Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project - Australia gets Italy, England swaps with Jamaica, USA goes Dutch

Last night, we hit up the announcement party in Sydney, where it was revealed that Australia will swap with Italy as part of The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project – a one-of-a-kind global experience in which 50 countries celebrate the best of their local nightlife. Junior Jack & Kid Créme and Alex Gaudino will headline the Italian-inspired Australia event, while Aussie group Nervo and Bang Gang Deejay’s will fly over to Italy as the Italians receive the best of Australia’s homegrown nightlife, as voted by Australians.

With the goal of helping 10 million people discover, share and swap unique nightlife, the Australian team is already gearing up to be part of larger-than-life events worldwide. Once all of the suggestions are in, Australia’s ambassador Anna Lunoe will help select the ones that best represent Australia’s vibrant and varied nightlife. These ingredients will be packed into a crate for Italy to experience when the world swaps nights in the epic finale on 12 November. Supercool Anna (above), who played an Italian-tinged DJ set at the launch last night, says: “I can wait for this event. I’m really looking forward to welcoming Junior Jack & Kid Créme and Alex Gaudino, and seeing how they recreate the Italian nightlife experience Down Under. I’m also super excited to see the best of Australia’s nightlife come alive for the people of Italy to enjoy. We have had some awesome suggestions so far on what makes Australia’s nightlife truly unique, so we expect the event on 12 November to be a one-of-a-kind experience in both countries.” Fans can continue to submit their suggestions for what best characterises nightlife in Australia, via the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page and also enter the competition to win tickets to be at the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project event in a top-secret Australian location.

Meanwhile, good old Blighty was picked to swap with Jamaica, meaning that they'll be some Jamaican vibes vibes going down in London Town while a representation of England (overpaid footballers and an unhealthy obsession with the weather? Yeah, it's the same joke we made this time last year, sorry) will be heading in the other direction. Brits head here to submit your ideas and to keep up to date with the latest news. Another really interesting exchange is sure to be between the United States and the Netherlands.

Talking of the US, Madonna will attend the New York celebration to help handpick the overall global winner of the online dance competition alongside her choreographers Rich and Tone. Finalists will compete in front of Queen of Pop (which is a pretty scary prospect if you ask us) for the winning spot. The winner may get the opportunity to join Madonna on her next tour as one of her dancers. For entry information and to win the chance to be there, visit the Smirnoff Facebook page.

The confirmed nightlife swaps are:
GREAT BRITAIN with JAMAICA
IRELAND with THAILAND
BRAZIL with GERMANY
CANADA with VIETNAM
USA with NETHERLANDS
DUBAI with MEXICO
VENEZUELA with CYPRUS
ARGENTINA with TURKEY

Exclusive Anna Lunoe interview!

DJ Anna Lunoe is the Australian ambassador for this year's Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. We grabbed a few words with her about her role in the project, her ideal night out and who she would most like to swap lives with...

What was it about the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project that made you want to get involved?
Well, first things first I have kinda been living and breathing nightlife for over five years, so that’s a start. I first got involved with Smirnoff at last year’s exchange when I DJ’d at the Brazilian show at the Metro [in Sydney] and the concept definitely caught my imagination. Experiencing another culture is so exciting. I love the music that is coming out of the internet revolution; sharing sounds has led to such amazing innovation in music. Young artists are growing up being exposed to all kinds of music sub-cultures, and then going on to create music that is absolutely different from anything that has come before. So yeah, I'm a big supporter of that concept in general. Any way I can encourage it I will!

Can you talk us through the role you will be playing in the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project?
My role is to oversee the representation of Australian nightlife overseas, and also to help with Australia’s own celebration - plus I will definitely perform at the events of course! I really wanna encourage everyone to get involved on the Smirnoff Australia facebook page and tell us what how you want Australia to be represented to other countries too. My role is just to bring the awareness to the public, not to dictate what is or isn't special about Australian nightlife.

What would your ideal night out consist of?
My favourite nights out are with my friends when we happen to have nights off. We get a good dinner, then hit up our favourite spot where we know the music will be good and we can run amuck with a like-minded crowd. At the moment that’s at my friend Jimmy’s club, Goodgod (editor's note: this is also somewhere that the good folk of Bobbysix.com have, on many occasions, danced until we can dance no more). Usually on my nights "off" we throw impromptu parties down there. Believe it or not, my idea of a night out is still DJing. DJing is definitely a part of partying in my eyes! In the right environment it’s a blowing-off-steam thing for me, as well as a job.

