Orbital
Photo: Sire

English electronic duo Orbital will probably never have a #1 single or a top 10 album in America, but they can take pride in knowing they appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster "XXX," currently the top-grossing film in the country.

In the film (see "Given Choice Between Bikinis And 'XXX,' People Want 'XXX' ") Orbital play DJs at a rave, and the song they spin, "Technologicque Park," is their first new piece of music since their last album, The Altogether, was released in May 2001. The track was specifically written for "XXX" after a chance encounter hooked up Orbital with the musical team for the movie.

"Last October we were doing a tour in America and we ended up in L.A.," Phil Hartnoll explained. "We took that opportunity to go around and meet some music supervisors, and it just so happened we went to meet one particular music supervisor and they were just in the process of putting the film together and getting the ideas and thinking about the music."

Intrigued at the prospect of being in a motion picture, Orbital, whose best-of compilation, Work 89-02, hit stores Tuesday (August 20), went into self-promotion mode. The music supervisors liked what they heard, so they sent a scout to check out one of the group's galactic shows.

"They went for it straight away after they saw us live," Hartnoll said.

"Technologicque Park" isn't much of a stretch from anything off Orbital's six albums, yet the track was created with specific musical direction from director Rob Cohen.

"He was very good at describing what he wanted because he used to be an A&R man for Motown Records," said Hartnoll's musicmate and brother Paul. "He wanted that European sound, so we took a lot of influence from underground English groups. The scene is set in winter, so we made the song cold and icy sounding. And the song comes in a rave put on by the bad guys, so we kept it a bit moody, with a little bit of James Bond in there for that big swelling string spy vibe. We just sort of seemed to hit the right buttons straight off."

During filming, Orbital enjoyed being in front of a camera doing what they do best, but the highlight for them was dragging Vin Diesel onstage for a little horseplay.

"The only thing we failed to do is put a pair of torch glasses (eyeglass frames equipped with mini-lights) on him and get a picture taken," Paul said. "With that bald head, he fit in perfectly. He looked like the third Orbital member."

Although the action hero didn't have much time to hang with Orbital, he complimented them on their song and even engaged in a bit of small talk.

"He was very polite," Paul said. "We talked about British gangster movies, which was his favorite kind of film at the time. He both talked about how much we liked 'Get Carter.' He's a really nice bloke."

For more on Vin Diesel and "XXX," check out "Vin Diesel: Not Your Father's Action Hero."

• Orbital

Snoop once accused fans of only loving his Doggy Style, and this week, that just might be true. Hopefully going over better than Doggy's Angels is Snoop Dogg Presents... Doggy Style All Stars: Welcome to Tha House, Vol. 1, featuring tracks by the Doggfather himself plus Lady of Rage, RBX and Soopafly.

The Reindeer Section — brainchild of Glasgow musician Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol — showcase the talents of their 27-odd members including folks from Mogwai, Belle and Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub, the Vaselines and Arab Strap on their new release, Son of Evil Reindeer.

Brit rock doyenne Marianne Faithfull releases Kissin' Time with guest spots from Beck, Blur, Pulp and Billy Corgan alongside new albums from Sparta (Wiretap Scars), Brad (Welcome to Discovery Park), and Slum Village (Trinity).

And just when we thought it was possible to go a week without writing some such about so-and-so's new remix album, along comes Dance for Me by Mary J. Blige. The album features re-workings of "No More Drama," "Rainy Dayz," and "Family Affair." No hateration, please.

Out Tuesday, August 13:

