What Went Down: Heineken Thirst 2013 @ Sepang International Circuit

By Aaron James Leong  •  in Reports
Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

source: Heineken

Text Sim Wie Boon + Aaron James Leong

It’s the end of the year and we couldn’t give a hoot anymore about impending datelines, new editorial themes for ’14, or whatever the fox was trying to say. No, the month of December in the true sense of Malaysianism is reserved for contemplation of the year gone and partying. For JUICE, it’s more of the latter.

As the partying gets bigger and wilder during this last stretch of the year, premier EDM festival Heineken Thirst has only been outdoing itself over and over again since gracing our shores back in 2010. JUICE can attest to getting severely contemplative at past Thirsts, but we’ll leave that to your imagination.

Continuing the tradition of bringing us amazing maestros from all around the EDM world, Heineken Thirst 2013 was also a visual feast of fireworks, laser lights and trippy visuals. It also saw the debut of the Limited Edition Heineken Club Bottle designed by graphic designer and renowned installation artist Matt W. Moore which showcased a progressive origami inspired design on the aluminium bottle. Through the use of the mini UV torch lights on the VIP deck and in the Heinesuites, the origami design on the bottle came to live.

An enormous gateway greeted us as they entered Heineken Thirst. From there, the Green Stage dominated the festival site. Unfolding like a sail, twin towers on either side of the stage established the origami design concept on which the rest of the festival site design was based. Those reflective sails added texture, depth and drama to the Green Stage, which helped to drive the performances by David Guetta, Afrojack, Nervo, Goldfish & Blink and B.A.T.E. to new heights.

That same origami theme also defined the architectural innovation of the Green Stage’s VIP area. An effervescent mix of triangular sails, LED screens and lighting reimagined this VIP enclosure as a bold installation statement. Inside the VIP, stage-viewing areas, chill-out zones and comfortable cubbies were offset by the indigo glow of the lighting, which brought the Heineken Club Bottle, a VIP exclusive, to vivid life.

Before Thirst, thoughts of attending international EDM festivals were only reserved to those that could afford to fly half way around the world to attend them. To have our very own EDM fest was wishful thinking. And then the first Thirst made its debut in 2010 with legendary headliners such as Chuckie, Sander van Doorn, and Richard Durand. Godskitchen Boombox nearly brought hardcore EDM enthusiast to tears as the 16 meter wide structure became the battleground for Chuckie’s Dirty Dutch madness. Then in 2011, Tiësto descended upon on our humble abode and rocked Sepang to its foundations. 2012 topped that by representing the opposing genres from Justice and Gesaffelstein, proving that it’s not all just about the piew-piew-piew but also a lot of untz-untz-untz as well.

For the latest Thirst, there was no disappointment as it managed to live up to its name and up another notch with a star studded lineup as well as a few surprises for everyone. And after going on tour and bringing the party and excitement of Thirst to 3 different cities with the likes of local DJs and party influencers for a month for the Heineken Thirst X JUICE Pre Party Series, Heineken was ready to bring the party back home to good ol’ KL… well, Sepang is still KL, right?