It must be stated first and foremost that I love a good doof. They take you to a total other realm, a separate civilisation very far from your regular life and let you roam about with your best mates doing whatever takes your fancy.

The lineup for this year’s earthcore was epic when it was announced earlier in the year. Some of the biggest names in techno where primed to head down under to a site just outside Pyalong in the Victorian countryside. I had to get myself there. Rodhad, Chris Liebing, Perc & Truss, Pfirter, D.A.V.E The Drummer….oh my Lord.

You first get the essence of earthcore’s 20+ years heritage when you’re driving en route near the festival site. A small green street sign simply stating “earthcore” points you down a quiet side road which leads away from the town and into the rolling yellow hills. Upon entering the camping zone, you’re immediately injected into some strange fantasy land. The natural landscape is truly something special. Massive yellow hills festooned with dead fallen trees encompass the site like something out of a scene from a western movie.

We set up our camp site in a small gully at the back of the festival so we could have some privacy from the mayhem that laid below. The hills blocked out most of the thunderous sounds that came from festival, giving us a nice sonic resting zone.

earthcore has a very adventurous vibe, unlike any other doof I’ve experienced. It’s raw and not for the faint of heart. The people there are the real doofers. Countless dwellers wielding and flinging around crazy light devices, rude outfits and there are plenty of earthly ponchos populating the festival site. The people like to get right into the action, with countless campsites set up right in the hit zones in front of and around the stages, which blaire psytrance like nothing I’ve heard before. The hills channeled the sound up the small gullies and funneled it into any camp site which lay in its path.

My crew and I had been to Strawberry Fields a mere 5 days before, so it was a strange experience to be thrown right back into the mayhem that is the bush doof for a second beating to the body. We didn’t have too much steam left in us so to give the festival the proper go it deserved we had to draw on what little energy we had to spare.

During the day, we walked around the township and observed the daily happenings that occur at this mythic event. The festival grounds are truly vast. The stages are well spaced out and always ominous when you approach them. Main stage lies just outside the market zone of the festival, sitting quite large and sinister at the bottom of long sweeping hills. The legs got a good workout climbing the rolling hills that creep their way into the camp site.

During the night is when things get very interesting. Playing at the monster main stage on the first night we spent at the festival (which was a friday) was Sam Paganini, Dean Benson and Victor Ruiz. My crew and I gathered under the giant shade structure that hangs above main stage, housing a multitude of lights, and powered it out to some prime Italian techno. The stage show was second to none, with a giant circle structure that looks like the eye from some gargantuan monster housing the artists. The lights and lasers push you to a stage of sensory overload.

In an effort to save energy for the main event that was Saturday night, we headed back to our shelter after Paganini to rest. Techno glory was just 24 hours away, and it was a mission to conserve as much energy as possible before the all out sonic assault.

Much of Saturday was spent relaxing around our campsite and walking the scenic hills that surrounded us. One particular hill provided the perfect spot for a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. It was there that we watched the blazing orange sunset grace our eyes. It really cemented what makes earthore unique: the natural beauty of the site that acts as backdrop to this one of a kind experience. The sun went down, the shoes went on, and we were off.

We headed down from our hiding hole in the hills and out into the techno savannah. Walking down to the main stage was always entertaining as our route took us right past Hydra stage which plays host to psytrance. I can never get over just how outrageous psytrance is. Each time we walked past, we stopped to listen and just take in one of the most brutal forms of electronic music there is. I never listen to psytrance outside of a doof as it’s not what I’m into, but in that moment when you’re there, it’s good. We walked away thinking “holy shit” most times over. Every two minutes, a new build takes you up and absolutely pounds you down to another level. Outrageous.

We hit main stage quite late in the evening, around 11pm to see Pfirter. I had heard some of his tracks but never one of his DJ sets. What a treat. His set was a combination of hypnotic low end rhythms with dark, interplanetary spooky sounds layered over the top. Melbourne local Dean Benson came on next and proceeded to lay out the crowd even more. His set was on par with the other big name playing that evening, highlighting this man’s selection and mixing skills. Dean Benson means serious business. And then Rodhad played.

Holy mother of techno, it was one of the best sets I’ve seen, hands down. I’ve never heard such a combination of intensive, intricate techno with lashings of groove and funk. It was reported that Rodhad had about three tracks playing most of the time, which makes sense after experiencing the mix. He was always mixing in new percussive elements and sounds over groove powered kicks and basslines. Towards the end of his set, my crew and I were truly battered, so I had to seat myself out the back. Suddenly over the top of his mix, the sounds of a smooth and soulful guitar start playing. This took things to another level. At first I thought this was something Rodhad recorded for his set, but it turned out to be a person playing an actual guitar. The combination of the guitar and pummeling techno was gorgeous. What a treat. You wouldn’t think the two would normally go together, but it was so on point.

Our ambition to power through till the sun rose was thwarted by our stamina. The body started to lose the battle to power on through the night, and it was time to get some rest as soon as Chris Liebing begun his set. Saturday night, although we didn’t stick it out for its full length, was a gift. It’s clear that good things are happening in techno based on what we saw that night.  It was also good for Melbourne’s techno scene, with the Kinky Karnival stage playing host to many local crews such as Green Fetish Records who slammed the crowd with their intensive sounds.

Earthcore really did put something special on this year and I could easily see myself back out in the dirt stomping it out to some intensive pummeling techno. The combination of the setting, music and crown puts a very unique vibe of the festival, something a little more serious, but then this festival isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard, raw, and a hell of a lot of fun. I think earthcore 2015 really stepped it up from the previous two years, especially with the lineup, and if the trend of artists continues with this year’s announcement, then earthcore will be on a good path for the future.

Words by Fergus Sweetland + Photos by Voena