• Bernard Allison - Storms of Life (Tone-Cool)
• Karrin Allyson - In Blue (Concord Jazz)
• Yolanda Aranda & Enrique Coria - Intimo (Acoustic Disc)
• Beatsteaks - Living Targets (Epitaph)
• Howie Beck - Hollow (Future Farmer)
• Mary J. Blige - Dance for Me (MCA)
• Blue Mountain - Tonight It's Now or Never (2 CDs, DCN)
• Joe Bonamassa - So, It's Like That (Medalist)
• Brad - Welcome to Discovery Park (Redline)
• Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (Saddle Creek)
   Read: "Dashboard Confessional, Custom, Abandoned Pools Don't Need No Stinkin' Band"
• Constant Flux - All Things Change (:\run)
• The Cost - Chimera (Lookout!)
• Éamonn Coyne - Through the Round Window (Compass)
• Do or Die - Back 2 the Game (Virgin)
• Bill Douglas - Homeland (Hearts of Space)
• Cliff Eberhardt - School for Love (Red House)
• End on End - Why Evolve We Can Go Sideways? (Substandard)
• Marianne Faithfull - Kissin' Time (Virgin)
   Read: "Marianne Faithfull Records With Billy Corgan"
• Jay Farrar - ThirdShiftGrottoSlack (EP, Artemis)
• Flipp - Volume (Popularity/ Artemis)
• Steve Forbert - More Young Guitar Days (Rolling Tide)
• Russ Freeman - Drive (Peak)
• Frou Frou - Details (MCA)
• The Future Sound of London - The Isness (Hypnotic)
• Vance Gilbert - One Thru Fourteen (Disismye/ Louisiana Red Hot)
• Thea Gilmore - Rules for Jokers (Compass)
• Guttermouth - Gusto! (Epitaph)
• Winsor Harmon - Stars of Texas (Neurodisc)
• Hellnation - Dynamite Up Your Ass (Sound Pollution)
• Alan and John Kelly - Fourmilehouse (Compass)
• Paul Krassner - Irony Lives (Artemis)
• Made Men - Black Friday (Surrender)
• Branford Marsalis - Footsteps of Our Fathers (Marsalis Music/ Rounder)
• Mary Lee's Corvette - Blood on the Tracks (Bar/None)
• Maserati - The Language of Cities (Kindercore)
• Brad Mehldau – Largo (Warner Bros.)
• Milemarker - Satanic Versus (EP, Jade Tree)
• Peter Mulvey - Ten Thousand Mornings (Signature Sounds)
• Nerf Herder - American Cheese (Honest Don's)
• Nickel Creek - This Side (Sugar Hill)
• Noise Therapy - Tension (Redline)
• Norma Jean - Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child (Solid State)
• Paul Oakenfold - A Voyage Into Trance (Hypnotic)
• Eliades Ochoa - Estoy Como Nunca (Higher Octave World)
• Plankton Man vs. Terrestre - Plankton Man vs. Terrestre (Provider/ :\run)
• Pseudopod - Pseudopod (Interscope)
• The Reindeer Section - Son of Evil Reindeer (PIAS America)
• Rockapella - Smilin' (Amerigo)
• Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo - Roots of Our Nature (Blind Pig)
• Saeta - Resign to Ideal (Fish the Cat)
• Sick of It All - Live in a Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Slum Village - Trinity (Priority/ Capitol)
• Soundisciples - Audio Manifesto (Peaceville)
• Sparta - Wiretap Scars (DreamWorks)
   Read: "Sparta Rise From At The Drive-In's Ashes With EP, Tour"  
• Peter Stuart - Propeller (Vanguard)
• Keith Sweat - Rebirth (Elektra)  
• James Taylor - October Road (Columbia)
• Paul Thorn - Mission Temple Fireworks (Back Porch)
• The Two Dollar Pistols - You Ruined Everything (Yep Roc)
• Various artists - AC/DC Tribute: Backed in Black (Reverberations)
• Various artists - Blue Light One (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - Old Skars & Upstarts 2002 (Disaster)
• Various artists - Raices Latinas: Smithsonian Folkways Latino Roots Collection (Smithsonian Folkways)
• Various artists - Snoop Dogg Presents... Doggy Style All Stars:
• Welcome to Tha House, Vol. 1 (MCA)
• Various artists - Hairspray (Sony Classical)
• Various artists - So Little Time (Trauma)
• Wonderlick - Wonderlick (Future Farmer)
• Zeromancer - Eurotrash (Cleopatra)

• Lady May - May Day (Arista)
   Read: "Lady May: Savage Hip-Hop Straight From the Suburbs"
• Maná - Revolución De Amor (Warner Music Intl.)
• Murderdolls - Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (Roadrunner)
   Read: "Corey Taylor Insists His Other Band Is No Slipknot Jr."
   
  
• Orbital - Work 89-02 (FFRR/ WSM)  

• Erykah Badu - TBD (EP, Motown)
• Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Distance Between (Ultimatum)
• BBMak - Into Your Head (Hollywood)
   
  
• Beenie Man - Tropical Storm (Virgin)
• The Black Crowes - The Black Crowes Live (V2)
• Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (Nettwerk/ Capitol)
   
  
• The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is a Dead Scene (EP, Epitaph)
• Dixie Chicks - Home (Open Wide/ Monument/ Columbia)
• Eve - Eve-olution (Ruff Ryders/ Interscope)
   Read: "Eve, Alicia Keys Team Up For Some 'Gangsta Love'"
   Buy Now: Eve-olution (Ruff Ryders/ Interscope)
  
