Smirnoff Presents the DFA Records Stage at Future Music Festival

As they have done in previous years, Smirnoff are getting inventive at Future Music Festival. This year, they are bringing a slice of New York nightlife to the festival by hosting James Murphy’s DFA Records on their very own stage.

Aussie festival-goers will be as good as transported to the heart of New York City with an all-encompassing nightlife experience that will see DFA leading-light Murphy and Pat Mahoney, his partner in the legendary LCD Soundsystem, on headline duties.

DFA Records have always been on the cutting edge of music, having released genre-defining stuff by some ace acts, many of which will be in full effect on the Smirnoff stage at Future Music Festival, including: Hercules & Love Affair, Holy Ghost! Juan MacLean, Benoit & Sergio and Horse Meat Disco.

To the side of the stage, aspiring DJs will be given the chance to experience how it looks to be a headline performer. To capture the moment, their photo will be taken at the ‘Superstar DJ’ booth, against a real crowd backdrop. Photos will be uploaded to the SmirnoffAustralia Facebook page:

The Future Music Festival 2012 takes place on the following dates: 
Brisbane - Saturday March 3, DOOMBEN RACECOURSE
Perth – Sunday March 4, (Labour Day Long Weekend), ARENA JOONDALUP
Sydney – Saturday March 10, RANDWICK RACECOURSE
Melbourne – Sunday March 11 (Labour Day Long Weekend), FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE
Adelaide – Monday March 12 (Adelaide Cup Long Weekend) ELLIS PARK

Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster (136 100 or: www.ticketmaster.com.au)

Beastman & Nanami Cowdroy team up with Smirnoff to design limited edition packs

Isn't it nice when friends team up? Bobbysix's old mate Beastman (Brad Eastman) has joined forces with our buddies at Smirnoff to design one of two limited edition Smirnoff No. 21 packs.

To celebrate his and fellow Australian artist Nanami Cowdroy's designs, for one week only Smirnoff Australia is opening an interactive gallery in Sydney’s hipster haven, Surry Hills. Inspired by the theme of creating something visually stunning from a blank canvas, the Smirnoff Start Pure Gallery will house a one-of-a-kind art installation that allows visitors to help create a piece of artwork that will contribute to the design for a third, and final, Limited Edition pack – only five of which will be created.

The gallery will be open to the public from Friday 2nd until Thursday 8th March, 10am – 5pm daily, and will also allow visitors to see the large scale versions of the pack designs by Beastman and Nanami, as well as exclusive artwork from both artists.

Commenting on his exclusive pack design Beastman said, “I tried to push the theme 'start pure' through the design – conceptually you start with nothing and you add life and you add years of hard work, and then you become something. Creating little stories that mean something to me, that’s what I love that about being an artist. I love that I can trigger people’s thoughts and trigger people’s emotions.” Remarking on her design, Nanami said, "I found the Smirnoff concept of 'purity' to be ideal, as I'm accustomed to starting with a blank canvas, which I find is always exciting and enticing. I was inspired by the unique twisting design of the Smirnoff Limited Edition pack - which sparked the idea of a playful octopus, its tentacles coiling around and embracing the bottle within.”

Visitors to the gallery will be able to view both artists’ designs first hand, as well as produce their very own of pieces of art using the paper chromatography process - a method for testing the purity of compounds and identifying substances. Once produced, each individual artwork will be stored in a display case on the gallery walls, contributing to the overall artwork, which will evolve over the duration of the gallery opening period. Following their visit to the Smirnoff Limited Edition Gallery, participants will be able to visit the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page  and tag their piece of art. The wall of art created by the gallery visitors will be captured and printed as a third Limited Edition bottle pack, and the five copies will be offered as prizes in competitions (deets to be announced).

The Smirnoff Start Pure Gallery will be located at 374 Crown St, Surry Hills, Sydney and will be open to the public from Friday 2nd until Thursday 8th March 2012 – 10am-5pm daily. Admission is free. 


The limited edition Smirnoff No. 21 packs designed by Beastman and Nanami Cowdroy will be available to purchase from Coles, Woolworths and local liquor retailers for a limited period. Drink responsibly, fools.

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

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project - Now Pharrell joins the fun!

