Rainbow Serpent Artlicle Part 2

While Sunday morning and the mainstage are at the head of the Rainbow Serpent festival, the Market Stage is perhaps better described as the heart. Spanning the entire 4 days of the festival, the Market Stage features a broad range of electronica- most styles of contemporary dance music are covered, ranging from dark and twisted psytrance right through to disco-electro. The system is clear and crisp, without falter all the weekend- coupled with some Australia and the world's best artists from a myriad of styles- even when the mainstage is running you'll still find a solid dancefloor.

A good chunk of Australia's best talent feature on the Market- many artists even prefer to play the market than they do the main. Indeed, Monday's lineup on the market rivals the music even on the main. Sun Control Species- fresh from 2 years of playing the mainstage will instead this play on Monday- indeed his new music seems to be moving more and more in the progressive direction- so this will no doubt suit him well. Minilogue from Sweden, the alter ego of Son Kite- will also play a live set on monday, featuring tracks from their unreleased new album. Focusing more on minimal techno, prog house and break influences, the minilogue show is a crossover of styles that will suit even the most disconcerning listener. Marcus will also do a DJ set- its not everyday that you get to see 4 different sets from the legendary pair (Seb will also play as Ooze on the Chill Area).

Germany's Beauty and the Beat return to the festival for the 2nd year running- Sally Dolally (the "Beauty" in the beat) has recently compiled a compilation for Plastic Park- "Headspace" featuring a tidy lineup of some of prog's biggest names. Stewart Walker's eclectic and experimental minimal techno style will surely please those whose musical taste is a little left of centre- never playing as a DJ, stewart's live set is taylored to location and setting and is improvisational at all times- never will you see the same set 2 times. A.BPM from Japan's Maniac IQ also features some techno influences- although slightly more Tech-psy than Walker.

Sensient, Melbourne's master of tech, minimal and progressive psy again features on the market- indeed in past years, his sets have been some of the highlight of the festival. Shadow FX, an up-and-coming name in the progressive scene (from Sensient's Zenon label) returns after a set in 2004. Sydney's Eegor has become a mainstay of the Monday session, and this year is no different. Recognised as one of Australia's most respected progressive djs, his set will no doubt be remembered once again. One of the strongest representatives of Cairns scene, Solatek returns for the third year- largely responsible for the blossoming outdoor scene in Cairns, if your awake Sunday night make sure not to miss.

Artax from Sweden is an interesting pick for lovers of more psychedelic sounds- his bizarre and quirky style is well-received worldwide, representing a new wave of Swedish psytrance producers. Melbourne's Hefty Output are one of the names to watch in 2006- for lovers of the darker side of psytrance, this is the act to watch for the festival. Due to release their debut album this year with new Aussie label Illuminati- their sound is dark- but at the same time embroiled with a deviant sense of humour that sets them apart from other acts in this genre. Sydney's Jaimz is a feature of most major outdoor events in Australia- his sound is fresh and cutting edge, clean dancefloor psytrance. Melbourne's D-Mak will show in the the sunrise of monday morning- representing israeli super-label Hom-mega, his set no-doubt be packed with some of the freshest full-on sounds of the festival.

For those who aren't as into the "trancish" sounds- the Market Stage also features a number of electro, funk, dub, tekno and house djs representing the otherside of electronica loved by Aussie outdoor crowds. The flamboyant Jet More is again part of the festival (many will remember his last set!). Melbourne club favourites the Semi-Retired crew will keep those who venture down to the market on Sunday happy. Live electronic bands also have a strong feature on the stage, with Byron's Wild Marmalade, hometown favourites "The Rush Effect" and tribal-fused sounds of Morph make sure those who seek a true "Live" experience are kept happy.

There are many acts that haven't been mentioned in this article- if there is anything that has caught your eye or ear yet, no doubt it exists somewhere within the lineup. The Green Ant crew are very conscious of making the Market Stage at RSF one for everyone- with a lineup like this years, its perhaps the biggest year of the Market yet. And if both the main and the market are too intense- there is always the Chill-Area populated with some of the finest talent in the country to keep you happy as well. Rainbow Serpent 2006 promises to be the biggest year in the Festival's history- leading up to the "big one" next year- the 10th year of Rainbow Serpent Festival.