• Gus Gus - Attention (Moonshine)
• Aimee Mann - Lost in Space (Superego)  
• Mudhoney - Since We've Become Translucent (Sub Pop)
• Ms. Jade - Girl Interrupted (Beat Club/ Interscope)
   Read: "Ms. Jade's 'Big Head' Is Meant To Move Your Big Butt"
• Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
   Read: "Queens Of The Stone Age Flex Their Star Power"
   Buy Now: Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
  
• Silverchair - Diorama (Atlantic)
   Read: "Silverchair Craft U.S. Diorama, Plan New York Dates"
• Stone Sour - Stone Sour (Roadrunner)
   Read: "Corey Taylor Insists His Other Band Is No Slipknot Jr."
• Trina - Diamond Princess (Slip-N-Slide/ Atlantic)
   Read: "Diamond Princess Trina Recruits Tweet For 'No Panties' Single"
• Viva Death - Viva Death (Vagrant)

• Cassius - Au Rêve (Astralwerks)
• Ladytron - Light & Magic (Emperor Norton)
• Nine Days - So Happily Unsatisfied (Epic)
• OK Go - OK Go (Capitol)
• Shadows Fall - The Art of Balance (Century Media)
   Read: "You Hear It First: Shadows Fall"

• Snoop Dogg
• Mary J. Blige
• Sparta
• Bright Eyes
• Slum Village

Perry Farrell
Photo: Amy V. Cooper / MTV.com

After a four-year hiatus, pioneering music festival Lollapalooza will return to the summer concert calendar in 2002.

Jane's Addiction frontman and solo artist Perry Farrell is leading the revival with fellow Lollapalooza founders William Morris Agency and his former manager Ted Gardner, Farrell's spokesperson said Monday (November 26).

Organizers have not made any official offers to bands, though WMA Senior Vice President Peter Grosslight told the Los Angeles Times there are several acts that would fit in with Lollapalooza's ideals.

"We're seeing bands that are meaning something to kids without great support from radio," Grosslight said. "There is a sort of new alternative scene, so to speak." Grosslight's office said they would have more details later this week.

Lollapalooza, which launched in 1991 with a bill that included Jane's Addiction, Butthole Surfers and Nine Inch Nails, provided the blueprint for the many festivals that emerged in the later part of the decade, including Ozzfest, the Lilith Fair and the Warped Tour.

None of those festival tours, however, have featured as broad a musical focus as Lollapalooza, with the possible exception of Moby's Area:One tour, which took the nickname "Moby-palooza" when it launched last summer.

Tool, Korn, Snoop Dogg, Tricky, Orbital, Eels and James performed at the last Lollapalooza, in 1997 (see "Lollapalooza Launches In Florida").

• Perry Farrell
• Jane's Addiction
• Tool
• Snoop Dogg
• Tricky

Radiohead's Thom Yorke
Photo: Capitol

Radiohead's "Live in Dublin" concert video will have its theatrical U.S. premiere this fall as part of a traveling film festival that will also include documentaries on hip-hop, early punk and electronica.

The HIQI Film Series, which kicks off September 14 in New York, consists entirely of music films, documentaries, shorts and videos.

Along with "Live in Dublin," which was filmed November 2000 for an MTV special, the festival will show Radiohead's video for Amnesiac's "I Might Be Wrong."

The HIQI (pronounced "hickey") festival will also premiere "Word," a New York hip-hop documentary featuring Eminem, Dead Prez, Company Flow and MOP, and "Try This at Home," a documentary on Olympia, Washington's indie-rock scene focusing on Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney and Quasi.

Electronic-music visionaries including Carl Cox, Sven Vath and Orbital will hit the big screen in a documentary on the desert rave scene titled "Synergy: Visions of Vibe."

HIQI will also revive several classic films on the tour, including "The Blank Generation," a 1976 documentary on New York's punk and new wave scenes featuring performances by Talking Heads, Television, Ramones, Blondie and Patti Smith shot at the legendary club CBGB.

The 1978 film "Rockers," considered reggae's "A Hard Day's Night," includes music by Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Burning Spear and Inner Circle.

"Driver 23," a documentary on Dan Cleveland's Minnesota metal cult band Dark Horse, and its sequel, "The Atlas Moth," will both be shown, along with the metal favorite "Heavy Metal Parking Lot."

Festival shorts will include the Dandy Warhols' "The End of the World as We Knew It" (starring Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland), "Monkey Vs. Robot," "Secret Asian Man" and "Rolling Man." New Order's "Crystal" video and Bob Marley's "I Know a Place" clip will also be shown.