Not content with getting Madonna on board, Smirnoff have also secured an exclusive collaboration with global music and culture icon Pharrell Willliams, who you may have seen featuring in a brand new TV and online advertising campaign created especially for Australia.

Pharrell, a master collaborator himself, leads the campaign from start to finish, as the viewer is taken on a journey of how his mixes are created. He explains how the best music can be made only when the artist starts with a blank canvas. He builds his track Truth or Dare by adding layer upon layer of elements, one at a time – the beat, the groove, the vocals – the result, a full impact mix that you can’t help dancing to.

In case you hadn't worked it out already, the inspiration of the campaign stems from the way a bartender mixes a drink. Excited to be part of the initiative, Pharrell says, “What really works the best is when opposites attract. This is how I work when I collaborate with talented musicians, I take the true substance of their sound and mix it with what I think complements it best. I like how Smirnoff present a pure vodka, perfect for mixing – this is what I try to do with my music, so I agreed to be a part of this campaign.”

Want to see more than the above clip? Head to the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page to check out exclusive “Behind The Scenes” footage from the shoot including interviews with musicians involved. Also, an added feature of the campaign will be that whilst viewing the commercial on TV, smart phone users will be able to use the Shazam app to access additional footage and further information on the campaign from an exclusive micro website – a first for a TV commercial in Australia. Snazzy, hey?

Madonna joins the party as The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project goes massive!

We've been in transit for a few days, so it was an amazing surprise to arrive back at Bobbysix Towers to find the biggest parcel we've ever received waiting on our doorstep. In fact, it wasn't even a parcel, but a crate (see further down the page) filled with all manner of goodies relating to the latest installment of The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project.

Included in the crate was a globe, which will come in handy as this year's project is taking the party to all corners of the earth. If you thought 2010's event, which saw 14 countries swap nightlife, was ambitious, then, twelve months on, things are set to go MASSIVE. This time round, the audacious goal is to get 10 million people to discover, share and swap the most original nightlife experiences in, get this, 50 countries. Five-zero.

Oh, and if that weren't big enough, then they've only gone and got Madonna on board. No biggie. She's only, like, the biggest female pop star of all time. As part of the Nightlife Exchange Project, she'll be on the lookout for a new dancer to join her next tour.

As well as submitting ideas on what makes their country's nightlife special, fans can enter an exclusive dance competition online. Madonna will attend one of the selected Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project experiences where finalists will compete in front of her for the winning spot. The winner may get the opportunity to join the queen of pop on her next tour as one of her dancers. "What attracted me to the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is the combination of participating in the celebration of nightlife around the world and the opportunity to discover the world's best unknown dancers," said Madonna. "The best dancers are always in the clubs looking for the most original experience, just like Smirnoff is doing."

If Madonna is seeking someone who slowly shifts their weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other while not really knowing what to do with their hands, then she need look no further than the dags at Bobbysix.com. Just sayin'.

The submission process for the dance competition runs until October 10th. To enter, hopefuls must submit a 60-second dance video. For details on the dance submission process visit Smirnoff's Facebook page (Aussies go here, Brits go here).

The 50 countries participating in the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project include: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Dubai, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, Uruguay, United States, Venezuela and Vietnam. Better get that globe out. 

Dim Mak at Future Music Festival, Sydney

Saturday saw the Future Music Festival in Sydney. As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the event saw Dim Mak and Smirnoff’s Nightlife Exchange Project bring some of the glitz and glamour of LA nightlife to life. Mash up king Steve Aoki and friends, Don Diablo, Sound of Stereo, The Subs and TAI performed, playing some shit-hot electro sounds. Here are a few snaps of the revelry.

Words by Rob Townsend.

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project - The Video

You've probably already read my words about the recent trip BobbySix.com went on to Asia. Well, I also put together a little video of all of the sights and the sounds. Please excuse the slightly low-res quality of the clip. This is down to some really bloody annoying technical issues that made me want to put my head through my laptop and then the laptop through the window. Still, I got there in the end and, despite it not being in super HD, you'll get the idea.

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project 2010 - Photos

As regular readers will know, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project took place in 14 countries around the world last weekend and BobbySix.com was at the Canadian-themed event in Bangalore. Expect a full review from the big night in India soon, but, for now, here is what went down in the other locations.

