Following a social media debacle that left attendee hopefuls in suspense, EPIZODE have announced the first headliners for their fifth annual festival. EPIZODE5: EPILOGUE will take place on the Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc from December 29th, 2020 to January 10th, 2021.
Ahead of the event, organizers have shared 20 artists comprising the lineup. In addition to techno/house superstars like Ricardo Villalobos and Dubfire, the roster is sonically diverse enough to include acts like drum and bass figurehead Goldie and experimental Thai artist Sunju Hargun. Notable undercard acts include Russia’s own Abelle, Romanian producer and DJ Mahony, and Berlin-based e/tape.
Mixed Messages
Recent activity on EPIZODE’s social media pages left electronic music fans wondering whether the fifth edition would take place at all. A June 10th post on what appeared to be the festival’s official Facebook page warned customers of a fraudulent announcement, saying that the safety of the festival was still pending review. Two days later they posted a second statement urging fans to only trust information shared on the festival’s homepage, epizode.com.
A spokesperson on behalf of EPIZODE told Selector that the above Facebook page’s admin belonged to the team that managed last year’s event. After being let go, they allegedly seized control of the account to sabotage the upcoming event. A new website and Facebook page are tied to the original founder and intellectual property holder’s business entity, which is backed by the Vietnamese tourist board as well as the aforementioned artists’ teams.
The admin overseeing the old EPIZODE Facebook page has not responded to Selector‘s request for comment.
EPIZODE’s organizers will announce additional headliners in the months leading up to the festival. Tickets and additional information are available on the new website, epizode.asia.