A special and rare appearance by the award-wining visionary Chris Cunningham is today confirmed for The Big Chill 2011. Cult film-maker, musician, photographer and producer Chris Cunningham is responsible for some of the most iconic music videos ever made, amongst a myriad of other accomplishments. He has been dubbed ‘Dangerously ahead of his time’ by The Guardian and ‘A startlingly original visual artist’ by The Telegraph. On the back of a sold out show at the Royal Festival Hall in May last year and recent collaborations with Gil Scott-Heron and Grace Jones, Cunningham returns to the stage this summer. He will be closing the Deer Park Stage on Sunday, following the set by headliners Rodrigo y Gabriela. Cunningham will create a sight and sound spectacular, bringing The Big Chill to a close in true style.
Bringing a slice of Americana to Herefordshire this summer will be North Mississippi Allstars Duo as they perform their Grammy Award-nominated Southern blues atop the Deer Park Stage on Sunday. Briefly appearing as Carson Daly’s house band on TV in the USA, North Mississippi Allstars Duo have also recently supported Robert Plant and The Band of Joy, who also appear at The Big Chill this year.
With their second album The Body of Christ and The Legs of Tina Turner nominated in the Choice Music Prize for Best Album of the Year back on home turf in Ireland, Fight Like Apes are flying high. Having supported the likes of stadium noise-masters The Prodigy, Fight Like Apes are more than equipped to take to The Revellers’ stage on Friday. Recently dubbed by NME as ‘the rowdiest live band in the world’ anyone needing a wake-up call from the laid back atmosphere of The Big Chill need look no further.
Manning the highly respected dubstep label DMZ and club night of the same name, duo Digital Mystikz will appear on The People’s Ear Stage on Friday. Garnering support from the likes of the late John Peel and Annie Nightingale as well as many of their peers, the pair otherwise known as Mala and Coki are considered central to the dupstep scene. Added to The People’s Ear Stage on Sunday is Bristolian Julio Bashmore. The house music-loving DJ, influenced by his hometown’s obsession for all things low frequency, steps up to the decks to prove why the highly influential Claude Von Stroke signed Bashmore up to his Dirtybird label.
The imaginatively named London based dupstep duo Stinkahbell hit up the decks at Starburst on Friday. Expect galactic sounding samples and deep buzzing bass. Usually found playing bass with chart-topping NYC indie darlings, Vampire Weekend, Baio appears at The Big Chill this summer at Starburst on Sunday in his DJ guise. Baio – Vampire Weekend DJ set promises an eclectic mix echoing his passion for dance music peppered with indie, nu-wave and afrobeat. Combining the talents of six London and Watford-based producers and DJs, True Tiger have between them released, produced and remixed tracks by artists including Professor Green, Enter Shikari, Taio Cruz, Skepta and many other big names from the pop and urban music worlds. For their set on Sunday at Starburst, True Tiger, in their live form, will meld together grime with hip-hop, house and more. Formerly DJ Clipz, infamous in the d‘n’b scene, the restyled DJ and producer Redlight is up next showcasing his new unique take on garage, breaks and dubstep. Lastly for Starburst’s Sunday offerings is DJ Distance, an originator from the South London homeland of dubstep, Distance brings to the table his own progressive and experimental take on the genre.