More than 18,000 people from six continents across ten time zones witnessed the result of over 33,000 suggestions as to what characteristics made up each county's local nightlife. Highlights included a surprise performance from dubstep star Tinie Tempah in London, Marcus Schultz bringing some German techno to Cape Town, Brazilian freestyle footballers & samba drummers creating a carnival atmosphere in Sydney and German electronic sensation Peaches teaming up with South African Lim Pop group Gazelle to perform a song they co-wrote especially for the event in Berlin. UK curator Zane Lowe (pictured, top) busted out a DJ set, while live performances from Dirty Vegas in Thailand and Bonde de Role in Australia were streamed live online. Here are a few snaps of the fun:

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in numbers:
· 80 hours of performances across the world
· Approximately 1,400 tracks were played in 14 countries
· Over 50 artists and DJs performed to a crowd totalling around 18,000 people
· 2.7 tons of ice used by 200+ bartenders

Smirnoff Send-Off Party - Photos

Smirnoff Australia hosted the Send-Off party for its upcoming Nightlife Exchange Project last week. At the event at Sydney Dance Lounge, there were performances from the So You Think You Can Dance? crew and DJ sets from Aston Shuffle and Dan Single. There was also, of course, lots of vodka.

At the event, Australia discovered that it will be exchanging nights with Brazil on November 27th. Meaning that the best of Australia's nightlife will be heading to South America, while Sydney will be the location for a huge Brazilian party. Find out how to score tickets and get your Samba on by visiting the Sminoff Australia facebook page.

BobbySix.com will bring you more about the big Shindig on November 27th soon. In the meantime, here are a few snaps of the Send Off Party.

Win VIP Tickets to the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Send-Off Party!

Please note, this competition was for the send off party not the actual Nightlife Exchange Event. Therefore, entries are now closed. Keep an eye out for more Smirnoff-related giveaways over the next couple of weeks though.
Smirnoff recently revealed its new Nightlife Exchange Project, which will see 14 countries from six continents - including USA, UK, Brazil, Lebanon, Poland and Australia - celebrate the best elements of their country’s nightlife.

Ideas from Australian fans have been captured online and packed-up in a crate (above), ready to be transformed into actual event experiences. In a finale on 27th November, the world will swap nights, with each country exchanging the best of their nightlife with that of another.

On Thursday evening 21st October, Smirnoff is hosting a Send-Off party in Sydney for Australia's nightlife, where they'll be showcasing what Australians have nominated as being the best of the country's local nightlife and announcing the country Australia will be exchanging with for the big global event on November 27.

The best part is that you could be going to this Send-Off party in Sydney as a VIP!

BobbySix.com has a VIP double pass to give away for the event, which will be hosted by curator Dan Single, co-founder of Ksubi and Bang Gang, who will also be performing a DJ set with Angus MacDonald. The headline act is Aston Shuffle, recently named Australia’s number one DJs in the 2010 inthemix50 poll.


How to Enter:

Simply finish the following sentence, in 25 words or less: "I deserve to win VIP tickets to the Smirnoff Send-Off because..." Email your entry to info@bobbysix.com with the subject line 'Smirnoff Send Off' by no later than 9am on Tuesday 19th October. Include your full name, age and address. Good luck! (The competition and event is for over 18s only and, before you enter, you need to be sure you are able to get yourself to and from the event in Sydney on Thursday evening the 21st October).

To keep up with all the latest competitions and giveaways at BobbySix.com, 'like' my facebook page and follow me on twitter.

For more details on the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange, check out their facebook page.

Smirnoff unveils its Nightlife Exchange Project

You may remember how BobbySix.com went to Johannesburg in May for the Smirnoff Experience South Africa. Four months on comes The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. This experiment will see 14 countries from six continents - including USA, UK, Brazil, Lebanon, Poland and Australia - work with respected nightlife figures to celebrate the best elements of their country’s nightlife. These ideas will be captured online, packed-up in a crate and transformed into actual event experiences. In a finale on 27th November, the world will swap nights, with each country exchanging the best of their nightlife with that of another.

