Following a highly successful inaugural event last year, Soulfest organisers have confirmed that “Australia’s first ever neo-soul, jazz and hip hop festival” is preparing round two for later this year, with the lineup set to drop early next week.

Promoter John Denison, who spearheaded the inaugural Soulfest, recently confirmed to Music Feeds that the event will indeed return in 2015 and that fans can expect a large portion of acts slated for the event to be announced at 11am next Tuesday, 12th May.

“Open up a blank book, have a think about who you’d love to see there and I bet you three or four are there,” he said. “That’s the best way to do it, that’s how we did it.” Organisers will also use the Tuesday reveal to drop all dates and ticketing info.

Last year’s Soulfest featured a star-studded lineup of hip-hop veterans, neo-soul vanguards, and R&B heavyweights, including conscious hip-hop pioneers Common and Mos Def, modern soul icons D’Angelo and Angie Stone, R&B superstars Aloe Blacc and Maxwell, as well as locals Ngaiire and Nathaniel.

Despite the absence of Mos Def from a couple of the dates, which took place in Sydney’s Victoria Park, Yarra Park in Melbourne, and The Riverstage in Brisbane, punters praised the first Soulfest event, with particular accolades reserved for the quality of the performances.

Last year’s event promised “no scheduling conflicts” thanks to a dual stage setup, with artists performing for 10 hours across a single day. In addition to music, ‘Eat Street’ was set up to provide punters with a range of soul food options, including an American-style Chili Cook-off.

Stay tuned to Tone Deaf and we’ll have the first Soulfest 2015 lineup announcement as soon as it drops.

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