What makes Australian nightlife unique?
This is tricky to pinpoint really but I think we have a real style when it comes to music. I feel like Australian dance music is pretty positive and uplifting as a general rule. It's a pretty fair reflection of our cultural landscape (most of the time!). The music is built for outdoor festivals. That’s how I feel anyway but I would very much encourage everyone to hit up the Smirnoff Australia facebook page and tell me what YOU think the scene is like.

Australia aside, where in the world would you like to have a night out?
Maybe somewhere in South America? Or Portugal would be amazing. I love the kuduru sounds coming out of there. Also, of course as a massive UK bass fan, I would love go out a lot more in the UK.

If you could exchange lives with anyone in the world for one night, who would you choose?
Annie Mac! She hosts a new dance show on the BBC in the UK and gets to DJ at all these ridiculously amazing festivals across Europe. She even gets to curate her own festival stages (Annie, if you are reading this through some wonder of the internet, life swap?)

Interview by Bobby Townsend

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is back!

Last Year, Bobbysix.com ventured to India for an unbelievable adventure as part of Smirnoff's Nightlife Exchange Project. Well, the exciting news for anyone who attended one of the events that took place around the globe is that 2011 sees the Nightlife Exchange Project return - and it's set to be even bigger and better.

This time round, fifty - that's right, five-zero - countries are gearing up to celebrate the best one-of-a-kind nightlife experiences. This not-to-be-missed global nightlife celebration will bring together the best tunes, drinks, sights and tastes from around the globe at some top-notch venues worldwide.

Following Dan Single's turn last year, this time round DJ Anna Lunoe is the ambassador for The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in Australia. Supercool and, may we say, hotter than hell, Anna says, “I’m really excited about being involved in this unique project and discovering what key ingredients make a fun night out for Australians. It’s also a fantastic platform in which to showcase our original Australian nightlife to the rest of the world.”

During 2010 Smirnoff asked a couple of million people from 14 countries across ten different time zones what represents an unforgettable night out, bringing the best ideas to life in a nightlife swap. The cultural exchange saw 80 hours of performances across the world, with 1,400 tracks played and over 50 artists and DJ’s performing.

This year, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is again searching the world for the most original nightlife experiences. You can get involved in the project by visiting the your country's Facebook page (Aussies, go here: Facebook.com/SmirnoffAustralia) to share your nightlife ideas.

Keep your eyes on Bobbysix.com over the next little while for news on how you can attend your country's swap, as well as up-to-the-minute info on what's going on and where. It's going to be awesome! To coin a Smirnoff phrase, Be There!

Happy New Year!

So, another year comes and goes. Last year, I spent New Year's Eve at a rooftop party in Sydney, watching fireworks explode all over the city. This year, I am in a freezing cold and sleepy town in the UK. Twixt the two dates, I have been to Melbourne, London, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Mumbai, Brighton and Bangalore. I have seen some amazing gigs, listened to some cracking albums and dropped some sick tunes with my lovely companion DJ Meowcat in various venues around Sydney.

During the last year, BobbySix.com has continued to grow to the extent that its little ol' founder - me - could no longer cope on his own and so enlisted a small but perfectly formed team of writers. Over the next year I hope BobbySix.com will continue to grow, the website will become a much more all-singing, all-dancing affair and that we will continue to branch out further into the world of arts/fashion/events. We've already made a start, and have evolved from a blog in which I pretty much exclusively wrote about fairly well-known international groups into a blog that also gives a platform to all manner of lesser-known bands, as well as featuring writers, models and artists and other creative types. 

Anyway, thanks for your wonderful support over the year. Here are a few of my personal highlights that didn't quite fit into the recently-posted End of Year Review.

Obviously, my trips with Smirnoff have already been pretty well documented, but there can be no denying that these made up some of my best memories of the year, Meeting so many amazing, artistic people and experiencing incredible things - everything from watching fireworks explode over Bangkok (pictured at the top) from the 74th story of a hotel to waking through poverty-ridden yet inspiringly upbeat Soweto (above) - has been something I will never forget.

