Madlib has been added to this year’s RISING roster, headlining the wrap party for the impending second edition of the Naarm/Melbourne festival.
The Californian multi-hyphenate (whose real name is Otis Jackson Jr.) will perform a DJ set at the party – which is being held at The Forum on Saturday June 17 – marking his first performing in Australia since 2012. In that time, he’s released two albums of his own – 2014’s ‘Rock Konducta Vol. 1-2’ and 2021’s ‘Sound Ancestors’ – as well as collaborative efforts with the likes of Freddie Gibbs, Talib Kweli and Four Tet.
At the time of writing, RISING is the only show announced for Jackson’s next visit. Tickets are on sale now – find them here.
RISING’s 2023 edition will kick off next Wednesday (June 7), with concerts and art instalments running until the following Sunday (June 18). Highlights from the first week of programming include concerts from Weyes Blood, Ethel Cain, Thundercat, Paul Kelly and Yazmin Lacey.
The second week of RISING 2023 will sport performances from the likes of Birdz and Fred Leone (presenting their collaborative project Girra), RVG and ex-Chromatics vocalist Ruth Radelet. The full program will feature more than 400 performing artists across some 185 events – you can see more details on this year’s line-up here.
In a four-star review of last year’s RISING, NME wrote of the debut edition: “The festival is in its first year, which means that it has time yet to grow and find its identity. But the 2022 edition was a nevertheless thoroughly warming way to start a cold, rainy winter in the city.”