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Conrad Buttigieg interviews Tribu’s lifelong organiser Silvio Bartolo, who this year is celebrating the tenth outing with a bang, the Anglo-Italian outfit Planet Funk and a massive happening spread over three locations 
What inspired your first Tribu Festival?
We started Tribu in 1995 at Popeye’s village with an event for 700 people. Back then, we had no expensive foreign DJs, just locals and a very good crowd. I recall setting up the DJ stand with rubble sacks. Indeed, it was very personal at that time as we used to do all the work without employing any people.
I can say it was small but really special. We then moved to La Grotta in Gozo, it was a bang. In Gozo, for three years we sold out, with over 3,500 people so we had to make a move to a bigger venue. That’s the reason we went for a festival. After we travelled to all the major European festivals, Creamfields, Dance Valley, Glastonbury and Innercity, to get ideas and check out the logistics of how things work. We opted for Marsa grounds, a venue never used before for a musical performance. Over 12,000 people turned up. Truly amazing, a lot of people still think it’s the best Tribu ever.
Tribu festival is now 10 years old, what has changed since the first festival you organised?
Much has changed. The crowd, music, competition and the laws. It has become much more difficult and competitive. We like competition but not destructive competition and clubbers are now realising that this has to stop. The local festival crowd is of a maximum 12,000 people, so having three events in one weekend is not healthy at all. At the end of the day, people will choose according to their musical tastes, value for money and choice of music.
Our musical programming has also changed from just DJ sets we are now concentrating on more live acts and bands. This involves much more work and costs but at the day a much better show for all the punters. This year for example we are shipping in and out over six tonnes of equipment which isn’t available in Malta, so it’s more risky but like all business you have to risk to innovate.
You are moving away from the hardcore party scene to a more mainstream, concert-like audience. Why?
Yes we need to broaden the crowd. We’re not interested in just the hardcore crowd. More alternative bands mean more people from a different age group plus we are interested in targeting the 30-plus. Alternative bands like Planet Funk are the right crossover bands that could help us achieve this. Their recent album includes over nine chart hits, including the likes of Chase the Sun, Switch, Inside All The People and Stop Me. A good thing to mention is that one of our runners selling tickets has just sold a Tribu ticket to her 38-year-old dad! Obviously because of Planet Funk.
In the past years, local authorities limited the organisation of such event. Is everything set for this year?
The last two years have been a nightmare. The local authorities stopped us at 1am two years in a row, sound pollution being the reason. Such things only happen in Malta. In other EU countries, permits for festivals are granted till 6am or 8am in the morning. Last year our festival was sponsored by the Dutch Presidency of the EU, and we were amazed with the decision of the police to stop the festival at 1am as they invested EUR10,000 to help us promote the festival in Holland. We were featured on the Visit Malta site in Holland plus tickets were sold via Ticketmaster in Holland.
Hence this is the reason why this year we moved to licensed clubs. Tribu is now licensed till 4am, plus an after-hours party at Amazonia, Bugibba from 4am till 4pm in the afternoon. We are going back to our roots, clubbing till sunrise.
Tribu is known to attract some of the world’s top DJs with the likes of Carl Cox, Deep Dish, etc. What’s special for next weekend’s 10th anniversary?
Tribu is a strong brand as we always delivered a rock-solid line up and we also avoid being repetitive with the same DJs. Tribu is also recognised overseas with all leading booking agents and key people in the music industry We have booked over 150 foreign DJs in the last 10 years and continue to be on the lookout to book only the very best in the industry. What’s special this year? The highlight is the live act by Planet Funk. A crew of 15 people will fly in to perform live. Live music is at the top of our agenda this year.
Local talent is also participating in your festival. What was the response this time around?
Tribu has always given the right space for local bands and DJs to perform alongside top live acts. This year Gianpula fields will be dedicated for live bands, and apart from Planet funk we have booked U Bahn, Hidden Sun, Duo Blank and Groove Heads. In addition, over 50 local DJs will perform at this year’s Tribu. In the future I would see more live acts and bands, and less DJs. Tribu is not a rave party but a live event. This is the new trend and we are here to set the standard.
How are ticket sales doing? What crowd are you expecting?
Very well over 75 per cent already sold, crowd-wise I would say in the regions of five to six thousand.
Tribu has established itself as the not-to-miss event in August’s Santa Marija weekend – are you still up to it?
Tribu is the Santa Marija and it’s here to stay. It will evolve but it will still be the musical event of the summer.
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