What a GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL MUST Provide - While Reading Listen to Musical Genius Petar Dundov
Throughout the last decades the experience I like to get from electronic music events and festivals changed quite a bit. While decades ago by far the most important to me was the quality of the music and the artists at the lineup, and to a much lesser degree the atmosphere and anything else the event had to offer; By now I became quite demanding on almost all aspects: from music, to food, to drinks, to hangout spots, to decoration, to art, to comfort. Everything MUST be right, and it is damn hard to find that.
You may ask now: "What is right for you?". Well, I can write whole essay about it, but I'll not bore you and give you a very brief summary so you get the picture:
- Music: top quality, non mainstream electro and techno, some (deep) house is allowed
- Food: top quality as if you would eat in a good restaurant, think of quality level 8 and up on a scale from 0 to 10
- Drinks: the real deal, eg Monkey 47 Gin and Fevertree Tonic instead of the usual Bombay, Swepes and the likes
- Environment: Cosy, Hippie-ish decoration with lots and lots of hangout spots and corners, preferably with art, from display art to performing art
- People: Openminded, Openminded and again Openminded
Preferably I go to multiday festivals where I can camp out in a (luxurious) camper. The camping spots must be at the festival itself, onsite, not offsite like 500 meters outside the gate or something.
It is not easy to find those festivals since they are quite rare, but fortunately there are multiple (annual) festivals around Europe offering most of the given list and my personal criteria. To name a few:
- Landjuweel @ Ruigoord (Netherlands) - 5 day festival
- Fusion @ Lähr (Germany) - 5 to 6 day festival
- Into The Woods (Netherlands) - 3 day festival
- Wildeburg (Netherlands) - 3 day festival
- Garbicz @ Garbicz (Poland) - 4 day festival
All these festivals doing well on most points important to me, that is why I'm a returning member to these little temporary communities! Music can be an issue at eg Landjuweel, and to a lesser degree also at Garbicz but Fusion is big enough and the programming is of such quality that at any point in time during the entire 5 to 6 days, some good music is played somewhere, as in 24/7! Also my most favourite festival, by far!
Not so many (quality) artists do play regularly these festivals, since the artists fees are generally pretty low due to the (much) higher costs to all the other services these festivals provide.
BUT, one artist comes to mind who doesn't care about fees, who enjoys very much to play at these festivals, who actually played at all these festivals over and over again, and who is just a genius when it comes to music: Petar Dundov.
In case you know him, you probably agree with me; In case you don't know him...Well, now it is the time to start your journey!
This guy has Techno in his Heart!
He Breaths it!
He Lives it!
The Play Button below is there to be Pressed
Artist: Petar Dundov
Set: Into the Woods
Year: 2016
Country: Bosnia
Yeah! Music festivals are as subjective as music is. Personally, I am into the very same as you are. I have some stuff to add:
size: I prefer smaller festivals where there is actually a chance that you might see that beautiful girl from last night again. 2000-5000 works for me. I am feeling lost at fusion :D
Diversity, I love festivals that combine genres such as fusion, you find everything there!
Check out the "Wurzelfestival", its one of my favorites in Germany. Combining underground techno and psy. There is no seperate backstage for the artists, you will meet everyone on the area, I really like that concept. Furthermore, they include handycapped people which is beautiful, you will see people raving in their Wheelchairs. There is so much love :)
Also, check out the "Fuchsbau Festival". I worked for it last year and build this installation.
I also prefer the smaller festivals, but Fusion is almost like a small festival, at east one does not feel 70k people being their on Saturday. And the sound system at Tanzwüste; THAT IS SIMPLY AMAZING! Every morning I try to sit there (with the least amount of people around) in the sand listening to whoever plays; Such crisp and clear sound! I heard that nowhere else!
Thanks for the recommendation, will check them out indeed. A friend is already asking for a couple of years to join to Nachtdigital (I think in Eastern part of Germany). Maybe not so hippy-ish (from what I've seen from photos), but great lineups, and only 2 stages, so pretty small.
That Stage you build: That is pretty cool! But is that festival as good as Wurzelfestivel? Music and the rest?
Yeah, soundwise, it is top of the notch, totally feel you!
You were right with the Nachtdigital festival, I think it is fun with great lineup but more hip than hippieish.
