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SKOL BEATS SPECIAL REPORT

Although I missed Skolbeats 2006, having attended the previous two festivals, and seen it grow from 40,000 to 60,000 people in that time alone, trust me, it's like no other dance festival you'll find in Europe. That's not to say that European festivals can't compete with Skolbeats for line ups, or for numbers, because they most definitely can, but nothing I've ever seen, or heard about, can compete with the energy and the passion of a Brasilian crowd. The whole 'Brasilian passion for dance music can't be beaten' thing might have become something of a cliché these days, but the fact remains, if you've been to Skolbeats and seen the reaction when a local hero like DJ Marky or Anderson Noise steps up to the decks, you'll agree - there's nothing like it! The first time I went to Skolbeats, Marky was due on stage around 2am in the drum & bass tent, which held 10,000 people. As his set approached, all the walls of the tent were removed to make space for the huge swarms of people trying to get in, so that they could see and hear the actionS. When he stepped up for his set, he climbed on to the table supporting the decks and started clapping his hands together in time to the music, and every single one of the 15,000 or so people joined in, the adoration and enthusiasm of the crowd was on a Robbie Williams at Knebworth level. The Brasilian DJs are bona fide stars out there.

Skolbeats tend to get one major international live act to headline the live stage each year, with several other big name live acts supporting them in the open air. In 2004, I got lucky, and the major headliners were the awesome Basement Jaxx, with X-Press 2 and Richie Hawtin amongst those supporting. It was a couple of years back, so granted my memory's hazy, but what stuck in my mind, is the scale of the main stage crowd. In that year, the main stage was at the top end of the main stadium strip - probably 250 metres in length, and about 40 metres across, the same width as the stage. Basement Jaxx closing their set on the main stage and looking out across a never-ending ocean of arms and heads going absolutely crazy was unforgettable. Patife taking to the mic during his own set and running up and down the front of the stage shouting in Portuguese down the microphone to the crowd was another moment to savour - the look on all the UK DJs faces was hilarious - they'd seen nothing like it before! It's the kind of thing you just could not get away with over here.

Last year we got to see Erick Morillo and Mylo supporting the legendary Faithless Live show. Watching Faithless from the wicked party on the balcony overlooking the stage and the 30,000 jumping crowd is another experience I won't forget! They stole the show that year, easily.

What really make the festival though, are the people. As beautiful as their reputation betrays, and as friendly and welcoming as they are attractive, it is genuinely difficult to find a person there who is not smiling and having a fantastic time. The other thing you quickly notice about Brasilian festival-goers is the difference in their attitude compared to their British counterparts. If you stood at the gates of any UK dance festival, as the people file past you, it's fair to say you could take a guess at which arena each individual is heading straight for, and nine times out of ten you'd get it spot on. At Skolbeats you'd be hard pushed to get it right three times out of ten. The reason for this is open-mindedness. They are not there to look cool, they're there to have fun, and it's this overriding party spirit that makes the difference. To Brasilians, it seems, good party music is good party music!

Come 9/10 am, most of the arenas are coming to a close, but the main stage is always left open for a big Brasilian DJ to close the show, usually one of the local techno legends, Renato Cohen or Anderson Noise. As you wander down to the main stage, with the sun quickly climbing, there are the usual festival casualties strewn about the place and a pair of sunglasses on every face, but without fail, the main stage crowd will be bigger now than it was at midnight, with 35,000 plus people still going for it!

If you've got the cash, and the motivation, this is something you have to do, and you've got almost a year to prepare now! Meanwhile you've got a full summer's worth of UK festivals to do some training for Skolbeats 2007!

Five Skolbeats Do's:

- DO visit every arena - regardless of music tastes!

- DO blag yourself backstage, it's not too tricky if you're English!

- DO stay 'til the last minute

- DO get involved - no London style head-nodding or toe-tapping allowed!

- DO take sunglasses, that 10am sunshine is a killer

Five Skolbeats Don'ts:

- DON'T arrive at 4pm in the blazing sunshine wearing jeans (my big mistake)

- DON'T miss DJ Marky or DJ Patife

- DON'T forget your camera

- DON'T try any friendly banter with the machine gun toting soldiers that man the gates

- DON'T avoid talking to strangers - anyone who speaks a bit of English will have a chat

Check out www.skolbeats.com.br for a taster of Skolbeats 2006.