From an outsider's perspective, festivals are remarkable concepts. Throwing a party is one thing, but gathering thousands, or in Exit's case around 200,000, for one big, extended party is something else. It's therefore not exactly difficult to get to the heart of why we love festivals so much. We love to party, so by stretching one out over several days and by grouping all those attending to live, sleep, eat and drink together, we are provided with something that offers one hundred percent indulgence and hedonism. It's like a holiday, but so much better.
Last year we chose Exit for several reasons. Most important was the line-up, which was undoubtedly best suited to our musical palate, covering all bases from Ricardo Villalobos to SebastiAn, to Crystal Castles. But what is so unique about Exit is that despite being one of Europe's festival leaders, it is refreshingly affordable. Costing just £85 for the four days and only a further £25 for a ten day camping pass, it's less than half the price of Glastonbury and considerably cheaper than the likes of Sonar and many other European heavyweights. Does that mean you get any less for your money? Not in the slightest, and once again we found the festivities in Novi Sad just too good to resist, prising us away from temptations elsewhere.
Every festival has it's unique selling point (or USP as they so fondly initial it in
The Apprentice), and although there is so much that makes Exit so attractive, it's location is without doubt what makes it so special. Housed in the medival Petrovaradin fortress that looks over the River Danube and across Novi Sad, Serbia's second city, it's a phenomenal backdrop for the festival, providing unrivaled charm and character . No other festival can claim to have such a remarkable setting, and despite the undesirable uphill journeys, narrow draw-bridges and the cobbled pavements, Exit wouldn't be what it is today without it's historic venue.
In all honesty, Exit found us this year, for it was only at the very latest stages we swerved Benicassim, questioning why really we were going to a festival Chase and Status were headlining. Secretly I had been monitoring the additions made to Exit's line-up, out of curiosity more than anything as the consensus suggested we would not be returning. As months passed us by under the illusion we would eventually end up in Spain come July, and as Glastonbury sold out almost instantly for those who like mud, acid and Paolo Nutini, Exit's line-up meanwhile was swelling with acts that raised our pulses. A summit meeting was called and radical changes were implemented immediately. Exit it was. To our delight, several other acts were added to the dance arena after we had secured our tickets, including Martin Buttrich, Mathias Tanzmann and David Squillace, collectively known as 'Better Lost Than Stupid'. Maya Jane Coles was also added, but the addition of Rebel Rave was without doubt the most exciting one, made even more so when it emerged they would be responsible for the closing slot on the Sunday. Personally, I still felt it was pipped ever so slightly by last year's line-up, which I reiterate was almost too good to be true. There was certainly a significant difference in theme though, with last year's heavy electro influence replaced by the prevalent flavour of house and techno, which of course was no problem. Either way, what brought us back to Exit wasn't just the music, it was everything else that makes it such an enjoyable week. Here's what...
Thursday: Gesaffelstein, Tiga, KiNK (live), Pleasurekraft, deadmau5 (live), James Zabiela, Joris Voorn
Arriving on Monday afternoon, we were surprised to learn that the Exit Village, the campsite, was not where it was last year. First impressions were not great, the alarming bleakness of the site made it appear far from habitable even for the most unfussy festival-goers. We would later come to appreciate how merciful the change was, as unlike last year's unshaded alternative high up near the fortress, this campsite was essentially a forest, providing us with all the shade we could ever wish for. It was also situated on the banks of the Danube, which unlike last year had not risen to flood-threatening levels and also was complimented by a wonderful man-made, tree-littered beach. We were never brave enough to wade into the river, slightly cautious of it's cleanliness (you wouldn't step into the Thames now, would you?), but the beach and its shaded patches provided vital refuge from the searing midday temperatures that cooked Serbia later that week. Last year we struggled surviving, let alone sleeping, in completely open 38 degree heat the days peaked at, but this year was a shock even for the olive-skinned Serbians as temperatures regularly hit the 40 mark, one day apparently climbing to as high as 43. The Balkan climate is certainly one of Exit's most appealing features, but in these unprecedented temperatures it was undeniably draining at times. Although the portaloos were standard issue festival putrescence, the other facilities were in all fairness superb. These ranged from the shower cubicles to the battery charging tent, costing a mere 50 dinara, equivalent to around 50 pence. The campsite also provided us with welcome, if at times slightly dubious nighttime entertainment on the Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the festival days. Stages were erected and DJ's deployed with some bizarre styles, but it nonetheless provided us with a suitable context to consume a vast proportion of our duty-free vodka and have a warm-up groove before the spoils of the opening night arrived.
