THEG ATHE RERS
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ACTS CONFIRMED AT 30/11/98 - more to come
Live Acts
Aethyr, Alan Ray Star Rat, Animal Intelligenze (Aus), Arrythmia, Baitercell, Bambi, Beats n Pieces, Boru, Bunyip, Crude, Damn Native, epsilon blue, FreQ, Isolation, Jam Fa!, Josh & Leon, King Kapisi, LRS, Luckas, Minuit, Mystery, Non Place Urban Field (Germany), Obnoxia, Pitch Black, Pylon, Ray Indigo, Salmonella Dub, Sanctus Tr3o, Sidewinder, Solaa, Sync24, Technova (David Harrow - UK), The Nomad, Thermaglo, UAC, Unit 23.
DJs
Action Jack, Adam & Dallas, Agent 99, Alambra, Andy B, Anine, Antsman, Argyle, B-Line, b-low, Ben Farrant, Big Matt, Blunt, Camtui, Caro, Chumbwa, Cian, Clinton Smiley, Coda, Col, D-Man, D'erb, Damnation, Defender, Disorder, Domino, Downtown Brown, Dreadford, Drinian, Fat Cat, Flex, Flic, Flux, Fusion, Gild, Grapple, Grind, Gusto, Habibi, Halcyon, Helix, Hemisphere, Henge, Hijinx, Innovator, John Hughes, John Saunders, Kinesis, Koa, Larakin, Lemon, Lil Bastard, Lotus, Lunatik, Me, Medicine Man, misda nil, Missing Link, Mnemonik, Moe, Mona, Moonraker, Mr Steel, Mu & K-Tel, Orphic, Orplasm, Pacman, Paul-E, Pyre, Qua May, Rapture, Raymond, Ruffstep, Rukus, Sam, Scarlet, Scott, Sean, Septic, Skam, Solidstate, Special K, Stephan, Todd Robinson, Tofu, Toshi, Trick, Undercover Agent (UK), Victrola, Virgil, Will, Wixmix, Wizard, Yakkity, Yardie.
VJs
Automatic, Axis Visuals, Cloud 9, Ethervision, Grind, Hallucinagenius, Helm, Houdini, Knot Visuals, Liminal, Patch, Reihana Mania, Sinemah, Terra Incognita, TP, Tranceducer, Tube, Zeroine.
Performance Artists
Millennial Mummers, Mr Fungus, The Mystery, Haemoglobin, The Gash Grinders, The Great Southern Circus, The Whitelights, No Audience Required, Taikoza.
YOUR BASIC GUIDE TO THE GATHERING
Nelson has produced many great things, and The Gathering rates right up there with them. In the three years since its inception, it has become a New Year's institution - in New Zealand and throughout the world.
It's the biggest dance event in the country - with 10,000 people expected to attend this year, and caters for any imaginable taste - musically, of course, although you'd be surpirised what you can find up on top of that hill...
This year, over 150 DJs, VJs and live acts will perform in seven different zones - House/Funk/Garage, Dub/HipHop/Drum'n'Bass/Roots, Hardcore/Industrial, Ambient/Lounge, Tribal, Jazz/Classical/World Music, and the famous Trance/Techno zone. Performance artists will be roaming the site (those with clown phobias are advised to stay alert), and punters are invited to add their talents to the array.
It's hard to experience a Gathering without leaving rather more New Age than you went in. The secret of its success is more than just a well-organised production with a top class line-up. There's something special about the vibe at the top of Takaka Hill, something to reduce even the staunchest of us to hippie-speak.
Exactly what makes The Gathering extraordinary? Alison Green, director of the '98/'99 Gathering, says: "People come to it because it's an event with a capital E - three days and two nights of craziness and mayhem, with an awesomely beautiful environment, the best sound systems in the country pumping out 160K of crystal-clear electronica and the largest visual set-up ever seen in New Zealand. People pepare for months in advance, talk about it all year and once they start the mission to get here, they're already in party mode.
"We get everyone from disco bunnies and no-shirt guys through to mellowed-out hiphop dudes and camo-gear-clad junglists, as well as the outdoor party travellers that cruise the country throughout the year. Last year there were even a couple of full-on leather-clad bikers - totally nice guys - who ended up camping next to the Security HQ so the security guys could keep an eye on their Harleys!"
There's more to experiencing The Gathering than just bringing your self and your good vibes though, as those who have done it before can tell you. Here are a few things to keep in mind so you can get the most from your Gathering - and less muck for your buck....
We've all sniggered at singlet-clad girlies catching their death on a chilly K Rd evening, but when it happens to you on New Year's with nothing but a plastic shopping bag for protection, it's not so funny. The mercury may hit 30 in the shade at two in the afternoon, but come 2am at the top of Takaka Hill, it turns distinctly sub-Alpine. Take a coat.
The Gathering is situated in fields full of sinkholes and other traps designed to trip up the unwary punter. Add to this the fact that most of your Gathering will take place after the sun goes down, and in a state to be reckoned with. Bottom line, leave your platforms at home.
Once you get back on your feet after the first night, you'll probably notice you and your companions are a tad on the stinky side. Never fear - Nelson is home to the best beaches and rivers in the country, many of them just half an hour's drive away. There's even a swimming hole near the site, for those willing to seek it out. But once you find it, be warned - it comes straight from under the mountain, and it's nipple-wrenchingly cold.
Within hours of kick-off, the Portaloos will be unpleaseant at best, so conduct a breeze test and avoid pitching your tent downwind. If you need to use the facilities, best to make a mad dash at 6am when the truck comes to empty them out. Whatever happens, avoid the 'no-rinse' soap, which essentially kills the bacteria and then melds it onto your hands. It's dead, yeah, but it's still there. It may be New Year's, and traditions are hard to break, but whatever you do, remember that Portaloo 'soap' is not a lubricant.
There is water onsite, but it's a precious resource, so take some wih you - for drinking, washing or emergency rinsing off of the residue from the Portaloo 'no-rinse' soap, if you were fool enough to ignore the prevous advice.
In fact, if you're in doubt, just take everything you think might come in handy; a good torch, a gas stove, sunblock and spare socks for one and all - and don't forget your floppy hat and cargo pants for that quintessential Gathering look.
Above all else, ensure you have a contingency scheme should you get lost, look after your friends and plan on having the time of your life. And be nice humans.