Details of the HIQI Film Series have been announced for only about half the cities it will hit. The event's Web site (www.hiqi.com) will post information in coming weeks about stops in San Diego; Sacramento, California; Olympia; Seattle; Miami; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; and Madison, Wisconsin.

HIQI Film Series dates, according to the festival's spokesperson:

• 9/14-27 - New York, NY @ Pioneer Theater
• 9/21-10/4 - Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Showcase
• 9/21-10/4 - Atlanta, GA @ Cinefest
• 9/28-10/4 - Minneapolis, MN @ Sound Unseen
• 10/5 -11 - Portland, OR @ Clinton Street Theater
• 10/5-11 - Austin, TX @ Landmark Dobie
• 10/19-25 - San Francisco, CA @ Red Vic
• 10/26-11/1 - Chicago, IL @ Landmark Century

• Radiohead
• Eminem
• Elliott Smith
• Dead Prez
• Company Flow

Innovative videos from Gorillaz, Fatboy Slim and Orbital will have their U.S. premieres next month as part of Cinema Electronica, a component of the digital film festival Resfest.

Gorillaz' "19-2000" by Jamie Hewlett and Pete Candleland, Fatboy Slim's "Ya Mama" by Traktor (the Swiss creators of MTV's Jukka Brothers commercials) and Orbital's "Oi" by Paul Donnellan will premiere at the festival, which kicks off September 6 in San Francisco, according to Resfest's publicist.

Resfest, now in its fifth year, will showcase 1,500 entries, including features, short films, music videos, animation and other examples of state-of-the-art technology. Doug Pray's acclaimed turntablist documentary "Scratch" will be among the films shown.

Video highlights include Radiohead's "Pyramid Song" by Shynola and Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" by Spike Jonze, which has picked up nine 2001 MTV Video Music Awards nominations (see "Video Music Awards Nominations: Fatboy Slim, Missy Elliott, 'NSYNC, 'Lady Marmalade' Lead The Pack").

Others videos having their U.S. premieres include Dirty Vegas' "As Days Go By" by Blue Source, Super Furry Animals' "Juxtapozed with U" by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet and Ludovic Houplain, Red Snapper's "Some Kind of Kink" by Richard Anthony, Midfield General's "Midfielding" by Stephen McGregor, Mujaji's "Italian Waffles" by Duncan Creamer and Sara Scott-Harper and Clinic's "The Second Line" by Unit 9 Ltd.

Daft Punk's "Aerodynamic" by Leiji Matsumoto, Mouse on Mars' "Actionist Respoke" by Til Obladen, Amon Tobin's "4 Ton Mantis" by Floria Sigismondi, Tino's "Jazz Overload" by Ben Stokes, Etienne de Crecy's "Scratched" by Geoffroy de Crecy and Spacer's "The Beamer" by Run Wrake round out the videos lineup.

Last year's Cinema Electronica featured clips by Fatboy Slim, Moby, Underworld, Primal Scream and Leftfield. Resfest, associated with Res magazine, is the first video festival devoted exclusively to digital filmmaking.

Resfest dates, according to the festival's publicist:

• 9/6-8 - San Francisco, CA
• 9/13-15 - Seattle, WA
• 9/20-22 - Chicago, IL
• 10/4-6 - London, England
• 10/10-14 - New York, NY
• 10/25-28 - Los Angeles, CA
• 10/25-28 - Seoul, Korea
• 10/25-28 - Bristol, England
• 11/23-25 - Tokyo, Japan

For a feature interview with Gorillaz, check out "Gorillaz: In The Cage."

• Gorillaz
• Fatboy Slim
• Daft Punk
• Orbital

Fatboy Slim
Photo: Jill Greenberg

Hold onto your glowsticks — the breakout summer for electronic music outings is turning out to be a dud.

Following cancellations of the Mekka Tour and Creamfields Las Vegas last week, London-based promoter Cream announced Wednesday (August 8) it was axing Creamfields New York due to sluggish ticket sales.

The September 1 festival was to feature nearly 50 acts on six stages. Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, Orbital, Timo Maas and Darren Emerson were among the artists and DJs lined up to play the Calverton Business Park in Riverhead, Long Island.

An event spokesperson said Clear Channel (formerly SFX) advised Cream to call off Creamfields New York because ticket sales have been lower than expected. Clear Channel noted a decline in ticket sales for most summer tours and festivals (see "Concert Attendance Dips Sharply In First Half Of 2001").

