It’s almost absurd that we’re getting all excited and hot under the collar about what’s happening this summer. Really, we’re still in winter so we’ve got a whole ‘nother season to trudge through yet. But still, with this week’s Summadayze and Shore Thing reveals and more announcements on the way there’s clearly something in day-dreaming about the party season ahead and with that in mind ITM’s super-sleuths have turned their attention to another big summer bash, Big Day Out.

The Big Day Out rumour mill is cranking harder than ever right now with speculations and prognostications flying around the interwebs suggesting the likes of Blink 182 and even Prince are on the cards for the 2012 festival tour. But besides seeing the Purple One do Raspberry Beret in a sea of muscled-up ladz, you might be wondering what else next year’s BDO might hold. That’s where we come in with a handful of Boiler Room rumours sure to whip up some buzz among ITMers.

Aphex Twin

Leading the charge as 2012’s strongest dance rumour once again is Warp genius Aphex Twin. Yep, we had him down as a possibility for BDO ’11 which never eventuated but after being this close to the Harvest Festival lineup and then rumoured again for Stereosonic he’s high on the radar again. He’s got history playing the Boiler Room and the word out there is he’s been snagged again.

Skrillex

Speaking of Stereosonic, we were a banking on seeing US complextro (yes) bro Skrillex on the lineup what with his kinship with Totem Onelove and his storming sets on the Creamfields tour earlier this year but with his hectic international tour schedule things clearly didn’t line up. Given his stellar year in 2012 with massive tours and cross-over to radio he makes perfect sense for BDO and would easily slot into the same notch that The Bloody Beetroots filled this past summer. Good odds on this one.

The Presets

On the local front we got a tip off that electro champs and seasoned Boiler Room visitors The Presets are circling a spot in the upper-reaches of the 2012 Big Day Out lineup – which could even be mainstage, given their profile these days. The word is that the festival slot would work as the beginning of the Presets’ live campaign for their forthcoming third LP which has been pushed back from 3rd quarter 2011 and into 2012. Of course the word could be complete bunk and the tipster a solid bullshit artist but seeing as though label mates launched their Zonoscope LP in a similar fashion with Laneway this year, there’s at least some believability there.

Odd Future

We don’t know whether to trust the rumour that LA rap terror squad Odd Future are heading back this way to join the festival tour. Of all the summer festivals Big Day Out certainly seems like the most natural fit and we’d love to see Tyler and the gang kick up a fuss in a sweat-drenched Boiler Room but given the group’s volatile tendencies and Big Day Out’s beefed-up safety protocols in a post-Limb Bizkit festival landscape there’s every chance they might skip over the rap crew. Of course comparing Odd Future to Limp Bizkit is like comparing an apple to, uh, a bruised and rotting apple in a backwards Yankees cap, but you get the drift.

Amon Tobin

Punters have been calling for a visit from Amon Tobin with his monolithic ISAM live show ever since it was unveiled in June this year and while he’s not exactly in line with Big Day Out’s traditional ‘sound’ the festival has been throwing support behind dance acts with innovative new live shows in recent years including Vitalic’s V Mirror setup this year and the premiere of Sasha’s expansive Vortek show. If studying the Big Day Out bookings has taught us anything it’s that the festival is always a little unpredictable with its undercard and stranger things have happened.

Groove Armada

Perhaps a safer-bet than the Amon Tobin live show is Groove Armada’s swanky new Red Light visual setup which they’ve been toting around Europe this season. We’ve been told by some industry peeps to expect a summer visit from the guys so unless they pop up elsewhere first it could be Big Day Out that snags them in the end. Time will tell!

What do you think of the rumours so far? We’ve had our ears to the ground to rustle up those names above so let us know how you think they’d fare on the next Big Day Out bill. And to refresh yourself with the epic festival action that comes with Big Day Out check out our summer flashback to the best Boiler Room moments in the gallery below.