This one’s been simmering for a while now and as the opening night approaches, it feels like the whole of Melbourne is getting just a little bit excited about Music Week.

Only in its second year, this year’s lineup is loaded with gigs, events, seminars, workshops and films, so trying to whittle down the 170+ acts to a Top 5 was pretty damn hard…so I took the easy way out and opted for the best-looking-slash-performers-I-like-and-I-don’t-care-if-you-don’t-like-them approach.

Here we go…

KUBIK Melbourne
DJ Krush, Cut Copy DJs, Midnight Juggernauts, Lewie Day, World’s End Press, Gaslamp Killer, Alexkid…anything at Kubik, really…

Have you seen this thing? Constructed by some clever design people in Berlin, the travelling open-air pop-up venue is made from industrial water tanks which light up in sync with the performance. Video mapping and sound design complete this truly immersive musical experience, a visual and aural (and delightful) feast for the senses.

Details and tickets via Kubik and peep the vid below to get a glimpse of Kubik in action.

kubik hamburg 2009 from Balestra Berlin on Vimeo.

Live Music Safari
Joelistics, Spiral Stairs & Wally De Backer, Puta Madre Brothers

So the purpose of MMW’s Live Music Safari is thus: a huge spread of free gigs, DJs and seminars will be splayed across Melbourne for one day only and your mission is to traverse the city and get to as many of these gigs as possible. Kick off at 1000£ Bend for an up-close-and-personal conversation with Spiral Stairs and Wally De Backer and make your way to venues like Revolt in Kensington, Roxanne Parlour, Cherry Bar and The Toff in the CBD and the Town Hall Hotel in North Melbourne until the wee hours of the morning. Put your running shoes (or rocket boots) on!

Giant Theremin – Move’n’Mash-up
Dexter

Oh, this reminds me of that time when I saw Dexter on the 109 tram. In real life, he is every bit as freakin’ cool as you would expect him to be. Dexter will be hosting a workshop for sampling and sound design enthusiasts. Warning: there will also be some hip-hop dancing, krumping and breaking involved so make sure you bring your sickest moves with you, yeah?

Face The Music

This two-day workshop focuses on every single behind-the-scenes facet of the music industry including recording, production management, PR, festivals, touring and record deals and is a must for both bands and anyone wanting to break into the industry. Some of the most influential local and international figures will be holding seminars and workshops and sharing their experiences with the audience with one of the highlights being a keynote speech by Brent Grulke of SXSW.

Ponyfish Island Presents Aesthetics of Sound

Over the course of Melbourne Music Week, bars, cafes, galleries and retails stores around the city will interpret Aesthetics of Sound by way of live music, installations, exhibitions or product offers unique to their venue. Ponyfish Island will host a series of live music gigs by artists including Isaac De Geer, Hiatus Kaiyote and Yeo.

For all the details including dates, venue info and ticket prices, hit up the Melbourne Music Week website

Joelistics image: All Aussie Hip Hop

Gaslamp Killer image: I Heart Comix