Van Helden and MSO’s 70-piece orchestra will  breathe new life into his long list of house classics, including the likes of ‘U Don’t Know Me’, ‘My My My’, ‘Bonkers (feat. Dizzee Rascal)’, ‘I Want Your Soul’, his legendary remix of Tori Amos’ ‘Professional Widow’ and certified bangers as part of Duck Sauce including ‘Barbra Streisand’. This is not even touching on the dozen odd underground club anthems that Armand has to his name. It’s set to be an unforgettable evening.

Inspired by the success of 2016’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl performance featuring techno legends Jeff Mills & Derrick May, Symphonica is the first instalment in what will be an ongoing annual collaborative series between the MSO and some of contemporary music’s most influential figures.

As an arts leader and Australia’s oldest professional orchestra (est. 1906), the MSOreaches more than 2.5 million people each year. In addition to its core classical performances at its home at Hamer Hall, Symphonica will prove to a new generation of music lover that the orchestra is accessible to all. MSO’s Associate Conductor Benjamin Northey will be at the helm leading a full orchestra of musicians through the dance tracks, curated especially for Symphonica by Australian arrangers Jamie Messenger and Joe Twist.

Melbourne futurist trio Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda will feature alongside a 15-piece MSO ensemble, performing new and classic material from Sutherland’s catalogue of‘lounge room dance floor burners’. Scored and arranged by violinist Tamil Rogeon, Bermuda will deliver a cinematic disco experience in the spirit of Isaac Hayes or the Love Unlimited Orchestra.

Don’t miss out of this very special summer evening under the stars featuring internationally renowned producer, Armand Van Helden joined by the incredible MSO. One night only.

As one in the steady progression of top in-house producers for Strictly Rhythm during the early ’90s, Armand Van Helden joined such names as Todd Terry, Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez, Masters at Work and George Morel to record scores of club hits. By the late ’90s, a clutch of crucial remixes and several albums made Van Helden’s name as one of the most popular producers around.

In 2005, he scored a huge commercial hit with ‘My My My’, his biggest hit in America since ‘U Don’t Know Me’ hit number #1 back in 1999. In the interim, he released two excellent long players, Nympho (2004) and Ghettoblaster (2007) while also satisfying his New York culture vulture cravings with New York: A Mix Odyssey (2004) and A Mix Odyssey Two (2008), the latter of which is an homage to the emerging hip house and electro movement of 1988 and is by far the most classic retrospective compilations. His career spans from 1990 until now, seeing countless chart placements in the commercial and underground dance music scene with numerous collaborations with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Common and his chart-topping side project with A-Trak – Duck Sauce.

MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA:

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performs live to 250,000 people each year, in concerts ranging from subscription performances at its home, Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne through to its annual free concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.  The MSO has a history of collaborating with a variety of contemporary artists from Elton John, KISS, Tim Minchin, Tripod, Kurt Elling, Nick Cave, Hilltop Hoods, Flight Facilities and Jeff Mills among many others.

HARVEY SUTHERLAND & BERMUDA:

Harvey Sutherland is a studio producer and disco minimalist from Melbourne. The keyboard player has worked steadily since 2013, releasing a collection of coveted dance floor records for international labels and his own ‘Clarity Recordings’ imprint.

Sharing the name of his breakout single, ‘Bermuda’ is Sutherland’s live band – a futurist outfit comprising Melbourne musicians Graeme Pogson (drums) and Tamil Rogeon (electric strings) alongside Sutherland himself (synthesizers). The trio interpret Sutherland’s productions with flair and relentless consistency, bringing a unique energy to the club space.

Harvey Sutherland’s distinctive music has found a worldwide audience, with support from Gilles Peterson, The Black Madonna and Jamie XX and critical acclaim from Resident Advisor and The Guardian. Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda have appeared at Glastonbury, Nuits Sonores, Dimensions and Meredith Music Festival.

FRONTIER TOURING:

Frontier Touring, part of Michael and Matt Gudinski’s Mushroom Group, is one of the most respected, long-standing and proactive concert promoters in Australasia. Formed in 1979, Frontier has played a fundamental role in entertaining Australians and New Zealanders across more than three decades and developing the live music scene in the region. Since its inception, Frontier has toured some of the world¹s most established and exciting artists, from Bruce Springsteen to Ed Sheeran, Kylie to Blur, Drake to Troye Sivan, Billy Joel to Taylor Swift and everything in between. In the past year alone, Frontier has toured Rodriguez, Ryan Adams, Morrissey, Justin Bieber, RNB Fridays Live, Vance Joy and Shawn Mendes to name a few.