"Both Cream and Clear Channel are hugely disappointed that the event is not going to take place this year," a Cream spokesperson said. "All the artists and DJs involved were looking forward to participating in such a significant event for dance and electronic music. We would like to apologize to anyone who has already purchased tickets and to anybody who was planning on doing so."

Ticket refunds are available at point of purchase.

Cream's Jim King said last week that Creamfields Las Vegas was canceled because "the land that we had been told was available for us to use in Las Vegas turned out to be unavailable" (see "Creamfields Las Vegas Canceled").

The Mekka Tour, which was to feature the Crystal Method, Paul Oakenfold and others, was postponed to next year just three days before it was to kick off, because organizers did not give themselves adequate time to plan it (see "Mekka Tour Postponed Until 2002").

A relative success in a summer of ill-fated ventures, Moby's Area:One Tour, featuring a mélange of electronic, hip-hop, pop and rock artists, came to a close on Sunday in Devore, California (click for a feature interview with Moby about the tour).

The fourth Creamfields U.K. is set for August 25 in Liverpool. Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Carl Cox and Paul van Dyk will headline.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• Darren Emerson

Orbital
Photo: Sire

For their upcoming album The Altogether (due September 4), Orbital have cobbled together the obligatory thumping dance beats, euphoric techno rhythms and video game blips and bleeps, but they've also taken a few unusual paths in their pursuit of aural ecstasy.

"Doctor?" offers their version of the theme from the popular English TV show "Doctor Who," "Tension" samples punkabilly shock-rockers the Cramps, and "Illuminate," which will likely be the first single in the U.S., features guest vocals by acoustic singer/songwriter David Gray. The reflective track balances Gray's emotive drawl with shuffling beats and a syncopated keyboard line. A second mix, which turbo-charges the dancebeats, won't be on the record, but may go to radio. Orbital co-founder Phil Hartnoll had no problem hooking up with Gray because the two acts share not only the same manager, but some of the same family members. "David Gray is my brother-in-law," Hartnoll said with a laugh during an interview at New York's Time Hotel on Wednesday. "I'm married to Rachel Rooney, and he's married to Olivia Rooney, so he's my children's uncle." "Illuminate" was originally written as an instrumental track for the group's 1999 album The Middle of Nowhere, but Orbital thought it felt out of place alongside the longer, more introspective songs on that disc. Then when Phil and his brother/bandmate Paul were putting together material for The Altogether, they dug out the tape and decided to ask Gray to contribute. "He was around one day having a cup of coffee, and I said, 'Hey Dave, get the microphone and see if we can do something,' " Hartnoll recalled. "It was really no big deal, and it worked out really well, so we put it on the album." One of the most striking and unusual tracks on The Altogether is "Tootled," which is composed of samples from seven Tool songs reassembled in an unsettling dancey framework. The relationship between the two seemingly disparate acts goes back to 1997 when they shared the stage at the Lollapalooza festival. "We really got into them after seeing them night after night," said Hartnoll. "When we got back home we bought all their records. Then one day we were sitting around the studio and we just grabbed a load of their records to sample some of that juicy guitar they use. It all took off from there, and it came out of complete admiration. We were just having fun with Tool." As much fun as Orbital had crafting "Tootled," the Hartnolls were initially a little worried the guys in Tool would be offended by the completed cut. "We saw them last Friday in Germany, and we were kind of nervous," admitted Hartnoll. "But they said they really enjoyed the song, which was great to hear."

• Orbital
• Tool
• David Gray

Fatboy Slim
Photo: MTV News

Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method and Orbital will headline America's first Creamfields festivals in Long Island, New York, and Las Vegas in September.

DJs Timo Maas, Tall Paul and John Aquaviva will also perform outside of the Big Apple on September 1, while Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and DJ Dan will play Sin City on September 29, organizers announced Monday (May 21).

Several other top electronic acts are slated for both shows, including former Underworld DJ Darren Emerson, Stereo MC's, Uberzone, Richie Hawtin, Pete Tong, Josh Wink, Photek, Max Graham, Scott Henry, Scott Hardkiss, Scanty Sandwich and the Dub Pistols.

The Long Island festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and several circus tent arenas hosted by influential clubs from the East Coast and the U.K., will also include DJ Feelgood, Christian Smith, DJ Dara and DJ DB. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dave Ralph, Donald Glaude, Bad Boy Bill, Christopher Lawrence and Adam Freeland will spin at the Las Vegas festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and six tents. That show will run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

More acts, along with ticket information, will be announced later this month, organizers said.

