Spy: Kimbra, Dave Dobbyn and Tiki Taane take on SYNTHONY in the park

Sir Dave Dobbyn, Kimbra and Tiki Taane can’t wait to hit it out of the park.

Orchestrated dance party SYNTHONY is taking its production to new heights with an outdoor festival at the Auckland Domain next month. Headlining acts Sir Dave Dobbyn, Kimbra and Tiki Taane can’t wait to hit it out of the park.

Duco Events took over the festival — a mixture of electronic dance music, live orchestra, guest vocalists and immersive visuals — a year after it was launched at the Auckland Town Hall in 2017.

Duco managing director David Higgins is thrilled with the expansion of the brand into an outdoor setting, taking the festival to a new level.

“I know people will love the ambience of SYNTHONY in the Domain. I would like to see it embraced annually like the great concerts in London’s Hyde Park,” Higgins tells Spy.

Duco has trademarked the name SYNTHONY in 26 territories and since 2018 has expanded rapidly across Australia, the rest of New Zealand and Singapore, where it was the closing entertainment for The Tour de France Criterium at Marina Bay Sands.

Higgins has no plans to take his foot off the gas. He’s in talks over the SYNTHONY brand gaining a permanent residency in Las Vegas, an event at a medieval castle in Budapest by the Danube, and an entrepreneur’s concert in Calcutta.

“Our vision is to take SYNTHONY to every exotic corner of the Earth, but we will still debut our new show in Auckland each year.”

SYNTHONY in Singapore.

Its debut on a scale with more than 20,000 punters expected at the Auckland Domain on April 1.

Star DJ Dick Johnson and musicians from the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra gave guests a taste of what’s in store for next month’s festival on Wednesday night at Duco’s new event space in Parnell.

Johnson has curated SYNTHONY No. 4, which will also include full sets by Shapeshifter, Kimbra, Sneaky Sound System, Taane and Dobbyn.

Dobbyn is fizzing about his upcoming gig. “It looks like I’ll have the best of both worlds: a set with my own band and guesting with the APO,” he tells Spy.

“With the great Dick Johnson curating this SYNTHONY, he’s chosen a fantastic song for me to perform. I’m excited and a tad nervous. It will be marvellous fun.”

Kimbra will be fresh from a series of US tour dates this month and tells Spy she can’t wait to play as part of the line-up at the Domain.

“There’s nothing like playing in my home country and getting to celebrate NZ music,” she says.

Taane says the show will be an unforgettable, powerful and moving experience.

“To be given the opportunity to throw my vocals down over The Prodigy Medley, with the APO in full sound, is going to be one of the most epic moments in my career,” he says.

The seven-hour festival promises to be high-end fun for guests wanting a civilised outdoor event. The festival will feature 15 acts across two stages and an array of hospitality options — including the Stonewood Homes’ wine and food village and the General Capital VIP Garden, which will host up to 1000 guests.