The sizzling anticipation ahead of Thursday night, together with the vast scale of the whole festival make Exit ever so slightly overwhelming to begin with. It's the little things, as well as the grand, that all contribute to make Exit seem like it's just too huge to fully absorb. Novi Sad as a city awakens from its fairly sleepy normality on this Thursday evening every year, with everything and everyone catching Exit fever. Whether it's the old Serbian women on the streets selling home-made Rakija, the regional spirit, or the locals without tickets just around to catch the vibes, you are constantly reminded on the way to the fortress, which was a good 40 minute walk, that this city enjoys being home to this festival. With our eyes firmly fixed on the legendary dance arena, Tiga, James Zabiela, Joris Voorn and interestingly deadmau5 were lined up in what promised to be a breathless first night. But before we tackled the complex route to the dance arena, we were keen to catch Turbo's
Gesaffelstein, who was billed to perform live in the discretely tucked away Elektrana stage. Despite some initial sound problems, it was an exhilarating start to our Exit 2011 experience. Love or hate him, you can't accuse Gesaffelstein of lacking bravery with his sound- a raw, uncompromising meld of jagged techno and cold, mean electro. It's the kind of stuff your mother would kick you out of the house for playing, and while his set probably shocked and disgusted many in the small arena, we loved every minute, including some of my personal favourites like
Aufstand,
Hatred and most his most recent release on Turbo,
OPR.
After a fist-pumping, sweat-breaking introduction from Gesaffelstein, we made our way to the Dance Arena to catch his boss, who was already rocking a packed out crowd. I hadn't seen
Tiga since Planet Turbo over a year ago, an event I have seminal reminiscence about. Founding arguably the most influential label for electro-edged techno, it was hardly a surprise then that he showcased some of the scene's greatest tracks, while predictably throwing in some unreleased/never-to-be-released records that only label owners have the luxury of. It was a magnificent performance, and expectations were high this time, but his set felt distinctively unchanged from when I saw him over a year ago. It was safe, festival-friendly two hours, with plenty of old crowd-pleasing selections like Proxy's remix of Tiga's own
What You Need, and Len Faki's blistering remix of Dustin Zahn's
Stranger To Stability. It was a safe and satisfying set from Tiga, but not thrilling by any means, and certainly didn't have him rummaging deep into his label's record vaults or using his enviable list of contacts.
We left Tiga for the last half hour of his set and made the short journey to the Happynovisad Stage, arguably the festival's most unique and charming little space, accessible only through a narrow tunnel from the Dance Arena. Here, one half of UK duo,
Pleasurekraft was in full swing with plenty of softcore tech house grooves, that despite being pretty cheesy at times, was irresistibly fun. We also caught a good half hour of
KiNK live, who wasted no time slapping us in the face with a bold session of big-room house. There were some truly devastating basslines in his set, but at times he got a little carried away, occasionally giving us the impression he was about to tear his equipment out from the sockets as he jumped around, somehow remaining mildly coherent. Despite the relative absurdity of KiNK's performance, we would have probably stuck around had deadmau5 not already started over in the Dance Arena. Amidst a sea of cardboard mouse heads attached to thousands, the enigmatic Joel Zimmerman was in control of his 'Unhooked' set (whatever that means), and was actually very impressive.