Leading European dance event promoters Cream staged the first Creamfields in the U.K. in 1998. Held annually since, it has become one of the biggest dance-music festivals in the world, attracting 50,000 fans last year.

This year's U.K. fest will be held August 25 at the Old Liverpool Airfield in Liverpool. Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Pete Tong are among the artists scheduled to appear.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• Basement Jaxx

Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method and Orbital will headline America's first Creamfields festivals in Long Island, New York, and Las Vegas in September.

DJs Timo Maas, Tall Paul and John Aquaviva will also perform outside of the Big Apple on September 1, while Basement Jaxx, Sandra Collins and DJ Dan will play Sin City on September 29, organizers announced Monday (May 21).

Several other top electronic acts are slated for both shows, including former Underworld DJ Darren Emerson, Stereo MC's, Uberzone, Richie Hawtin, Pete Tong, Josh Wink, Photek, Max Graham, Scott Henry, Scott Hardkiss, Scanty Sandwich and the Dub Pistols.

The Long Island festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and several circus tent arenas hosted by influential clubs from the East Coast and the U.K., will also include DJ Feelgood, Christian Smith, DJ Dara and DJ DB. The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dave Ralph, Donald Glaude, Bad Boy Bill, Christopher Lawrence and Adam Freeland will spin at the Las Vegas festival, which will feature an outdoor main stage and six tents. That show will run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

More acts, along with ticket information, will be announced later this month, organizers said.

Leading European dance event promoters Cream staged the first Creamfields in the U.K. in 1998. Held annually since, it has become one of the biggest dance-music festivals in the world, attracting 50,000 fans last year.

This year's U.K. fest will be held August 25 at the Old Liverpool Airfield in Liverpool. Fatboy Slim, Gorillaz, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Pete Tong are among the artists scheduled to appear.

• Fatboy Slim
• The Crystal Method
• Orbital
• Timo Maas
• DJ Dan

Orbital
Photo: Sire

Concertgoers gearing up for Europe's annual string of outdoor music festivals should expect some hassle getting into the events — if they even happen.

Britain's outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease — which has little or no effect on humans but is easily spread on clothing and causes drastic weight loss in cattle, sheep and pigs — has festival organizers planning precautionary measures, because those festivals could give the disease an opportunity to flourish, according to an expert.

"Promoters risk people dragging infection from all over the UK to one spot, thus endangering local farm animals and wildlife," said John Ryan of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease. "Another risk is the dissemination of the virus from those gatherings back to all parts of the UK and the world." Although many of Europe's top sporting events, such as horse racing's Cheltenham Festival, have been cancelled, concert promoters expect that their festivals will go on.

Ireland's Live Entertainment Industry Association announced last week that all of its concert venues have implemented stringent disinfectant procedures suggested by Ireland's Department of Agriculture to prevent the outbreak from spreading there, including placing disinfectant mats at all venue entry- and exit-points and spraying all cars and buses controlled by the association's venues.

Ryan said there are ways promoters can avoid the spread of foot-and-mouth, besides cleaning footwear and vehicles (especially tires) and spraying them with disinfectant.

"Festivals should allow no one access if they have visited farms or zoos in the previous five days," Ryan said. "And they should keep extremely strict controls on food waste and sewage." So far, no outbreaks have been reported outside of the UK.

Foot-and-mouth has not contaminated the site of Homelands, a club music festival scheduled for May 26 and 27 at Matterley Bowl in Hampshire, England. Promoter Melvin Benn said he is working to keep it that way.

"The event field has not had cattle or animals for over five months," Benn said. "The foot-and-mouth outbreak is not going to change anything." Homelands will feature several dozen acts, including Orbital, Pulp and Paul van Dyk. Mean Fiddler, the company behind the Reading and Leeds Carling festivals, organizes Homelands.

Promoters for T in the Park, who have not announced the dates for their late-summer festival, said in a statement they are monitoring the foot-and-mouth situation and taking advice from those working against the spread of the disease.

"The vast majority of the land where T in the Park takes place is not used for livestock farming, and the main arena is a disused airfield," the promoters' statement said. "However, organizers will be taking all responsible and appropriate steps in the five-month lead-time to this year's event." Foot-and-mouth last hit the UK in 1967 and took more than six months to bring under control. The disease appears to be spreading rapidly this time, as a record 25 cases were reported Sunday, bringing the current total to nearly 170, according to Reuters.

• Orbital
• Pulp
• Paul Van Dyk