In terms of interviews, my highlights from this year include talking to my hero Jim Bob, the simply fabulous model Eliza Sys and drummer Steven Nistor. I have conducted lots of interviews over the last few years and it is only occasionally that people really open up and talk with total honesty. I feel these three people did this brilliantly. Here are some snippets.

Jim Bob
"I don't know how to deal with new music anymore. I will no doubt change my mind but at the moment I have no desire to make, or rather sell, any new music." (full interview...)

Eliza Sys 

"I started modelling because I was a complete mess. I had so many complexes, I was extremely shy and almost afraid of new people. When I was scouted I saw it as the only shot I had to change the way I saw myself. Maybe getting something positive out of the fact I looked like a weirdo could help me to grow stronger and care less." (full interview...)

Steven Nistor
"Mark [Linkous] was a really sweet guy. He had a vicious sense of humor. But you could tell he was in a lot of pain, emotionally."(full interview...)

The other main highlight of the year for me came away from the blog. The launch of Surry Hills-based vintage store/event space Dear Pluto (below) proved to be the culmination of a couple of years' really hard work and creativity from the wonderful Emma Daniels. I am massively proud of her achievement and remain grateful to be a part of this project. If you live in Sydney and have yet to check the place out, then sort your life out and pay Emma a visit. You can pick yourself up some sweet threads for next to nothing. Or, if you're a band/artist/photographer/filmmaker and need a space to exhibit your work/show your film, then Dear Pluto is the place for you. Check out the facebook page for all the deets.

So, anyhoo. I reckon 2011 is going to be a cracker. Whatever it brings, here at BobbySix.com we will be sure to let you know about it. We'll tell you who you should be listening to/looking at/reading/watching/drooling over. Maybe we'll tell you what you should be wearing and where you should be going. Feel free to disagree with us. You'll be wrong to, of course, but, you know, it's up to you.

Remember in 2011, be nice, be kind, be helpful, be tolerent and have manners. If you can manage all that then you're a friend of ours. Happy New Year!

Words by Rob Townsend

Smirnoff Experience South Africa - Mashup Street Review

Johannesburg. The name is often greeted with a sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth and the quoting of some worrying crime statistic or other. Sure, the sprawling, disparate city has its share of problems, but to glance beyond the well-documented socio-issues is to find a vibrant community which - from the super-cool urban clubs to the corrugated homes of Soweto - has a fire in its heart and music in its soul. So, while JoBurg may not be afforded the same glamorous image as the other places that Smirnoff has stopped off at on its worldwide “Be There" experiences, it is with justification that this South African city found its way onto the circuit.

The warm people of JoBurg were certainly suitable hosts for such an occasion. While the general vibe is laid back to the point of being horizontal (order food from any restaurant and see if your stomach doesn’t try to eat itself during the seemingly interminable wait for its arrival), they sure as hell know how to party here. The local music scene buzzes with artists you and I have never heard of, while Sunday afternoons in Soweto are about as far removed from lunch at your Gran’s as you could imagine. Little wonder then, that, when news that Smirnoff were bringing international superstar DJ Tiesto to town, everyone wanted to be there.

While the world could watch the event - entitled Mashup Street due to the coming-together of different styles and cultures - online via a live-stream, the 3,500 folk who were lucky enough to score tickets (of which a chunk were international competition winners) found themselves, late on Saturday night, heading to an aircraft hanger 45 minutes out of town. As a cavalcade of cars drew closer to the venue (the location of which had remained secret until just a few days before the gig) the darkness and silence of the surrounding nothingness was punctuated by beats and baselines bouncing off the walls of the hanger. What started as a rhythmical hum steadily increased to an infectious, cacophonous dance-beat as the line of punters snaked towards the entrance.
Once inside, party-goers didn't know where to look/listen first. Djs SPECtacula, Dean Fuel and Ashton Abels spun the tunes while, at the 'Afro-Preppy' and 'Electro-Punk' themed bars, trendy young things were able to design their own cocktails on touch-screen stations and have them instantly conjured up by mixologists (whose eye make-up made them look like a cross between Michael Stipe and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle). Between the two main rooms, graffiti artists and breakdancers brought a sense of Newtown to proceedings with some live installations. On stage, female dancers looking like Jessica Rabbit let loose in a fancy dress shop stirred up the crowd while trapeze artists wearing not much at all intertwined arms and legs. Smirnoff's plan to "remix South Africa," was clearly going to be one helluva party.

