Everybody knows how the psy-trance scene has dramatically increased over the last 5 years in Cape Town. It seems that as bass music has grown in variety so has the audience with hundreds of festival goers partying all summer AND winter long! Labyrinth has been instrumental in preserving the psy-trance culture during that black clouded months. Because of their tenacity this weekend sees Labyrinth celebrate their 8th birthday party!
BCTC had a chat to Sam from Hype Media, partner behind the Labyrinth band, about what Labyrinth brand represents:
1) What was the psy-trance scene like 8 years ago that inspired Hype Media to create Labyrinth?
Labyrinth was actually started in 2005 by Dean FUEL & Garan Reck in the O2 Bar at Opium. The scene was completely different back then, very underground and niche, and their inspiration for the night came from a passion and a love for the music, the sub-culture and the people! The idea was to bring friends and like-minded psy-lovers together to party to the best psy music and DJ’s each and every week.
The same can be said for me, I totally fell in love with music and psy-culture when I moved to Cape Town in 2004, so when offered the opportunity to replace Garan as a partner in Labyrinth in 2007, I took it 🙂
2) How has the vision for the night evolved over the years to what it is today?
The vision of bringing people together hasn’t changed, just the frequency of it!
Lab was started as weekly event, and over the years has evolved to offer once off special events, hosting of nights at outdoors festivals, monthly events, and now for this winter season just the 3 x MASSIVE events! Our mantra is to “bring the outdoors indoors” and we do this through quality line-ups, only the best decor, 3-D visuals, and a first rate sound system (Funktion-One at Trinity).
3) What is the main purpose of hosting Lab within the Cape Town or global scene?
Firstly to have fun. Secondly to expose new people to the psy-trance music and the culture that we love so much!
Cape Town is still, without a doubt, at the forefront of psy-culture globally, and known for some of the best events worldwide. We are proud to be part of that legacy, often being cited as people’s first psy experience in Cape Town, and the reason they fell in love with it!
4) Lab offers a platform for local DJs to play. How difficult / easy it is for up n coming psy-trance DJs to get involved?
Lab used to be easier when we ran weekly as there was more opportunity to vary the line-ups and host a greater number of guest DJ’s. Now with only 3 events we are limited by the number of acts we can host.
Having said that LAB was built on the back of up-and-coming DJ’s, such as APM & FUEL who have evolved into huge brands such as HEADROOM and Dean FUEL. We are always open to new acts and encourage people to send us their music and demos all the time.
5) There’s a varied line up on May 25th. What’s the purpose behind this?
Our line-ups have always been geared around a flow of music. I think its safe to say Lab is a pioneer of multi genre events . So for this event we’ll kick off the night with some minimal techno, move into more progressive music, then into the more full-on sound of psytrance. The right music & DJ’s for the right time in the night – that is key! So our recommendation: come early and experience it ALL!
6) Winter has arrived so in-door trance parties will be at their seasonal peak. What can party animals expect from Labyrinth as it goes into its 9th year?
You can expect the same attention to detail, passion and love for the scene that we’ve always had. A special mention goes to Artescape who is doing our decor (they do decor for massive global festivals such as BOOM and local giants Origin, Earthdance etc.). It will be their first indoor set-up and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us! We also have the VJ team from Afterlife doing a special VJ set-up for us for our birthday. We know it will blow people away!
7) Any lasting memories and words for us?
It has been such an amazing journey so far, there are too many memories to name! But on a personal level I’ve enjoyed going from a young girl on the dancefloor, to working at the door, to eventually being a partner in the brand. These transitions have been truly special.
A huge shout-out to all our friends, djs, suppliers, partygoers and the psy family that have supported us along the way … LAB salutes you. Without you none of this would have been possible! Oh and a special mention to Dean FUEL my partner in the brand – without you this really would not be possible 😉
If you’re keen to celebrate Labyrinth’s 8th birthday this weekend then get retweeting! You could win a set of DOUBLE VIP TICKETS! Retweet this post & ensure it includes both the #BCTCFTW and #Lab8 hashtags so that we can find your retweets.
Alternatively, enter on Facebook: Share the post from the Boring Cape Town Chick Facebook Page so that we can confirm your share! The more you share, the higher your chances of winning 😉
P.S Please read the winner terms & conditions under the WIN tab on the BCTCBlog Home page. GOOD LUCK!