Fuchsbau is completly different, it is a lot more about performance and experimental music. They always got a lineup where you might only know two names. It is a quite young audience and I think it is only really cool if you got a big crew. Has its moments though :)
Wurzelfestival got amazing sound as well! They have this thing called the bunker, with a 3x8m subwoover wall, it is insane. The DJ table has to be a massive concrete block, so the vinyls dont jump :D earplugs advised. The feeling you get in there is crazy. You can take some sand in our hand and watch it move from the bass. I love the atmosphere and people, I felt really safe and everyone was so friendly. Been there two times so far, it is a really young festival.
Definetely on my list for this year :) sadly didnt get any fusion ticket yet... What about you?
This past summer i traveled across country to Symbiosis Oregon Eclipse festival, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life, they know how to throw a top notch party. EVERYTHING they had to offer was of the highest caliber. A diverse array of Music, stage designs, distance between stages was great, camping was very close to the festival enterence, vendors, and A SOLAR ECLIPSE. It surpassed Burning man for me, which was great, but I could write a long list about the things I didnt like opposed to Symbiosis. Ill be heading back to a symbiosis event again. Outside of that I will be hitting up BOOM and MO;DEM festivals. I havent heard of the ones you posted about, but will look into them!
WOW super, you know the right festivals as well, like @geniusloci!
Yeh, I heard of Eclipse party, friends went there and some others were telling me about it while being on Wildeburg festival last Summer. Burning Man: never been, but on the list (USA & Africa). BOOM (the one in Portugal you mean?), never been , but know it; Little bit hesitating since it is mainly psy trance / goa music. MO;DEM, that I never heard of, will add it to my list to check it out!
Eclipse was a blast, all different types of music. Burning man was super surreal, crazy how the place transformed from absolutely nothing to a giant city of lights in such a short time. Yeah, BOOM is primarily psy, so is MO;DEM, I think a bit moreso then BOOM, but I may be mistaken. I haven't been to either YET, but planning on one of them this year. I know it a hit or miss genre, but I love psytrance :-)
Burning man to me, was not really a music festival, though it did play a major role. I wouldn't go there looking for an awesome lineup, I felt for the first few days it was rather difficult to get into most of the music I heard. It was mostly focused on the art, which there was so much that I doubt I even saw half of it, and some of the pieces were absolutely breathtaking. This one in particular, I had to sit by at least once a night, I felt like it changed my DNA each time. https://www.instagram.com/p/BY35Z4lDvss/?taken-by=n3wt15 I would highly recommend to anyone, go to Burning Man at least once in your life.
WOW, that one looks amazing! Yeh, I know BM is lots and lost of art, and that is what I like to see indeed. But for sure some good music as well, that said, probably not like at eg Fusion, but some pretty good DJs playing their. I sure I'll get everything I want out of BM :)
I know him and i agree with your words
Super! :) Enjoy this set!
Goeie muziek, lekkere beat
Glad you like it; Enjoy the journey.
Yes the total experience ... community, amenities, and most importantly music, though much lacking in the previous two could dampen even the best performances! Ah, a dream to play one of these, though for me coming from the states would bring a substantial cost in itself ...
Indeed Peter's music is very engaging!!!
European festivals: I suppose you can think of visiting a couple of them during a single trip to Europe :) But you also have some nice festivals in the USA, must be.
Well great music and mostly a wild party. However, take for instance, perhaps the most famous festival these days in the states, Burning Man ... While the desert may be a beautiful open space, it is actually a quite unforgiving environment, afterwards one feels encrusted in sand, eyes, nose, mouth, despite best efforts ...
Hahaha, yep, pretty warm in the Dessert. Well, Burning Man is in Africa as well, more green and lower temperatures. Burning Man clone in Netherlands started two years ago, "Where the Sheep Meets" it is called, but similar concept organised by Burning Man lovers.
Then again, it has gone a bit mainstream here in the states, from what I understand, perhaps some Hardcore, Dubstep, Prog House ... but, from my casual observance, mostly mass appeal (all dance, no 'listen' in the mix), not too esoteric ...
I never been to Burning Man, so I cant tell. But HOVB performed at Burning Man, and they are GOOD!
Thank you for sharing the summary and information on Petar Dundov.
You're Welcome.
thanks for you upvote in my post... follow you... check my blog. Kiss
You're Welcome :) Some nice singing you did :)