Review Mike Moggi Mannix Photographer Leoneta Vizauer

Zone One was an unexpected gem. A very well organised 1 day boutique dance music event in the middle of the spectacular Waterford countryside!

A few months ago we were delighted to be asked to come down to document this brand new gig that was being organised by Advanced Booking Agency and Poor Mouth Records headlined by Moduse

So just a couple of weeks ago Matt, Roberta and myself drove down from Dublin into the spectacular scenic middle of nowhere countryside. The organizers Evan and Silvui had picked an incredible location to host this event, we were impressed!

The hospitality given to us was top draw, from our styling accommodation to the shots of Romanian liquor that Silviu was pouring down our necks all day, to the BBQ the next morning at 6 AM, was just wicked, the party never stopped.

They spared no expense from the massive sound system, sound engineers, lighting rigs and decks they had it all covered. Even the sunshine held out for us to give it that authentic festival vibe!

The line up of rappers and DJs billed on the day kept the energy high and consistent they were all fantastic, and I literally danced in front of them all day giving it the large!

There was a decent crowd of a few hundred ravers who danced all day-night and the event went off without a hitch. We are looking forward to what they roll out next year.

This was a big hit for a small event. Well done to all involved!

We met up with and asked the organizers, DJs and artists their thoughts on the day overall….

 

Mike Mannix: Congrats on the event folks, great location, fantastic sound, DJs, and a great atmosphere. Tell us your thoughts how you felt about the whole event.

 

Silviu: Thank you Mike, I’m happy you and the IUM team could be a part of it with us.

 

For the first edition of Zone One I am very happy with how it went, glad to have worked with Evan on this event.

 

I met some very nice people there like our sound/lighting engineer on the night Dara Baumann from dbl.ie.

 

All of the DJs played great music for the crowd and kept them wanting more, overall a successful event and day/night out.

Evan: Thanks Mike it was a pleasure to have you at the event. We had a great time setting it up and learned so much, to see it all come together was for me, a once in a lifetime experience that I plan to make an annual experience.

From the sunshine to the music to the happy people, It’s why we did all of this. I’d be lying if I said it was profitable but that was never our goal.

We came together, we found the perfect spot and we danced until our knees gave way. Green trees, sunny skies, smiling faces, proper tunes, proper people, proper experience.

We CAN NOT wait until next year and I’m certain the same goes for most, if not all, that attended. 

 

Moduse absolutely killed it, smashed the Techno, what an incredible set!

Moduse: As a festival veteran, it’s not too often these days that I get to experience a brand new festival. On its very first edition Zone One festival focused on cultivating an intimate underground vibe with an impressive production for the size of the event, the music was definitely on point throughout and the organizers definitely put a stamp saying “here to stay”

 

Patrick: Thanks Mike, I’m super glad we got to spend the day together, I had such a good time. I really enjoyed the whole process from seeing the stage + lights being built and put up, not to mention each set on the night was tops.

When it came to my set after Moduse it then clicked with me what we had managed to pull off, that feeling of accomplishment I can’t explain, so much time and planning went into Zone One and we succeeded to deliver! 

 

 

 

Matty Murphy: Zone One was great for their 1st festival lots of great acts that day from everyone that played the set up was amazing and the venue was unreal. I was really happy with my set, I played a banging techno set everyone that was there was hopping to it. I look forward to the next one.

 

Between Ourselves: Thanks so much for having me, really enjoyed the day. Connecting with friends I haven’t seen in some time and making new friends along the way. Everyone played amazing sets, loved the location, the set up, the production.

So hats off to everyone involved in the build. The only thing I would say for next year maybe just a little bit more time to promote the festival. Just to make sure we get it out there early, build a buzz around it. I know there wasn’t as many as we had hoped, due to people missing buses etc…. but one thing is for sure, anyone that was there and attended the fiest edition of Zone One Festival had a great day and night.

Really looking for to next year’s edition. Thanks again for everything guys, was an absolute pleasure spending time with you all. Geoff

 

Griffin: Your 100% true to the music and really enjoyed our chats and got some buzz with you.

For me it was a 3 year work in progress starting with Evan to get this working. Obviously a world wide event crushed it for a while and we had a hard reset. After things returned to normal and we had a stronger then ever team I have to say, the whole event was just top notch and worth the wait because now its just going to be an ever growing festival and it spoke for itself.

The people there went home delighted the happy faces and the powerful DJs and everyone just rocking it out… what more can be said but super happy with everything, I’m happy with my set and the feedback has been great. Everyone on that lineup was an ace, so here’s to the future. ZONE ONE, success. Here’s to ZONE TWO! Thanks again for the massive support!

 

Liza Fox: All in all , Zone One was a fantastic experience. The weather favoured us fortunately. This was the last piece of the puzzle to really bring everything to life.

The landscape was something out of a fairytale in my opinion. Blue skies, green fields, and many paths to explore between sprouting flowers and berries.

The music was electric. The whole atmosphere seemed to be dancing. I cannot wait for next year.

 

Adrian Bilt: I have to admit that I had an excellent time at Zone One first edition surrounded by some of my colleagues from Advanced Booking Agency.

I had the pleasure of opening the stage with a dynamic and vibrating set playing one of my new upcoming tracks called Grooving to an enthusiastic and really energised crowd.

Big thanks go to the welcoming people of Waterford that came down to party with us.

 

Those incredible lyrics man, you got serious flow!

Red Wolf: I was first up, so it was my responsibility to set the tone. I played to a crowd of about 20 at the time. No big deal, they were all entertained and enjoyed my set a lot. I was humbled to hear the kind words from all those folks afterwards. Whether i’m playing to 1000, or 1, my job is to make sure everyone has a good time.

After my set, I took a back seat and watched as the event made a huge progressive crescendo, becoming more hype, chaotic and free as time went on. The other performers were amazing.

There were so many things going on behind the scenes that all of us were running around like headless chickens trying to solve, while this insane festival was surrounding us. But we did it, and made a night to be remembered forever.

In conclusion: Zone One had variety, talent, energy, anxiety inducing moments, but all in all the rush from all these things was FUN.

 

VIA: Hello Mike!! Zone One will remain in my soul for a long time to come. I’m glad you enjoyed my set. It was a wonderful night full of emotions. However, I felt extremely good. It was a pleasure to play and give the audience exactly what they wanted.

I am glad that my track “Solex” entered the soul of the public. It was crazy. I’m glad to have met you and your wonderful team.

 

Leoneta: Hello Mike! I’m glad to speak with you! I’ve been waiting a long time for this event, I came with emotions from UK.

It was a pleasure to listen to all the talented artists. All the DJs played to the delight of the audience. It was an unforgettable day and night.

I danced from start to finish without stopping. It was wonderful. I’m glad I participated and met you all. You are all amazing! I can’t wait for the next event! Hugs!