No, i’m not fucking with you, we’re talking high 30′s degrees here. Yet the guys behind Origin, with their impeccable organisation, ensured that all was taken care of. From a beautiful venue, with dams and rivers all around, to an incredible set up  with a mind-blowing DJ booth/tunnel ; we knew we were in for a good one.

When you are willing to drive over a 100km to spend your day in scorching heat, there better be a damn good reason to do so. Luckily, the Origin Festival is often one of those reasons, boosting a musically attractive line up and known as a gathering place for all reunions. Nostalgia kicks in as you park you car and take your first steps through the enchanted forest of a camp site, immersing yourself in this oasis amidst the dry Cape lands, preparing yourself to take on the dancefloor and all that it has to offer for the next dozen hours of your casual Sunday.

I fondly recall walking through a lane of sorts, accompanied by tall flags on both sides, reminding me of a childhood Mortal Kombat scene (if you know not what I speak of, go to your parents draws, find the good ol’ VHS and educate yourself with the masterpiece). Goosebumps of both fear and excitement engulfed my being as the faint sounds of Will Never End filled the air. Originally produced by Headroom, I knew that it was Broken Toy releasing these sound waves, now not meters away from my standing, and thus I wasted no time and made my excuse of a rush to the dancefloor.

Ah, the familiar of faces of those that I now consider my distant family ; ‘Welcome Home’ we said to one another, for this is better than any other possible Sunday gathering. It took literally seconds to get into the swing of things, as Broken Toy dropped his brilliant remix of Skrillex’s ‘Scary Monster and Nice Sprites’, effecitively controlling the masses like a puppeteering boss.

Acts that followed, that of internationals Tristan and his further duo known as Killerwatts, didn’t quite seem to meet the high bar set by Broken Toy. Whilst their sets were not bad, as a manner of speaking, they just didn’t hit the spot for me. Maybe it was due to too much prior hype, maybe its because Broken Toy is a demi-god ; there was simply a monotonous element to it that lost its value after some time. Commercial Hippies and Headroom filled previously mentioned gaps with their varieties of excellence, yet between the DJs that followed and those that were aforementioned, Broken Toy took the set of the day for me.

Yet, the party as whole was one like no other. Friendly faces, all in a constant groove, battled the dire heat with dedication and determination seldom seen in today’s society. The rivers and dams in and around the venue provided an essential source of cooling down, coupled with slight drizzles on the shaded dancefloor. Moreover, an immense appreciation needs to go out to the medics, for having to deal with a substantial amount of irresponsible cases of those that seem to have forgotten basic rules of survival – hydration & shade. No matter what you were on, the sun always wins, so at least prepare yourself for such otherwise you may just be ‘That Guy’.

Big ups to the organisers yet again, you’ve done us proud here at Don’t Party!

Photos by Scott Rennie
Words by Adam Lifshitz

Los Angeles based photographer Tedshots directed and produced this amazing piece that recites Dr. Seuss’ final tale about life’s ups and downs.

So amazingly done, that it makes me want to hop on a plane to the desert based party NOW!

A beautiful piece.