The treaty day dance-off

By ELEANOR BLACK

Dance music fans are spoilt for choice on Waitangi Day, but the organisers of the country's first all-day dance event - a $75 per ticket show - are not happy about a free groove-fest on the same day they consider has been staged as a spoiler.

"It's a disappointing situation," says Mark Cathro who, with partner and long-time rock promoter Manolo Echave, is bringing a highly popular Australian dance event to Auckland.

Cathro says he had already booked the Western Springs venue for Vibes On A Summers Day - a 10-hour, four-stage, R-18 house/funk/dub/hip-hop/reggae extravaganza - when he heard about Groove In The Park, an all-ages, free event at the Auckland Domain, organised by backers of Auckland's main dance party venue, St James.

Ticket sales for the 10,000-capacity Vibes event are "starting to pick up" but have been affected by the other event, says Cathro. "It's sad that they would do that to us ... [but] we are extremely confident that people will choose quality acts and an award-winning event."

Vibes has been a summer musical festival staple in Australia for the past 10 years, touring to Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The lineup for the inaugural Auckland event features a slew of international and local acts, including New York DJs Masters at Work, Will White (of the Propellerheads), the Black Seeds, House of Downtown and Sola Rosa.

More than 30 DJs, nine bands and six MCs will perform in different areas, in an arrangement similar to the Big Day Out. There will also be food stalls, jugglers and a ferris wheel.

Groove in the Park is a more easygoing affair - punters are invited to lay back in the grass with a picnic and glasses of bubbly. Veteran London DJs Norman Jay and Gilles Peterson are joined by Auckland smoothies Nice 'N Urlich.

Groove organisers would not comment on the timing of their event, saying they "do not speak to the media".

Discussion on dance music internet chat groups tends towards the view that the free event has been staged to "kill off" the paid event. But not all fans were worried: "Oh well, stops the Aussie [expletive] making New Zealand money then, doesn't it?" says one posting.