Soma & the curatorial climate of DIY programming

More than ever before, an event’s curation has become its most significant selling point.

To those reading this, it will likely come as no surprise that the term ‘festival’ is now associated with big productions, big venues, and increasingly, big artists. Dance music is big business, after all. Still, as the economics of running a festival appear to shift more and more into the mainstream, there’s a lesser-known and lesser-appreciated focus on curation by those with a real ear for more intimate, trust-giving experiences.

Trust is a term with greater currency than ever before, and not just when it comes to the cost of admission. For many small, DIY run events, curation is key, encouraging punters across the musical spectrum to come and experience a night, a day, or even an entire weekend with their musical hand off the steering wheel.

As doof season approaches, marking a dial-shifting start to summer, which appears to start earlier and earlier with each passing year, it’s this kind of curatorial passenger seat that many events are starting to become known for.

One such event is Soma. The NSW-based festival held its inaugural edition just last year on Wiradjuri Country, Mount Adrah, an organisational who’s who of many of Gadigal Land’s most experienced unsung heroes.

That inaugural event, by all accounts, was a roaring success. A mix of live electronic, DJs, bands and solo artists, Soma cemented itself quickly in the minds of punters as an event that was designed to take you somewhere.

With Soma’s second edition set for this weekend, we’re revisiting some of our favourite recordings from last year, as a means of illustrating what this kind of trust can sound like.

A hymn-adjacent cover of Deadmau5’s ‘I Remember’ stands out in Genie’s opening set for last year’s inaugural Soma as a key differentiator for what constitutes a festival’s opener. The idea is often to be ‘slow’, but what does ‘slow’ even mean? Here, Genie fluctuates between a wide variety of speeds, sounds and emotions as a means of introducing the idea of the weekend, almost to the festival itself.

There’s often an intense kind of mania that sweeps over a festival as the sun sets on its first day. The crowd is still finding their feet, often in an entirely new location, and the knee-jerk reaction of many an artist can be to turn it the hell up. In this recording, DJ Mistry does quite the opposite, peeling slightly further back from Genie’s opener and descending further into ambience, sultry trip hop and off-kilter rhythms before finally hitting something 4/4 over halfway in. What’s the rush, after all?

10:30 is surely peak time, though, right? Generally, you’d be right to assume so, but the restraint of Soma’s curation and trust in its lineup proves otherwise. Suzu’s recording, following on from the house-leaning stylings of Tim Boyd and setting the scene for OK EG’s revered live set, comfortably dances in the tension of an opening night. Percussion-heavy, regularly dipping deeper into the low-end and continuously rolling on.

Among the electronic leanings of Soma’s lineup sat several key live performances. The idea of a ‘doof’ is so often synonymous with DJs and trestle tables, but Soma gave its audience something so much more. In balancing bands with live electronic acts and DJs, the audience was never too comfortable in one sound, and approached each new one with fresh ears.

One of the festival’s most notable moments of this came from Posm, a group made up of David Williams, Gabriel Portocarrero, Ryan Thomas, Oscar Henfrey and Jackson Fester, who would perform later the next day as Cousin. The group’s brand of brooding psych-tipped jazz and sheer instrumental skill proved a highlight for many in attendance, whose ears pricked up at the sound of something ‘real’ among Soma’s hills.

Following on from Posm, Aotearoa’s Hysterical Love Project, and an intermission by Wingnut was Naarm/Melbourne’s Miscmeg. Finally, it appeared, the tek had arrived. Miscmeg’s introduction of more ‘traditional’ dance music on Saturday afternoon was not without its context. While other artists had touched on this throughout the last day, to sit dance music at the close of a day of ambience, dub, trip hop, and live instruments had it feeling all the more impactful. Miscmeg’s own brand of wonky tech-house was a welcome introduction to Soma’s second evening.

Parisian DJ and producer Toma Kami was one of Soma’s few internationals, on a lineup truly dedicated to its local artists. The festival, till this point, had clearly prided itself on the depth of the sounds it curated. There was a richness to everything on show, both emotionally and musically, as well as a show of support for the local scenes that made up its bill.

French trap merged easily with baille-leaning club anthems, ghetto house and breaks at neck-snapping speed, in a way that truly captivated everyone. Had there been a ‘main stage’ attempt any earlier, this wouldn’t have hit quite the way it did.

DJ Mum’s Saturday evening closer proved that often, locals do know it best. If Toma Kami gave ‘main stage’, DJ Mum brought the kind of attitude and depth that shines brightest in the early hours of a doof’s morning. Dubbed-out melodies and Arabic-leaning vocal lines punctuate a set that, above all else, feels like it was made to close a festival’s second and most lively night.

Increasingly in-demand Sugar Glider founder Anusha hit reset come Sunday morning. With no shortage of experience in the art of soothing, her two-hour start did wonders for Soma’s cohort, moving as the shade did.

The hangover helping ambient set is by no means a groundbreaking curatorial choice. Still, Anusha’s mastery of such a slot and the moments in which to push and pull the audience slightly further along than usual did wonders for the prospective remainder of the day.

Usually, the Sunday afternoon of a festival often becomes the go-to time for music of a more uplifting, soulful nature. Spirits need to be lifted, and the ‘seasoned DJ playing uplifting soul, disco & house cuts’ meta is a trustworthy one to be sure (thank you, Setwun).

Soma took that soulfulness in another direction with its Sunday, however, placing Emelyne's animated, lyrically drenched & percussively demanding stylings at its centre. It ensured that punters were unable to totally rest upon their usual Sunday laurels.

From there, Ex Ponto’s diverse and eclectic live set soundtracked Soma's final sunset.

With sprinkles of electro, acid house, mixed with more traditional instruments, the hour was a meaningful farewell to a weekend of incredibly well-curated live acts.

Boorloo/Perth-based Wongi artist Yikes is, among many things, a party starter. Sunday evening may not appear to be the time to ‘start’ a party, but after almost three days of active listening, watching and dancing, his set sat as a reminder that there’s only so much time to go.

At times when other events might pull back, Soma proved that there was still plenty left in the tank, and acted as a perfect way for Amelia Holt and Cousin to bring the festival its closure in the hours following.

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With Soma on this weekend, there is a palpable excitement for how the experience of the festival’s inaugural edition will make itself known to punters, particularly across its curation.

Final tickets to Soma are still available here.

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jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor. Find him on Instagram.