Back for another year the incredibly successful and anticipated boutique electronic music festival Let Them Eat Cake stormed headfirst into 2015, returned for its third appearance to the pristine lawns of Weribee Mansion (about a 30 minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD) on new year’s day.

Promising to “be an adventure deep into a utopia slick with Babylonian sensory delight” it didn’t disappoint. Featuring some of the most exciting acts going around, including Fatima (live) (UK), Todd Terje, Hudson Mohawke, and Cashmere Cat, and considering shrinking appeal of new year’s eve celebrations, LTEC 2015 proved to be the best way to celebrate the arrival of 2015, here are our reasons why.

The Line Up Was Artfully Crafted

Following on from the stellar line up of previous years (including Flying Lotus, DJ Koze, James Holden and The Gaslamp Killer to name a few) this year’s edition featured something for electronic music lovers form all walks of life. From the trap stylings of TNGHT’s Hudson Mohawe, the futuristic neo-soul combo of Fatima and Alexander Nut, to the throbbing deep house of Ben Pearce, if you love electronic music LTEC has something to fill your day.

Even a last minute cancellation from DJ Sneak (doctor’s orders) was flawlessly filled by the much loved Jamie xx, who brought the disco funk early on in the day before heading north to perform at Field Day in Sydney that afternoon.

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LTEC Shows Us That ‘Boutique’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Low Key’

The term ‘boutique’ is so engrained in our discussions of Aussie music festivals today, it’s now difficult to decipher what does and what doesn’t make a festival ‘boutique’. One thing is for sure ‘boutique’ (according to LTEC organisers) doesn’t imply a small production.

Located inside the green lawns Weribee Park and set over six stages (one hidden) and overlooked by a stunning mansion, and home to a lagoon the decadence of LTEC is a faithful homage to the royal history from which the festival takes it name.

The Tastes Of LTEC Are More Worldly Than Most

Looking at the line up of the festival, big underground names like Axel Bowman (Sweden), Carl Craig (USA), Todd Terje (Norway), Cashmere Cat (Norway), KiNK (Bulgaria) reads like a super cool underground electric music festival due to be set in a European city, far cooler and artsier than Weribee. But the ability for the promoters to bring together this eclectic worldly list of amazing talent that (bar a few) would not be able to visit Australia otherwise is something all punters should be incredibly thankful for.

Though Our Locals Slayed

LTEC isn’t without an extremely strong list of local talent. Analog synthesist Harvey Sutherland brought the lo-fi boogie, the Salvador Darling Experience brought the camp high energy disco, while Andras Fox set a precedent with an early set showing punters that the local electronic scene is as strong as ever.

Honorable mentions go to Rat & Co. who kicked off the day with a blissful afternoon set, Broadway Sounds who after battling with a few technical issues turned the lagoon-side Swap Stage into a tribal dancing induced dustbowl, and World’s End Press who never fail to put on an incredibly fun show.

Generous Timeslots, Meant It Was All About Enjoying The Moment

The timeslots given to performers are extremely generous to say the least. Offering 90 minute to two hour slots to headliners meant that you watch Todd Terje drop a remix of Men At Work’s ‘Down Under’, pop by to the stage next door to catch Fatima and Alexander Nut and still be able to fit in a good 45 minutes of dancing to Ben Pearce despite the three-way clash.

You might even wander into discovering your new favourite producer (shout outs to DOV1 and his dusty late afternoon dancelhall set).

Unlike most festivals, where you’re required to ‘schedule’ your day down to the minute, the larger time slots allow you to get lost in the moment and still not miss a thing. It’s all about enjoying the moment for as long as you can, rather than seeing as much as you can.

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The Day Caters To Every Electronic Music Fan In More Ways Than One

When it comes to organising a killer festival, the LTEC crew knows it takes more than just an impeccable music roster to make the day run smoothly, hence the ‘Food Rave’.

Situated just a few steps from the happenings of the festival, the Food Rave is a campsite of culinary delights. Caribbean BBQs, hot dogs, pizzas, burgers, cocktails, coffee and so many more stalls hosted by Melbourne food icons (Hammer and Tong, Ladro, Storm In A Teacup) meant that the idea of lining up for a bucket of Nandos chips is for peasants.

If you’re more of a fan of the liquid lunch and, hey who isn’t during new years celebrations? Everything from your classic beer in a paper cup to a dirty martini (in a martini glass) was available for your enjoyment. For those wanting to kick back and let the day roll by, a spot by the lagoon is a prime position, while there’s no lack of front of stage dancefloors for those feeling a little antsy.

It Still Feels Like A Secret

Only in its third year, LTEC has received nothing but accolades and despite its growing popularity it’s still an underground electronic music festival. Considering its youth and success, growth of the festival is inevitable and while that’s an exciting prospect – within those crew of early adopters the sense of camaraderie was strong.

Thanks to everyone behind the event new year’s eve is now nothing more than the night before Let Them Eat Cake.

Photos sourced from the Let The Eat Cake Facebook page. For more info on the festival visit www.letthemeatcakenyd.com.au

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