:: Smirnoff Experience Secret Parties

By: Carmine Pascuzzi

The team behind Smirnoffâ vodka has revealed that the Smirnoff Experience Secret Party will tour the east coast of Australia with parties in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during July.

Smirnoff Experience is more than a party – it’s an original fusion of music and entertainment that delivers money-can’t-buy access to unexpected performances and artist collaborations as well as offering people unique drinks to experience and interactive entertainment.

The Smirnoff Experience Secret Party dates for 2008 are:
Sydney – Thursday, July 10
Melbourne – Friday, July 11
Brisbane – Sunday, July 13

Artist and entertainment details are yet to be revealed and the possibilities are endless. Smirnoff Experience 2008 builds upon the 2007 event and will see more parties in more cities with more cutting-edge international and local talent. The top-secret venues will not be announced until the day of the events.

Nobody can buy a ticket to the Smirnoff Experience Secret Party 2008 - the only way in is to win. The first lucky winners have already been drawn, so head to the website or check out the on-pack promotion available through bottle shops and liquor outlets nationally for more information on how to win.

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**Update as at June 1**

Next round of acts revealed for the Smirnoff Experience

The makers of Smirnoffâ vodka confirmed the identities of three more acts set to perform at the Smirnoff Experience secret parties in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this July.

Far better than an ordinary competition and so much more than just a party, these exclusive events will provide an unforgettable opportunity to experience never-before-seen performances and collaborations from an outstanding line-up of international and local acts.

DJ Yoda

Hotly tipped by British music bible Q Magazine as one of the ‘Top 10 DJ’s you must see before you die’ and voted as ‘One of the Top Three DJ’s in the World’ by Hip Hop Connection mag, DJ Yoda is no ordinary performer. One of the UK’s most admired and original DJ’s, Yoda has built a reputation for injecting humour into his hip hop sets, which can take the audience from underground rap to TV themes, nursery rhymes, country, 80’s pop and back again. Armed with the Pioneer SMV-1000, currently only available to a handful of DJ’s worldwide, Yoda will perform his Magic Cinema Show with custom visuals for the first time ever in Australia.

Mark Pritchard

UK DJ Mark Pritchard has gained respect and admiration from a committed fan-base of critics as well as fellow musicians for his original and ever-changing sound. Mark has recorded under many different aliases, including Harmonic 313, Link, NY Connection and Troubleman, and produced an array of different styles of music from experimental techno, deep ambient to instrumental hip hop.

Goodwill, Hook n Sling & Kristy Peters

Local favourites Goodwill and Hook n Sling have both rocked dancefloors worldwide with their Ministry of Sound compilations, not to mention several chart-topping singles and remixes. They will be teaming up with vocalist Kristy Peters to perform in a unique one-off collaboration at the Smirnoff Experience 2008.

These acts will be joined by four times DMC Australian champion turntablist Dexter and all performing at the Smirnoff Experience Secret Parties in Sydney (Thursday, July 10), Melbourne (Friday, July 11) and Brisbane (Sunday, July 13) at locations that won’t be revealed until the day of the events.

Tickets cannot be bought to the Smirnoff Experience – the only way in is to win.
Smirnoff Experience - the journey starts here

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**Update as at June 21, 2008**

Smirnoffâ vodka revealed the final acts set to perform at the Smirnoff Experience secret parties in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in July.

The highly anticipated events will bring together some of music’s top acts for an evening of exclusive performances and collaborations inside one of the most interactive and original party experiences imaginable.
Set to join the already stellar line up of acts are:

Tom Middleton
A supremely talented musician, DJ and producer, Tom Middleton has been a well respected figure in the music industry for many years. Tom’s DJ sets are often marked by the appearance of quirky cover versions of familiar tracks, and rare gems from bygone musical eras. His compilation album The Trip features many of these musical moments, including Señor Coconut’s cover of Sade’s Smooth Operator, and a Bollywood version of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.
Tom Middleton will be performing an original solo set at Smirnoff Experience and will also be teaming up with his old collaborator Mark Pritchard for the return of the Jedi Knights.

Infusion
Australian electronic band Infusion will bring one of the most energetic live performances you are ever likely to see to Smirnoff Experience. The critically acclaimed trio from Melbourne have been labelled as ‘Australia’s Best Live Act’ by the Sydney Morning Herald and are known internationally, playing at festivals such as Glastonbury, Roskilde and regular gigs at London’s Fabric nightclub, and now performing at Smirnoff Experience. The band has previously picked up two ARIA Music Awards for best dance release.

The following local acts complete the bill for the Smirnoff Experience:
Percussion Junction (Sydney only)
Four piece band Percussion Junction bring a fusion of live percussion, breaks and beats to Smirnoff Experience Sydney. The band, who has recently released their first album, will take the audience on a trip through hip hop beats to funk and house.

Grilla Step (Melbourne only)
Grilla Step take their inspiration from an African American style of dance with its roots born from hip hop. With DJ Dexter acting as the DJ and conductor of the group, Grilla Step bring a unique sound to the table and push the barriers of music with their ideas and international influences.

Vinyl Slingers (DJ set - Brisbane only)
Comprising a group of instrumentalists, Gold Coast act Vinyl Slingers isn’t your conventional dance outfit and can guarantee one thing. Their style may stay consistent but no two sets will ever be the same!

These acts will be joined by the internationally acclaimed DJ Yoda, highly diverse UK DJ Mark Pritchard and four times DMC Australian champion turntablist Dexter, plus local favorites Goodwill and Hook n Sling, who are teaming up with Kristy Peters to perform in a unique one-off collaboration at the Smirnoff Experience Secret Parties in Sydney (Thursday, July 10), Melbourne (Friday, July 11) and Brisbane (Sunday, July 13). The locations won’t be revealed until the day of the events.

Tickets cannot be bought to the Smirnoff Experience – the only way in is to win.

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**A wrap of the Melbourne event**

The Smirnoff Experience was finally revealed recently; bigger and better than ever with a highly anticipated secret party taking place in Melbourne for the first time ever. An original line up of top international and local acts including DJ Yoda, Tom Middleton and Infusion wowed the crowds, with guests finding out the location of the party by SMS just moments before the start of the event, ensuring a truly unexpected and underground party experience.

Internationally acclaimed DJ Yoda, rocked the party as he brought his famous Magic Cinema Show to Australia for the first time, creating an epic mix of sound and images for a one off, never to be forgotten audio and visual experience. Old friends re-united when UK DJs and long term collaborators, Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard, teamed up to perform once more as the much loved electronic duo - The Jedi Knights.

Once inside the secret venue, a cascade of lighting, sound, projections, performance artists and themed rooms greeted guests - echoing Vladimir Smirnoff's journey. There, they could enjoy a Smirnoff Mule in the Moscow themed bar, an American burger in the New York room or marvel at Moulin Rouge dancers in the decadent Paris area. The events also showcased the Siberian Mule cocktail for the first time - a totally original way to serve Smirnoff vodka, devised specially for the events by Smirnoff's top mixologists. Guests were hydrated on the dance floor by roving jugglers and Water Heads* handing out loads of water throughout the night.

Thousands of people entered competitions to win tickets for Smirnoff Experience via a national on pack promotion and the underground website where clues were revealed on a blog as to where tickets were cunningly hidden in the real world.

As well as the lucky competition winners, a selection of Australia's most popular VIPs headed to Friday's Melbourne event with attendees including Darren McMullen, Ruby Rose and Grant Smillie enjoying the different themed rooms and live music on offer.