Malcolm Haynes, Curator of The Revellers and Starburst Stages, tells us about his favourite acts from the upcoming festival and puts the best tracks together in a Spotify playlist:

Listen to Malcolm’s musical meanderings around the festival.

Aloe Blacc
With the resurgent of soul music’s popularity this man reminds me of a young Marvin Gaye. His songs are about real life struggles and his stage appearance is full of showmanship! He’s so cool and a pleasure to watch perform.

Horace Andy
I never tire of him! For those who don’t know, Horace is a reggae n’ roots singer songwriter! Born in Jamaica but now resident in the UK this man is an old favorite of The Big Chill and any opportunity to see this man live is a must. First started recording in 1967, he has an impressive recording history and has seen even more prominence over the last ten years since being featured and toured extensively with Bristol’s Massive attack. Here at The Big Chill he will perform with his legendary Dub Asante Band.

Ladi 6
I was very fortunate to visit New Zealand at the start of the year and check out its music scene. Ladi 6 was a name that I kept coming across.  Last year she toured as support to Gil Scott Heron to critical acclaim.  The second album has just been released and is getting very favourable press. One of her tracks features on The Big Chill launch video. The first sentence of her biography describes her perfectly “A sultry voice with razor sharp wit and a stage show to match, Ladi6 is New Zealand’s leading hip-hop soul artist and in her own right, an emerging international star.” Please don’t miss this performance.

Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble
This lot are on K7 and to be honest there’s not a lot that comes from that label that I don’t like.  A good label insider turned me on to them before the LP was launched.  After listening to the demo, I loved it: a ten piece; classical-meets-Techno.  I love the way a lot of the tunes start so minimalistic and then end in mayhem!  Jazz and classical is paramount throughout the record but also its ability to get you grooving to their beats.  On stage they look like a bunch of accountants having a jam between sorting figures. A musical treat!

Calvin Harris
In 2008 when he dropped his debut ‘I Created Disco” – it was amazing. This man had revamped and modernised the sound of disco.  More than half of the album were floor fillers.  Having grown up on Disco and Atlantic soul with a tinge of Motown I instantly saw the potential in Calvin’s music and he has helped to bring Disco back to the mainstream. Also, his live performances, whether live or Djing is a major production and experience to remember, I challenge anyone not to dance to his set.

Jimmy Edgar
Another K7 artist. His LP ‘XXX’ was released last year. I came across it late 2010 and instantly loved it. His style is heavily influenced by Jazz-Funk and R&B, he also captures that 80′s-electro-funk groove well, there’s lots of vocorder and spacey keys on this, and his sound is very unique – I like every track on the album.  For me, he manages to keep the tracks as songs with a basic melody running through! At The Big Chill he will be doing a dj set so we get a great opportunity to hear what really influences him. He’s also an award winning fashion photographer!

Mulatu Astatke (and Black Jesus Experience)
The father of Ethio-Jazz. This man is a living legend.  I first came across Mulatu in the mid 90′s even though he has been recording since the late 60′s.  I was so pleased when Strut Records released a couple of albums a few years back. One was of his 70′s music when he fronted many Ethiopian Big Bands and the other was with the Heliocentric’s. Some of his music has been sampled by  Nas, Damian Marley, Cut Chemist, Quantic, to name just a few. Think Roy Ayers mixed with Ethnic jazz and you’re there. At The Big Chill, Mulatu will be joined with the band that he plays with when on the other side of the world (New Zealand and Australia) – The Black Jesus Experience who are from Melbourne. They live and breathe Ethiopian Afro-jazz. This will be a rare occasion and a pleasure to see both acts together here in the UK.

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings
Sharon is the female equivalent of James Brown. She has an enormous amount of energy when she hits the stage, somewhat akin to a African Warrior.  Sharon and the ten-strong Dap Kings are spearheads of a revivalist movement that aims to capture the essence of funk/soul music as it was at its height in the mid-1960′s to mid-1970′s.  This they achieve in the studio by recording only on analogue equipment and live they won’t feature any instruments older than the late 70′s. Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings have four albums and over a dozen singles under their belt. Their live show is a high-octane treat from start to finish and will leave you feeling that you truly have experienced a live R&B big band, like something out of the Blues Brothers! Their live shows continue to get outstanding reviews.

The Midnight Beast
Having over 25 million hits to their various YouTube clips, The Midnight Beast are an internet phenomenon.   Their music is catchy, full of cartoon antics and very funny. I saw this act about a year ago and thought that it was one of the most entertaining shows I’d seen in a long time. With their average age of 21 these boys certainly know how to give a show with maximum effect. Their version of Ke$ha’s Tik Tok has had over 12 million hits alone.  They have just completed a pilot film series that will be hitting the TV screens soon. I’m so looking forward to seeing these boys perform at The Big Chill.

NZ Shapeshifter
A live Drum & Bass act from New Zealand, they have been heralded as a musical phenomenon for their ground breaking live shows and unique blend of heavy soul with drum and bass. They are massive in their home country and are starting to make positive recognition over here in the UK and Europe. I had the pleasure of seeing this band live a couple of weeks ago in London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and they lived up to their reputation…it went off!  Their beats are amazing! Check the YouTube clips!  Very excited about having these at this year’s Big Chill.

If you’d like to submit your favourite tracks, we’ve opened a collaborative playlist here

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