Global Gathering UK: Headliner Kanye West

Global Gathering UK: Headliner Kanye West

1 August, 2008 | 10.31AM

• Section: Music News Topics: Beatport Blog
• Written by: Ellie

Music mash up gone mad?

The great thing about music is that there’s something for everyone, and everyone’s entitled to their own tastes.

But there’s a time and a place for certain music scenes.

You wouldn’t attend The Big Chill and find yourself in a mosh pit, and you don’t expect a dance music festival’s line-up to include a rapper.

The controversial decision for Kanye West to headline the UK’s Global Gathering event this year inspired much debate and was a hot topic on forums everywhere.

Ahead of his performance, we asked festival goers what they thought to a hip-hop star playing the main stage, and their opinions varied.

Some thought that mixing the two cultures would create conflict between the differing crowds, while others said it was innovative and would bring people together in harmony.

Above & Beyond’s Paavo Siljamäki and Sean Tyas agreed that it may encourage a new breed of dance music lovers, who, once Kanye’s show was over, would explore other tents and styles of music.

Almost everyone, however, agreed that the decision to include an American mainstream artist in the line-up had a lot to do with money, celebrity and commercialism – all the things that stand in our way as we attempt to enjoy the simple pleasure of just listening to a piece of music.

And his ridiculous diva-like requests did nothing to win the dance fans over.

Only his own photographers and camera-men were allowed to film him (you can imagine our disappointment when we discovered this on entering the media arena on Friday night) and when the Scratch Perverts warmed up the crowd before his performance, he was rumoured to have thrown a tantrum because he was supposed to be the only artist on the main stage on Friday night.

This was because of the sheer scale of the production needed for his performance.

Expectations were obviously high, especially as his light show was supposed to have been designed by the guys behind the Daft Punk pyramid.

But this was nothing like that.

The so-called “Glow in the Dark Show” never materialised.

It wouldn’t have mattered so much if it was the type of music you could lose yourself in and dance with your eyes closed.

At the end of the day, Global Gathering is a dance music festival, and because of Kanye, a lot of people weren’t dancing.

I’d put money on the fact that every single person was moving to Fatboy Slim’s set on the same stage at Global Gathering’s 2006 event.

Personally I’m not sure we’ll ever get bored of the same top class dance acts headlining dance festivals.

And if it ain’t broke…

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