Electric Paradise exploded into Milton Keynes’ legendary National Bowl for its debut, with a royal mix of Grace Jones, UB40, Jocelyn Brown, Kool & The Gang, Sister Sledge ft Kathy Sledge, Shalamar, Cameo and Heather Small, alongside dancefloor royalty including Dimitri From Paris, Fat Tony, Todd Terry and Armand Van Helden.
On paper, it’s a cocktail. Birmingham reggae, Studio 54 disco, funk legends and Ibiza house all thrown into the mix..
In reality, it worked beautifully.
Electric Paradise for the day, in the moment & in the sunshine…as soul devotees mingled with old-school ravers. It energised, celebrated and played host to an impressive roll call of high calibre artists.. From soul to funk, with a huge splash of Ibiza vibes, as the festival’s debut made it happen..
Packing the crowds into its colourful, vibrant playground…infectious energy spanned, across the National Bowl that never dipped throughout the day..
And the music barely gave the crowd time to breathe…Paradise found its dance floor.
UB40 brought a blast of nostalgic British reggae groove to the Bowl. Familiar rhythms rolled out, across the main stage, as track after track, including ‘ Red Red Wine’ delivered, with huge communal singalongs.
Then there was Kool & The Gang..
Few bands possess a back catalogue capable of unleashing a succession of funk and disco favourites. Funk, horns, and the party spirit was flying. Sister Sledge ft Kathy Sledge supplied pure disco sophistication as, Shalamar reminded us that some grooves simply refuse to grow old..with the classics of ‘I Can Make You Feel Good’, & ‘A Night to Remember’. Heather Small unleashed her powerhouse vocals, as her Northern soul anthems rang out with ease.
But the real genius of Electric Paradise was what happened, when the live acts collided, with club culture…Dimitri From Paris.. born for this festival, as he blasted out dynamic edits of disco and house a vibe that had the crowd on their feet, energised from the first bassline drop…Official track remixes from ‘CHIC’, ‘I Want You Back’ and his own original floor fillers.
House royalty, Fat Tony brought something rather harder to manufacture: personality. Tony turned his set into a party, with Glitterbox family dancers whose flamboyance, feathers and sashaying bought the vibe up to an Ibiza level..
And then came one of the day’s moments….
Rozalla joined Fat Tony on stage, sending the crowd into overdrive, as her unmistakable voice cut through the house beats of the beloved track, ‘Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good). A spontaneous slice of old skool dance history. It summed up what Electric Paradise did best: taking nostalgia on a rewind & making it feel completely alive..
Enter the graceful revered Jocelyn Brown, with her formidable vocals soaring across the exuberant crowds..’Somebody Else’s Guy’ kept spirits high and the party on track..
And then there was Grace Jones.
How do you review Grace Jones? You almost don’t. You simply stand there and watch….hypnotised.
Striking, statuesque, theatrical and magnificent, Jones remains part singer, part fashion icon, part performance art and entirely impossible to overlook….
Against the vast backdrop of the National Bowl, it looked like it had been built for her. Jones was the ever evolving chameleon who was master of her set.. Unmistakable, no excuses and this cultural art icon delivered a fitting climax to a festival built round pioneers…’Pull Up to The Bumper’, ‘Love is The Drug’, ‘Slave to The Rhythm’ and her new release, ‘The Key to Funky’ all accompanied with musical theatrics. Jones dramatic costumes, her artistry and commanding vocals captivated the crowds…Jones owned it..
Perhaps the biggest surprise was Electric Paradise itself. For a brand-new festival, it didn’t feel like one tentatively finding its feet.
It knew exactly what it wanted to be.
There were no earnest acoustic interludes…This was big tunes, big personalities, disco, funk, reggae, house and dancing…Electric Paradise also managed something rather clever: it made nostalgia feel anything but nostalgic…
Paradise? Maybe not quite…But add Grace Jones, Cameo, Fat Tony, and a sublime artists’ line up, with a thumping bassline and it came pretty damn close…You did it again Jorge.
