In the second part of dance music blogger, Kate Hutchinson's, guide to this summer's festivals in Croatia, she lifts the lid on four more of the best parties on the Dalmatian coast...
Electric Elephant
July 14-18
The Garden, Petrcane
The Unabomber’s four-day paradise is one of the island’s most eclectic festival offerings. After their hugely successful club night, Electric Chair, in Manchester ended after 13 years in 2008, they brought its disco-dappled antics to Croatia instead and thousands have flocked to its heady mix of Balearic beach parties, international DJs, nautical hedonism aboard their infamous cosmic boat trips, and Barbarella’s Discoteque, an original 1970s disco club, which is where the fun continues till the wee hours. The eclectic soundtrack varies from acoustic-folk and psychedelia to jackin’ house, techno and block rockin’ hip hop from a discerning bunch of DJ folk including, this year, seasoned spinners like Chicago house don Derrick Carter, Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston, who present their cosmic ‘A Love From Outer Space’ mission, disco deviants Horse Meat Disco and wonky re-edit duo The Glimmers. But there are also future stars like Bok Bok (Night Slugs), Sampha, Toddla T and Mosca on the huge bill. Electric Elephant’s fans usually prefer the hotel and apartment option, but there’s a campsite too if you can stand the heat. Tickets are just £85, but for an extra £55 you can get a ticket to The Garden Festival the week before and extend the revellery to two weeks. For full information, visit www.electricelephant.co.uk
Soundwave Festival
July 22-24
The Garden, Petrcane
Here the sonic emphasis is on hip hop cum electronica, soulful beats, ambient, neo-soul, breaks and anything else with a funkaaay edge – and you wouldn’t expect anything less, considering the festival is brought to you by great UK-based hip hop promoters Soundcrash and New Bohemia (from Leeds). The likes of Roots Manuva, Bonobo, DJ Format, Zero 7, Illum Sphere (from Manchester’s Hoya Hoya club), Wrongtom and the Eglo Records crew featuring Funkineven, Fatima and Floating Points join the groovesome dots– and there’ll be an all-new audiovisual and chillout area for this year too. The site is based within Hotel Pinija – great for staggering home to – so book a room if you can. Festival tickets are £89, plus extra for the boat parties. For full information, visit www.soundwavecroatia.com
soundwavecroatia.com
Stop Making Sense
August 12-14
The Garden, Petrcane
Look at the list of endorsements on this new festivals website, and you just know that SMS’s first event last summer must have been a scream. Deviation, Need2Soul, Fact, Trouble Vision, Dalston Superstore, Secretsundaze, Don’t Panic – that’s some of London’s best parties, venues and websites raring to go. They’re another festival lured to The Garden’s lush party peninsula, and they’ll be making the most of it as DJs and live acts Optimo, Benji B, Hannah Holland, The Correspondents, Jackmaster, Gringo Da Parada, Floating Points and many more mostly underground names provide the electronic carnival soundtrack. Like most, their boat parties still haven’t been announced, but for now, a festival ticket is £90 for three days. For full information, visit www.sms-2010.com
Outlook
September 1-4
Fort Punta Christo, Pula
Annual bass festival from the Dub Pack crew at a secluded, historic site on the seafront, about 10 miles from Pula. Here, you’ll get to party within the walls of an eighteenth century fort! The weekend of ribcage-rattling DJ legends includes sets from reggae royalty David Rodigan, Iration Steppas and Congo Natty & Tenor Fly, plus a spread of dubstep innovators like Digital Mystikz, Skream, Benga, Kode 9 & Space Ape, Loefah and Martyn. Ramadanman, Jamie XX and Hudson Mohawke also represent the new generation of post-dubstep producers. They’ve a campsite, which is the cheapest accommodation option at £8 per night, but there are hostels and apartments nearby. Festival tickets are £119, and you’ll want to bagsy your spot on one of their intimate boat parties too for an extra £35. There are five nearby airports including Zagreb, and the festival is laying on transfers for an extra £25-£35 each way. For full information, visit www.outlookfestival.com
Want more?
- Read more music articles at Redbull.com
- Part one of Kate's guide to Croatia festivals
- Read previous Blog on the Dancefloor entries
- Follow Kate on Twitter: @katehutchinson
soundwavecroatia.com/relaxmax
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