Last year Exit enlisted David Guetta as their mainstream addition to a Dance Arena of otherwise high integrity. This year, that role appeared to be taken up by deadmau5, who's popularity would inevitably situate him in the mainstream category. The good news is that unlike Guetta, I actually have some affection for
deadmau5, but the bad news is that affection used to be much greater, and has unfortunately somewhat diminished over the last couple of years. The arrogance, the outspokenness, the dubstep and the stupid mouse head has all made me lose interest to be frank. The deadmau5 I used to love, the guy who produced clean, clever and unfussy progressive electro house, has disappeared, and whereas his name on a line-up would have once had me aroused, it barely carries any appeal anymore. However, this time there was no awful dubstep, the mousehead was used sparingly to the right gimmicky amount, and he actually looked like he was enjoying himself, pleased to be there. On top of that, he played to his strengths with all the old classics that I can't deny being very fond of. '
Some Chords', a more recent creation of his, came in fairly early, followed soon after by the club classic
'Ghosts 'n' Stuff', effectively preceded by '
Moar Ghosts 'n' Stuff'. It was a stand out moment without question, as the thousands that gathered on the slopes of the Dance Arena joined together to recite that euphoric chorus.
It may have been 5am by the time deadmau5 concluded his set with the delightfully trancey and warmly received '
Strobe', but the night was far from out in the Dance Arena as
James Zabiela prepared to turn the heat up further. To say he DJ'd would be slightly misleading, as the blonde-locked face of Pioneer's elite CDJ series used a complicated array of equipment to compliment his famous scratching skills on numerous CDJ 2000's. Heavy-duty techno was on the menu, a little too heavy for us as we made do with spectating the chaos, as Zabiela leaped around, jabbing at his iPad and whatever else he was using to manufacture such excitement as we watched from high above the arena.
The main stage, which had hosted Arcade Fire and Magnetic Man among others throughout the night, had been long empty by the time
Joris Voorn took over from Zabiela, who finished off with a few savage breakbeat and dubstep cuts. By this time, the sun was already directly overlooking the fortress, emitting remarkable heat considering it was only 6:30. It had been a long, physical night, and we felt as if ours was coming to an end. Voorn certainly didn't reflect any of the crowds fatigue in his selections though, with a lively, fresh feeling to his string of techy house tracks which was probably the lift many needed. Although my long desire to see Voorn compelled me to want to stay much, much longer, we headed back to the campsite soon after 7am, with the sun beating on our backs and our legs heavy. The sign of a very fulfilling party always, and also one of a very exciting start to a festival.
On a more positive note, Carl Craig was first on the bill for us, as we made our way to the fortress at the later time of 2:30, having to sacrifice Maya Jane Coles and her surprisingly early 11pm slot in the Dance Arena, before fading 90's duo, Underworld performed live soon after. Upon arrival, the Dance Arena was congested as ever and Carl Craig was the man supplying the beats, complimented by an impressive array of lighting, visuals and on-stage performers. We decided to occupy new dancefloor territory inside the arena, that being the inclining terrain towards the back that leads to a higher platform of the fortress and some metal terracing. It was a poor decision, as we overlooked the difficulties of trying to dance on a steep gradient lined with craggy rocks, ultimately hindering our enjoyment of Craig's set.
In a night committed to techno, Marco Carola was the perfect tonic to Carl Craig's intense motor-city indulgence. The man responsible for the honestly named 'Play It Loud' album released on M-nus last year delivered exactly what we expect from him with two, sunny hours of uncompromising, big-room minimal techno. His selections were far more appeasing, peppered with long, soothing breakdowns and beatless periods that helped engineer some genuine movement, the muscular basslines complemented by a thick forest of raised arms that had been absent during Carl Craig. From someone who named his album 'Play It Loud', Marco Carola is someone who understands the importance of an adequate soundsystem, and the Dance Arena's PA was EQ'd to perfection for Carola's most percussive cuts. Last year's searing electro abrasion was captured at its most satisfying by that system, while this year it demonstrated remarkable dexterity to handle drums and percussion with such ease and clarity.
