Moby to help Rifflandia mark 10th anniversary

Organizers of the annual Rifflandia festival have announced the first wave of artists booked to play the event Sept. 14-17, and among them is a pioneering artist who will make his Vancouver Island debut.

The big draw for the festival’s 10th anniversary is Moby, the New York native whose breakout recording, 1999’s Play, sold 12 million copies on its way to becoming the biggest-selling electronica album of all time.

Landing the artist born Richard Melville Hall — who has never played Victoria during his 25-year career — was a coup, according to event coproducer Nick Blasko.

“Moby says no to 90 per cent of everything people offer him, but he came back to us and said: ‘I love the look of this. I’ll do it.’ ”

Standouts among the 30 acts announced Friday include Zed’s Dead, Bonobo, July Talk, A Tribe Called Red, Z-Trip, the Glorious Sons, Busty and the Bass, Dream Warriors and Grammy-nominated U.K. group Hot Chip, which will also be making its Victoria debut.

“There are not a lot of huge megastars in here, but there’s a lot that haven’t played Victoria,” Blasko said. Another wave of artists, including another headliner, will be announced in the coming weeks, he added.

The festival, which takes place on 14 stages throughout the downtown core, will again use Royal Athletic Park for the majority of its programming. Electric Avenue, the area on Discovery Street near Capital Iron and Phillips Brewery, will be engaged to a greater degree this year, according to Blasko, after it was introduced to great popularity in 2016.

“The idea of a central celebration site at night was appealing to a lot of people. This year, we are hoping to do four [stages] in the area, if not five.”

Festival passes are on sale at rifflandia.com, ticketfly.com and Lyle’s Place (770 Yates St.). Single-day and night passes will be available once the full festival schedule is announced.