Melt! festival By Goedie, 16 March 2004

Uiteraard staan er dit jaar weer genoeg festivals op het programma zowel in Nederland als in het buitenland. Het lijkt er ook op dat steeds meer Nederlanders ook een kijkje over de grens willen nemen vandaar dat we nu eens een buitenlands festival onder de loep zullen nemen. Ditmaal het relatief onbekende festival Melt! dat op 16-18 juli zal plaatsvinden op het Ferropolis terrein in Graefenhainichen, Duitsland. Het eerste gedeelte van de line-up is overigens al bekend!

Short and sweet - Our philosophy
Melt! Festival is an integral part of the German festival scene. In 2004, one of the most intense outdoor events of the summer will be taking place for the seventh time, against a breathtaking backdrop. Melt! is just what the name suggests - a musical melting pot where electroheads, rock nerds and pop devotees alike feel at home - Melt! Festival transcends genres and scenes, and retains credibility throughout. Nowhere else does the blending of dance beats, rock acts and dj's come so naturally. Melt! has successfully carved out its own niche, offering the perfect soundtrack to an extraordinary location and to the summer itself.

Previous highlights 1997 - 2002
The Notwist, Röyksopp, Tocotronic, Zoot Woman, Blumfeld, Sportfreunde Stiller, Briskeby, 2Raumwohnung, Miss Kittin, Chicks On Speed, Andreas Dorau, Rush, Richie Hawtin, Märtini Brös., King Britt, Op:l Bastards, Luke Slater, The Advent, Ellen Allien, Tomte, DJ Koze, Tok Tok vs. Soffy O. and many more

Line-up 2004
First part of the line-up is already confirmed:
The Streets, Tortoise, Phoenix, International Pony, Mouse On Mars, Mia., T.Raumschmiere & Band, DJ Koze, Ellen Allien, The Robocop Kraus, Senor Coconut Orchestra, Märtini Brös (live), Chicken Lips, Egoexpress (live), Andre Galuzzi, Alexander Kowalski (live), Heiko Laux (live), Moonbootica, Ascii.Disko, Beige GT, Mediengruppe Telekommander, Le Hammond Inferno, Wighnomy Brothers, Mocky, Diego

The rest of the line-up is gonna be announced in the next few weeks.

Approximately 50 exciting electronic and alternative
acts on five stages.

Date, times
Date: 16th - 18th July 2004
Friday 16th July, 3 p.m. – Saturday 8 a.m.
Saturday 17th July, 2 p.m. – Sunday 2 p.m. + 1 non-stop floor

Location
Ferrepolis »City of Steel« – Expo 2000 Project
Steel sculpture consisting of five opencast mining machines, framed by the
Gremmin Lake
Ferropolisstraße 1
06773 Gräfenhainichen (Saxony-Anhalt/Germany)
Travel time by car from: Berlin 1.20h, Leipzig 0.5h, Halle 0.5h, Dresden 1.5h,
Cologne 5h, Hamburg 3h, Munich 4h
By public transport: Deutsche Bahn to Dessau, bus to Ferropolis; coach trips
organised in cooperation

Visitor development
1997 Bernsteinsee nr. Velten (Brandenburg) 01.500
1998 Military airport Lärz (Mecklenburg) 02.000
1999 Ferrepolis 03.300
2000 Ferrepolis 07.500
2001 Ferrepolis 09.000
2002 Ferrepolis (despite steady rainfall) 10.000
2004 expected 12.000

Tickets
Advance Sales: from 01st December 2003 through www.meltfestival.de and
all usual outlets (Germany-wide)
Price: tba, fair pricing
Capacity: 20.000, limited to 12.000 for 2004

Parking, camping
Sufficient well-lit parking areas
Campsite in a field on the shores of Gremmin lake (swimming possible)
Toilet and shower area with permanent facilities and sufficient staff

Festival concept

Melt! is back.
With a new promotion team and a whole host of new ideas, the seventh edition of this popular open-air festival will be a lasting enrichment to the European festival scene. 'Ferropolis' near Berlin is the ideal setting for this audiovisual highlight: for three days, the 'City of Steel' is transformed into a playground for discerning music and dance aficionados. The site is in the heart of the former East German states, and is easily reached by car or public transport.

An arena opens up in the centre of Ferropolis reminiscient of a Roman amphitheatre. Here lie the two main stages, framed by the impressive relics of opencast coal mining: five diggers, 120 ft high and up to 400 ft long, look out over the party crowd. Under the steel colossi are various dance floors, one of which pulsates 24 hours a day. Germany’s most creative visual artists light up the night.

Electronica meets Rock - an open and, in Germany, unusual concept that balances confidently between hand-made and electronic music, finds common ground and connects what has long since become inseparable in clubs and scenes. From its inception, Melt! has always proved that the combination of live performance and DJing, song and track, pop, rock and electronica not only works - it's also great fun. International musical trends of the last two years
(electroclash, bastard-pop, punk revival…) bear out the validity of this visionary concept.

Melt! presents established artists and young hopefuls from Germany and abroad. Record labels independently shape the presentational platforms available to them. Artists who have had close ties with the festival for years are actively involved in the planning, and put forward their own ideas and concepts; a 'family reunion' for fans, artists and the industry. Idealism, attention to detail and a love of music are not just catchphrases - they are what Melt! is all about. The right touch and impeccable taste in the choice of artists established previous events as gatherings of like-minded music lovers, and generated the festival's high-class image and an impressive media response across Europe.