While playing to so many people in their home city made this a seminal gig for BLK JKS (below) they were always going to have a fight on their hands trying to retain the attention of a crowd that wasn’t necessarily their demographic. Especially when there were so many other distractions in a venue so gargantuan that it would swallow most indie bands in one fun-sized gulp. Despite this, they put on a fine show which represented an intelligent coming-together of psych-rock, ska, alternative, reggae, jazz, and plenty of prog. With foreign influences such as TV On The Radio segueing with African sounds, it is obvious why Smirnoff chose them to open this mash-up themed party, and why they are doing as well outside of their country as they are within it.

Several extravagant vodkas later (fashionistas sipped from cocktails that had rubber ducks floating in them), the place was rammed as Tiesto appeared behind his decks and proceeded to play a surprisingly commercial set. Spinning the likes of Justice, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Florence, the Dutchman created an accessibility that suited the festival-type atmosphere, and his set was enjoyed equally by the hardcore gurners at the front, the liggers nibbling canapés behind the VIP rope and the parents at the back who, before tonight, probably thought Tiesto was a brand of washing powder. In keeping with the mash-up idea, he debuted Dreaming, his collaboration with BLK JKS.

Three hours of drinks, confetti canons, lights, video screens and partying South Africans hanging from the rafters later, it was all over (after a quick encore). Post-gig, the DJ gushed: "It was such a pleasure playing to the crowd in Johannesburg. I had such an amazing time playing at Mashup Street, I didn't even realise that I played an hour-and-a-half-longer than I was supposed to."So, while Tiesto's entourage went to find him a watch, everyone else piled into cars and headed back towards the lights of the big city, where afterparties would pop up throughout the night. Whether at official shindigs in swanky bars, impromptu get-togethers in hotel rooms or edgier gatherings in the labyrinthic streets of Soweto, Johannesburg buzzed with life long beyond the apologetic arrival of sunrise at 6.30am.

Once the cloud of hangover fuzz that blanketed Joburg lifted deep into Sunday and the foreign attendees began to brave the volcanic ash on their journey home, locals started gearing up for the next big occasion - The World Cup. If Mashup Street is any indicator of JoBurg’s ability to celebrate other cultures while proudly displaying its own, then it is going to be amazing.

And so it was time for the Smirnoff Experience to wheel itself out of town and to start planning its next big Be There occasion, safe in the knowledge that it had well and truly rocked Johannesburg to its very foundations with a party that went way beyond global branding. The inventive Mashup Street was so special, so commendable and such unadulterated fun because it amounted to much more than a mere promotional event. This was an opportunity for people to shed the shackles of their comfort zone and have a real one-off experience.

Moving Pictures

Once upon a time, I was known to piece together the occasional video of my travels. Then I broke my camera and I lapsed out of the habit of making movies (other than occasionally appearing in front of and shouting orders from behind the camera for David Ford). However, keen to finally hoist my body back on the horse (and dazzled by thge sights that surrounded me), I have pieced together some live footage from my trip to Johannesburg. Check back at bobbysix.com tomorrow for a full review of the Mashup Street experience.

Swinging Soweto

I arrived in JoBurg yesterday for the Smirnoff Experience South Africa. Keep an eye on Bobbysix.com throughout the week and early next week for interviews and reviews of the event. You can find blogs about my trip elsewhere if you're interested. I'll also be posting plenty of photos and tweeting my heart out.

Today I went to Soweto. Here are some snaps.

Smirnoff Experience South Africa (the volcano-free sequel)

If you have been within earshot of me over the past few weeks, you will have heard me interminably droning on about how volcanic ash ruined my life by stopping me from going to Berlin. Excitingly, the good people at Smirnoff have instead invited me to Johannesburg for the next leg of their round-the-world party.

I'll be there this week, to review their big event, featuring performances from BLK JKS and Tiesto. Hopefully I'll get to speak to some of the artists too, as well as covering all of the sights and sounds of my debut trip to South Africa.

Watch this space for regular updates.