AMP Lost and Found came to a feisty close in Malta on Sunday after three nights and four days of epic parties on the beach, around the sea-facing Cafe del Mar pool, in ancient castles, boats and oodles of massive rave venues with state-of-the-art sound systems and fireworks aplenty.
This time last week I was stuffing my hand luggage with colourful bikinis, festival-fabulous outfits and copious amounts of glitter. I was heading off with my bestie yet again to one of my all time favourite festivals after two years, and yet again, I wasn’t disappointed.
The opening night of the festival was one of my favourite moments – Annie Mac herself got masses of bejewelled and sweaty ravers into a dancing frenzy as she spun tune after tune, getting everyone suitably into full on festival party mode. Speaking to her backstage at the beach party, she was her usual lovely, warm self, asking me how I was finding the festival – I was loving every moment.
The line up of DJ talent included Diplo – who wowed the crowd as always with his hair-raising electronic dance set, Jamie xx, Kölsch, Camelphat, Denis Sulta, Mall Grab, Heidi and Bicep, with garage gurus The Dreem Teem causing merry mayhem as usual.
The Streets fontman Mike Skinner make his Lost & Found debut at Cafe Del Mar, closing off that day’s pool party with a euphoric crowd going absolutely mental as he took them back to the carefree raving days of their youth – mine included.
After scanning through a list of artist names to decide who to interview, my eyes were drawn to “Lord of the Tings” – how could I possibly not interview anyone responsible for coming up with a name as badass as that?
Being the slightly disorganised journalist that I am, I sadly forgot to put in my interview request on time, but by pure chance, I bumped into a swag-heavy guy backstage who happened to be part of Lord of the Tings – and the clever dude who came up with the genius name. I discovered that Lord of the Tings was actually the name of an event company setup initially in the Manchester student scene as a safe haven for female ravers to shake their booties without fear of harassment, playing the best in UK garage, grime and hip hop. I made a mental note to check out their next party.
I also spoke to the fabulously fierce female rapper Ms Banks, whose pool party MC set caused mental merriment in the crowd at Cafe del Mar. What was it like being a talented female MC in an industry dominated by men? She explained that it “had its positives and negatives.” and but mainly she was proud of being a strong female role model to her increasing girly fanbase. With lyrics as slick as hers, I can see why she’s so adored…
Born and bred in Malta, DJ Carl Bee also performed like a pro at AMP Lost and Found, and I was lucky to have a clear-headed post-festival interview with him when the festivities and fireworks had finally died down.
1. “How would you describe what AMP Lost and Found Festival means to you?”
Being an artist based in Malta, AMP Lost & Found means a lot. It’s definitely one of the key factors as to why Malta is now considered as a party destination. Thousands of youngsters are now flying to the island all year round to discover the island, which has led to a better club scene in general!
2. “Describe your style of music and DJ’ing style”
My music is very techno oriented but can still be easily played in a house/tech house set. I always try to keep that path in between when producing and even when DJ’ing. The most important thing for me is the groove. If the groove can move you, than most likely it will be danceable for the audience in the club!
And obviously, when doing a DJ set, it all depends on what kind of slot you have, so I can’t really pigeon hole myself into one specific style or genre.
3. “Who was your favourite DJ at the festival?”
To be honest this year there were a couple of sets I enjoyed, Bicep, Black Madonna & Four Tet were amazing, but, Kölsch’s closing set on Sunday was just the cherry on the cake for the festival.
The energy level was so incredible that his 90mins set passed so quickly and left thousands shouting for one last tune!! It was the perfect ending to anther successful AMP Lost & Found festival.
I couldn’t agree more…
The next AMP Lost and Found will take place from 2nd – 5th May 2019. To access cheaper Super Early-Bird tickets and win the ULTIMATE AMP Lost and Found experience, including 4 x backstage passes, 4 x return flights, luxury accommodation for 4 have a sneaky peak here.
Main featured image: Luke Dyson