Vivid Sydney Presents: Purple Sneakers Tenth Birthday

(UPDATE 16/06/16): We have just released an update in regards to the event with new acts, an earlier start, and important information regarding RSVP's. VISIT THIS LINK FOR MORE

A lot can happen in ten years. 2006 was big for Australian music, and even bigger for a little name you might recognise. As you’re reading this, you might notice something a little different about our humble newsletter. Keep on reading, it’s only getting bigger from here.

This year Purple Sneakers turns ten and to celebrate ‘Ten Years Of Taste’, alongside our friends UNDR Ctrl and FBi Radio, we’re announcing a HUGE party at Sydney’s Lord Gladstone Hotel as part of the already massive Vivid Sydney – the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas. Did we mention it’s also FREE?!

Come June 18, we’ll be bringing some of the brightest emerging acts from across the country, pairing them with respected collectives and letting them loose over the full venue (that’s three rooms!). We’ll have genre-bending sounds from up and comers like Tashka, Lastlings and World Champion; alongside heavy beats from producers like – Indian Summer, Stephane 1993 and Moonbase Commander.

Plug into the latest music with our FREE weekly newsletter

We’ll also have DJ sets from some of our most legendary and dedicated buddies who also happen to represent a bunch of Australia’s best labels, blogs and parties – aka I OH YOU, Pilerats, Astral People, Motorik et al. Annnnd of course plenty of old mates who were there where it all began back at The Abercrombie Hotel will be making appearances (cc Linda Marigliano and Levins).

And finally to round things out (and keep you dancing till they shut the doors on us) our very own Purple Sneakers DJs will be closing the night with an hour and a half ‘retrospective’ set. The lads will be taking a look back at all the bangers we’ve all loved, celebrated and passed out to throughout our journey – as well as featuring some of 2016's finest club music in one wild set.

The event coincides with a re-brand and re-launch of the Purple Sneakers blog (go on, have a play around with it), and marks the beginning of a series of events and activities to celebrate our ten-year anniversary.

Kicking things off is the ‘Ten Years Of Taste Mix Series’. Compiled by the Purple Sneakers DJs, it’s a ten-part retrospective mixtape to be released weekly, right here on the new site, in the lead up to the Vivid Music event. Listen through the sounds that have been important to Purple Sneakers since we’ve grown up from throwing weekly parties in 2006, to being one of the country’s most trusted niche music blogs.

Looking at our past, and our initial incarnation as a way to fund a DIY record label, we feel truly honoured to have supported some of the huge artists of 2016 from day dot, with people like Alison Wonderland, Flume, Disclosure, RUFUS, What So Not, Ratatat and Flosstradamus playing some of their very first Aussie shows with us at our club's.

Even acts like Foals, Vampire Weekend and Mark Ronson made their way through the doors of the now legendary Purple Sneakers club at a sweaty little hole in Sydney, called The Abercrombie Hotel, for guest DJ sets, after-parties and general tomfoolery.

After booking hundreds of bands and DJs across countless weekly and monthly parties in cities all over Australia, we turned our attention to sharing great music across wider platforms. And even though we've transitioned into the blog and radio world, we've worked tirelessly to bring the same curatorial approach in offering a whole new generation of artists their first premieres and airtime.

So the way we see it we've hand picked a selection of emerging talent for this event that we feel will follow in the footsteps of previously Purple Sneakers championed artists. The acts you see on this lineup will lead the next generation of prominent and forward-thinking Australian music. This is all coupled with performances and DJ sets from people who are not only front runners in their own field, but also our best friends and biggest supporters.

In a musical climate as politically charged, yet overflowing with promise as Australia's - we feel so lucky to be a part of such a loving and supportive community. We want to use our tenth birthday to celebrate that, and also welcome you into that world.

As we said, it's a free party, but you've got to RSVP online HERE. Grab your mates and come for a drink, this is going to be a birthday to remember.