Via Facebook.com/SmirnoffAustralia, people in Aus are invited to make suggestions for what represents the best of their local nightlife. Once the suggestions are all in, it will be up to the local expert to decide what will represent each country in the exchange.

Dan Single, co-founder of Ksubi and Bang Gang, will curate Australia’s crate, which arrived in Sydney's Darling Harbour yesterday and will then head off to Melbourne next week. To mark Sydney's launch, artist Ed Woodley (of China Heights and Oxford Art Factory fame) created a live installation using the crate as his canvas. BobbySix.com went along to take some pictures.

The contents of Australia’s crate, as nominated by the people and curated by Single, will be revealed on October 21st at a send-off party in Sydney. Each country will then pack-up the best of its nightlife into a crate for one of the other countries to experience on November 27th.

Submit your ideas and find out how you can be a part of the worldwide party by becoming a fan here.

Changing Lanes Festival gets the go-ahead

It wasn't long ago that I was bemoaning how festivals can just lazily shove up a couple of stages and charge the shirtless masses extortionate amounts for tickets to watch Dizzy Rascal and Muse for the umpteenth time. Since then I have been impressed by a (hopefully) changing dynamic. Smirnoff's innovative approach to enhancing festival experiences, both at Future Music and at their own extravaganzas, is exciting and, as always, I found this year's Laneway to be a delightful way to spend a Sunday.

Last week, another festival that promises to be more about the whole experience than just the music got the green light from Marrickville Council after months of hard work. Changing Lanes, presented by MAPS Entertainment and in collaboration with the Sydney Fringe Festival, is a fund raiser for FBi Radio. It will take place on the 19th of September in Newtown, Sydney and will celebrate the city's brimming artistic and music communities. The line-up - announced soon - will feature bands and DJs that span indie, rock, acoustic, dub-step, hip-hop and electro. Local and international street artists will involve themselves throughout the day in a live painting event and there will also be food, fashion, vinyl and bike stalls there.

Ticketing details should be announced imminently.

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.

Smirnoff Experience South Africa

Here at bobbysix headquarters, heads and eyes are too bleary to piece together any kind of coherent review of last night's event just yet. Suffice to say it was a top night. Expect to see a full rundown here once some sleep has been achieved but, for now, here are a few snaps.

BLK JKS prepare to bring the party to JoBurg

Today is the day of the big Smirnoff event in Johannesburg, which brings together Tiesto and local talent BLK JKS. Check for reviews and photos over the next couple of days. On the eve of the gig, I caught up with BLK JKS guitarist Mpumi Mcata, and asked him whether he was daunted about playing to 3000 people. "I wasn't," he laughed, in a way that made me realise I wasn't being especially helpful by reminding him of the sheer size of the aircraft hanger that will house the gig. "It didn't look that big when we saw it today, but someone else said the same to me though, so maybe it does [hold 3000]," he said with a shrug that suggested that, however many people are there, BLK JKS are sure to tackle the task with the same confidence and colourful personality that they exude away from the stage. These are big characters, and, if the reaction they are getting overseas continues to gain momentum, we'll be hearing a lot more from them over the next few years. In the meantime though, it's all about bringing the party to their hometown tonight.

If you're heading to the party tonight, click here for a taster from the Berlin Experience.

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.

Berlin cancelled

So, my trip to Berlin to cover the Smirnoff Experience has been cancelled because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. If you're thinking to yourself, "Ah, that really sucks," then, yes, you're right, it REALLY sucks. Still, Qantas have grounded all their flights to Europe so there is literally no way of getting there in time. Ah well. Business as usual then, with more album reviews coming later in the week.

Smirnoff Experience Berlin

If this pesky volcanic ash clears up in time, on Thursday I am landing in Germany to cover the Smirnoff Experience Berlin. Over four days I will be taking in the sights and sounds of Berlin (above), as well as covering the gig, which features Boy 8 Bit, WhoMadeWho and a headline performance from Simian Mobile Disco.

Expect to see plenty of photos and updates across all of my various outlets, and live reviews and interviews with some of the stars of the show.

Keep right up to date with what I'm up to by following my Twitter and my Tumblr. Oh, and join my facebook page while you're at it.