Rainbow Serpent Festival 2010 will once again showcase a fantastic lineup of dubby downtempo beats, reggae, hip hop, trip hop and organic electronica from some of Australias best bands.

A French Butler Called Smith

Gold Coast band, A French Butler Called Smith have been performing their high energy Latin, funk, instrumental fusion over a two-year period to ever increasing audiences on Australia's East Coast. An all-organic dance music sound exudes from acoustic guitarist Scott French, bass maestro Jake Martin and respected world percussion artist Brennan Smith. Mark Gibson on saxophone and Liam Dorney on trumpet caress audiences with their smooth brass antics. This combination invariably lifts the energy of the band and their multi-layered sounds of Latin, gypsy, world-roots and funk to ecstatically captivating levels. You cannot stop your feet from moving

Fyah Walk

After recent rave reviews at festivals up and down Australia's east coast, Byron Bay's FYAH WALK is set to blaze the Rainbow Serpent stage for the very first time with their renowned high-energy performances. FYAH WALK breaks the boundaries of reggae in Australia, combining an authentic Virgin Islands sound with a unique, contemporary style and positive lyrical messages. Enjoy groundbreaking tracks from new release 'Ocean Sounds', alongside old favourites from 'Sunrise Red' and great new tunes yet to hit the recording studio.

Ganga Giri

Having spent the past decade touring the some of the best festivals around the world, Ganga Giri returns to Rainbow Serpent Festival with his new band playing for the first time in Australia. Joining him onstage will be French Guyanan dub vocalist Jornick, a live drummer and other special guests performing brand new tunes that will have the dance floor jumping. The ensemble mixes pumping, percussive Didjeridu, fat tribal beats, funky dub bass lines, ethnic instruments and world percussion sounds to create a unique tribal-technological, deep earth dance experience.

Grrilla Step

Grrilla Step is an exciting new project for DJ Dexter (ex Avalanches and DMC world champ), who has changed musical directions dramatically since he became disillusioned with the mainstream music scene. After teaming up with Papua New Guinean log drumming master Airi Ingram (Drum Drum) who he met on a trip to Darwin, Dexter sought out the Pacific Islander Krump crew Royal Fam from Dandenong, who interweave Polynesian culture with Krumping to create their own unique Krump characters. With Grrilla Step, Dexter & Airi are pursuing their collective vision of incorporating cultural music into hip-hop, and creating a new Australian music form, which is truly boundary-crossing and groundbreaking.

OKA

The Nomad

The Nomad (Daimon Schwalger) has crafted a significant legacy in New Zealand and across the globe for over 15 years and six albums. Having worked with some of the finest practitioners of contemporary music in the world, The Nomad splices a unique sound from a foundation of funk, drum'n'bass, electro, breaks and dub. After a glimpse of The Nomad’s talent at Rainbow Serpent in 2009, Daimon returns again this year, but this time with a full live band including vocalist ulia Deans from Fur Patrol, guitar maestro Oakley Grenell and livewire MC RayJah45.

Tijuana Cartel

Tijuana Cartel performances are a concoction of multi-layered grooves, splashes of Middle Eastern vocals, lilting Moby-esque soundscapes, Flamenco and slide guitar, trumpet, Electronic world beats and live Afro Cuban Percussion. It’s a true fusion of contemporary dance music and phat electronic beats. Their musical energy and unrestrained delivery has been thrilling audiences across the country. Tijuana Cartel’s tunes meander their way across the bumpiest musical terrain, a rhythmic body moved with stately deliberation creating inspiring and infectious rhythms that you just cannot help but dance to. This is a live show not to miss!

Agency Dub Collective

A group of disciples and pioneers of live dub and dancehall in Australia, Agency Dub Collective have been lurking about in the undergrowth for the past decade, slowly stirring the pot and fomenting the dubwise revolution from the shadows. Their music is bass-heavy, lush, spacious and powerful. It is music about community and unity, reality not hype, and earth not money... It is music that communicates and engages on many levels - mind heart soul and spirit - music you can feel, dance to, lose yourself in and maybe learn something from.

Flap!

Melbourne's latest gypsy-jazz-folk sensation, Flap!’s sound is held together by their dancey, driving rhythm section and topped off by stunning improvised solos. A few whirlwind years of performances have seen them play everywhere from parties to pubs, streets to festivals, from Brunswick to Port Ferry, Copenhagen and beyond. With tremendous energy and original songs in the traditional jazz style, Flap! will excite and charm audiences in equal measure.

Morph

Morph have recently formulated a new set of their high energy electro-meets-live-dance music with fresh inspiration. This Melbourne-based live dance group controls a manipulated sequence on stage to enhance the live acoustic energy of each performance. The group continues to experiment with synthesizers and ‘fx’ to manipulate and trigger sounds that give off a raw power and energy. With lush atmospheres, glitchy percussion and epic build-ups combined with the raw power of grooving drums, fat basslines, guitar and synths, Morph’s sound gives off an exciting energy creating a dynamic live show.

School of Dub

King Charlie returns to Rainbow Serpent this year with a band of dub all-stars sourced from some of Melbourne’s best live bands. Once again, be prepared for a Sunday evening improvised dub mash-up to get you up and dancing.

Rapskallion

Rustic, rowdy and romantic, Rapskallion return to Rainbow Serpent to once again create dancefloor mayhem, hot on the heels of touring the UK festival circuit and the east coast of Oz. Like a ship’s biscuit dipped in a pint of absinth, the ‘Skallions’ defy explanation with their unique blend of Parisian accordion waltzes, tasty vaudivilian tangos, and sultry, swaggering lyricism. Pull on ya dancin’ slippers, and twirl ya eyebrows for an extravaganza of cabaret merriment and wild carousing with Rapskallion!!!

Woohoo Revue

The Woohoo Revue brings the look and sound of the big top to this year’s Rainbow Serpent Festival.  Whilst no dancing bears feature, the band dresses sharp and the playing is even sharper. The Woohoo Revue perform music for celebration- for dancing, drinking, and forgetting about tomorrow. Their fiery arrangements of traditional Balkan Roma and klezmer tunes combine virtuosic musicianship with romance and bravado. Every song expresses a strong sense of occasion that transports the listener to a rampaging after-party at a circus sideshow.

SiNe

SiNE was born as a hastily thrown together bunch of musicians to fill a Sunday afternoon dub and reggae residency in Fitzroy about three years ago. From these modest beginnings the band has grown into a regular council of dub devotees bent on creating space in the mix for the metaphysical to present itself. Heavy rolling bass lines, combined with dubbed out horns, skanking chords and heavyweight rhythms, all combine to be mixed together by their resident sound engineer and sent forth through PA systems to present dubwise audiences with music to make them sway and smile.