With 100% of the proceeds going to charity, the sold-out, three-day charity event was put together by NGO everybody love everybody and featured a powerful Funktion-One audio rig. Total Production MEA reports from South Africa.

Originally starting life as a one-off fundraiser to help a local orphanage, Beats in the Bush has quickly it grown into a major charity occasion and the flagship event in the organisers’ calendar.

The gig happens once a year, generally over three days in the spring. Organiser Everybody Love Everybody (ELE) has hosted four Beats in the Bush events to date, with the first raising just £250 and the most recent raising £10,000 for its two beneficiaries.

ELE has also held smaller, city-based, one- day events over the years that have added to the total funds raised, which is now over £30,000 collectively.

The fundraiser is supported by artists, DJs, suppliers and technicians who are willing to donate their services for free, underpinned by the positive energy of ELE’s Mike Earp and Tim Sammons.

Earp commented: “We have an epic network of friends, many of whom have jumped onboard and helped our beloved organisation make a substantial difference in the lives of those who desperately need a helping hand.”

The tickets are limited each year and have sold out at every event for the past two. Earp maintained that this is because ELE prefers to keep the experience “intimate and personal”, allowing everyone involved to get to know each other and the general energy of the event to “shine through”.

“It’s a great model and it proves itself over and over again. The DJs who share their passion at our events are in full support of the cause and love the ELE brand. It really is a beautiful initiative, one that seems to have a ripple effect into the lives of everyone involved,” he said.

Despite having a relatively modest budget, ELE has made top quality production values its number one priority. Earp said the best way of achieving this was to build and maintain healthy relationships with all of the suppliers and sponsors that fully support the cause.

He added: “We want people walking away after having a unique experience and a feeling of awe. That’s our goal at each event – to create a unique, moving and world-class experience for each and every attendee.”

The key to this for Beats in the Bush was securing a Funktion-One rig from Pretoria-based supplier, Phuture Sound.

Read the full article in the digital edition of Total Production MEA.

(Visited 712 times, 1 visits today)