The Maltese spring saw one of the biggest electronic music festivals hit Malta once again. Johnathan Cilia tells us what went down at this year’s edition of Annie Mac Presents: Lost and Found.
Bodies covered in glitter, hands in the air all around Malta and a whole lot of Britishness – it can only be Annie Mac Presents: Lost and Found. The Brit-centric festival was back for its fourth edition in Malta and the ante clearly just keeps getting raised every year.
Annie Mac was at the helm of another great list of what’s hot and happening in the UK music scene this past year and AMP attendees were amped up to see the DJs, producers and singers that they had been dancing to for the last few months.
The line-up this year featured a host of British artists and producers alongside a number of top Maltese deejays dropping beats all over the island, from the dance Mecca grounds of UNO to Armier’s beaches and the boat parties on the open seas.
Things started up on Thursday evening with the likes of The Martinez Brothers and Denis Sulta getting the crowd prepared for the eagerly-anticipated weekend, though Friday night is when the party really started to kick off.
Walking into Lost and Found is always a bit of a trip as a Maltese person. You’re probably in Ta’ Qali, heading into UNO, and you are just surrounded by British people in their bare-it-all summer gear. While there are the ever-faithful local fast food vendors, and the Maltese in-crowd who aren’t going to give up a chance to see Jamie XX in the flesh, the vibe of the show is definitely foreign – and the better for being so.
I mean, how else would you expect to see someone like Mike Skinner in Ta’ Qali? The Streets frontman has been seen deejaying more and more recently and it’s no surprise why. With an ear for both new and old hits, plus some The Streets classics and a bit of drum and bass, Skinner easily got the crowd singing and bouncing along to his tracks.
The crowd happily bopped to The Streets’ Fit But You Know It like it was 2004 and when Skinner dropped newer hip-hop hits from artists like Lil’ Uzi Vert, the crowd reacted just as enthusiastically. His mixing was very clean and fast, which suited the set Skinner was going for.
At the indoor stage on Friday, TS7 was ripping it up. His fast-paced UK garage was just about perfect to get the Friday night well and truly pumping. He roared through hot remixes, throwing unexpected vocal lines by the likes of Dido over breakneck tempos to achieve the maximum energy on the dancefloor. Popular tracks like Skrillex along with Habstrakt’s Chicken Soup also went down a treat.
Having been involved in the UK garage scene for over a decade has clearly given the man access to some serious bangers. When the beats did break for a moment, it was only to let everyone prepare for the next surge of power.
Annie Mac was at the helm of another serious list of what’s hot and happening in the UK
Over at the Pyramid stage, William Djoko was turning up the suave, funky vibes. Whereas many might go for light piano keys and soft basslines, Djoko actually brought home some of the smoothest, biggest basslines of the weekend, which were peppered in tasty percussions that created a great atmosphere.
The following day, Peggy Gou’s take on dance and electronica found itself a nice home in the gardens of UNO. Her hypnotic, rhythms focus heavily upon the clap, with techno-vibes seasoning her set, adding a nice flavour to the weekend’s sounds.
Over on the main stage, Diplo was starting his set. The Florida native has been on quite the run over the last decade or so, building himself his very own platform as a tastemaker with a finger in all sorts of genre-pies. Whether he’s crafting pop hits with Justin Bieber or Beyoncé, or creating some of the dirtiest beats to come out of New Orleans, it does not come as a surprise that he would be headlining the Saturday.
His showmanship was obvious, teasing the crowd with tracks like 50 Cent’s P.I.M.P and Panjabi MC’s Mundian To Bach Ke, but his set was marked by just how many different styles he covered. Reggaeton melded with deep house along with modern hip-hop to create a signature sound that Diplo is well known for.
Diplo also knows the classics. There was House of Pain’s Jump Around, Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina, and Spice Girl’s Wannabe, were all mixed in between hard dance beats and extravagant drops, keeping the crowd hyped and on their toes.
Saturday night’s closer was none other than Annie Mac herself. Triumphant and feeling the vibes from Diplo’s blistering set, Annie Mac launched into a set that reminded everyone just how unique her style is. As opposed to Diplo’s in-your-face beats, Annie Mac launched into a subtle set in front of a packed crowd that got the groove going until they literally shut the place down in the morning.
Which brings us to Sunday. Camelphat have been sailing high ever since their smash hit single Cola was released in 2017. The British duo found a very welcoming crowd on Sunday, with Cola’s reputation doing the work for them. Their set built upon that reputation well with an energetic but controlled progression, further consolidating their position as a fine festival act on any island, be it summer or not.
For all the UK hip-hop fans, Donae’o was here to show everyone just what’s what. Singles like Black had the crowd singing, with gun fingers raised, as the dancers busted a move. For a performance at a festival, Donae’o was able to create and deliver an incredibly intimate set for his fans.
For many, Kölsch was the perfect festival closer. Starting off on a melodic tone, it quickly became clear that he would be taking the crowd on a rollercoaster ride that involved tons of highs and lows.
He would capture the crowd in a clean, all-encompassing melody, then just as quickly switch into some deep clinical, Berghain-style techno. His glitchy, neverending drops that led everyone early into the morning, ending what was undoubtedly, another awesome weekend-long celebration of UK music in Malta.
Annie Mac Presents: Lost And Found 2019 will take place between the May 2 and 5, 2019. Tickets are available for pre-order now.
www.lostandfoundfestival.com