So the time has come round again.
A time that has become the highlight of my musical year since we began with a few hundred people round the back of the Theatre de la Mer back in 2006.
If I remember correctly we were joined then by Bugz in the Attic and Jazzanova with live action from Gonzalez and Ben westbeech…
The magic ingredients of killer sound, great music, the sea the sun and a perfect crowd of sophisticated clubbers from around the globe…. all you need!
Ever since then the festival has grown organically with practically no regard to outside sponsors and their unrealistic agendas.
We experimented with different concepts that included several years of late night clubbing by the lighthouse, but as time has passed I feel the current use of just the 2 stages on the beach and in the theatre is the one that works best.
7 days and 7 nights makes us the longest running of the ‘clubbing’ festivals in Europe… and the balance of sleep and play is always very much in my mind when I prepare the programme.
I’m very happy with what we can bring you this year. As I’m sure you understand the budget is always restricted as we only have a limit of 1700 people…specially as the beach is free entrance…. so I’d like to thank all the artists who are always kind enough to lower their fees to play for us… this generally means that bringing in the big acts like Badu or the Roots will always be difficult… but you know they’ll all play there one day!
I’d also like to thank the town of Sete for being so generous with its venues and its welcoming hugs. I love this place so much and hope one day to live there, just like Chrissie Hynde who moved in recently!
In fact it seems like Sete is fast becoming one of THE hotspots of France with its love of Art, Music and Poetry… I’m just glad we got in there in time.
As always we begin at the CRAC on Monday afternoon with the dancehall bounce of Stagga and Magugu, the hip hop flavours of Le Motel who recently produced the brilliant Romeo Elvis album (watch for a cheeky appearance by a special guest later in the evening) and the ground breaking West London producer IG Culture… bringing Broke and footwork to the exciting mass descending on the canal…. just don’t fall in guys!
Monday night will open with the incredible Nubya Garcia and her South London jazz disciples who include Poppy Ajudha on vocals, Theon Cross on Tuba and Femi from the Ezra Collective on drums… her debut album on Jazz Refreshed is already being touted as jazz album of the year. Headlining will be Dayme Arocena who has become one of the darlings of our festival – last year bringing us to tears with her rendition of Creator has a Masterplan and the year before jumping on with Ed Motta and Roy Ayers… her new album Cubafonia came out earlier this year and her position as one of the future greats is gaining pace! Following his immense set last year I was so glad that Danilo aka Motor City Drum Ensemble agreed to play again this year for the opening… c’est naturel!
Tuesday is the first day on the beach by La Ola… this now seems like the perfect spot for us… and this year we’re kicking off the big sound from 4 with my 6 music radio mate Tom Ravenscroft who has fast become one of my favourite selectors of the unusual and witty… I’m so glad that the son of John Peel will play for us this year… he’ll be followed by the brilliant Japanese producer Anchor Song who recently smashed every venue on his UK tour (not to be missed) and finally MCDE label man and Inverse Cinematic Pablo Valentino making his long awaited debut at the WW. the evening will open with the fast rising Indian percussionist Sarathy Korwar (his set at WW awards was a highlight) the back by popular demand return of the Cinematic Orchestra and a disco boogie frenzy to close with Sam Floating Points ‘you’re a melody’ collective featuring Red Greg and Mafalda… whoooooooosh!
don’t peak too soon coz Wednesday has 3 monsters of the bass on the beach… Canadian Poirier, resident Mala and the daddy Adrian Sherwood…. the evening will herald the WW debut of Vanishing Twin who’s last album was produced by Malcolm Catto and will bring some psych and theatre…. to the theatre… in preparation for the wondrous outsider that is Devandra Banhart… my co player at WWFM Thristian brings his Global Roots from midnight and Black Madonna, fresh from her residency at XOYO will take us on a late night under stars cosmic ride….
Almost half way now and South Africa is the flag to carry around today… Esa, Atjazz with Jullian gomes on the beach and Soweto’s radical Bantu Continua Uhuru Cosciousness opening up the theatre (think Last Poets meets heavy Percussion) and Shabaka Hutchings stretching out with his Jo’berg Ancestors… this is the one I’m most looking forward to I think! Djs on the night are WW regular Bradley Zero who’s Rhythm Section label and club nights have taken LDN by storm and finally playing for us Glasgow’s Auntie Flo… supreme!
by the time Friday comes we’ll be ‘well Inside it’…. and some extra new fresh faces will help freshen up the view… and the beach will no doubt be boosted by a few hundred extra souls…. with Rosie Lowe and Sarah Jones teaming up to open followed by Melbourne’s exquisite Prequel and Scottish avant gardist duo Africaine 808…. the african vibe will be continued with punky Edbanger new recruits 10Lec6 and Rhythm and Sound’s Marc Ernestus bringing in the Senegalese vibe with his Ndagga Rhythm force… a spoken word intermission featuring the mighty Jon Wayne will balance the live performances out beautifully! late night action with 140BPMs plus courtesy of Principé’s Lisbon top Fox Marfox, Bristol’s legendary Addison Groove and our spiritual Dj healer Simbad …. this is going to be some night… trust me!
we get to Saturday and all eyes on Marshall Allen’s Sun Ra Archestra… the greatest band alive… wear a hat and cape please…. Toshio Matsuura will do the Kimono intro as only he can and Lefto will play just vinyl before the grand Antal does his thing (there are Djs and there are Djs…..) in the afternoon John Gomez (check his killer comp ‘Outro tempo’, the wonderfully tasteful Rita Maia and Swaggerific Henry Wu will take care of proceedings… whooooop!
the final afternoon on the beach will feature all the regulars plus Sophie Callis and the WWFM soundsystem… new generation crew!
we close on Sunday on a full moon with Sampha and Brazil’s remarkable Dona Onette plus David Mancuso’s disco muse Cosmo! I’ll try and close without shedding too many tears….
This year’s line up features music from all around the world as you’ve come to expect… from hip hop to footwork to classic disco and bass music…. Its the 12th edition and…..
I can’t wait …. I really hope you have a great time, meet some amazing new friends and make loads of babies!

Worldwide Fm will be there broadcasting live from La Villa on the canal near the Crac from 1 – 3 everyday and every night live from the theatre…
a très bientôt mes amis!

Gilles Peterson