Not quite as weighty but more forward thinking, Sunday held the most treats for us. DJ Tennis played an understated set in the day but returned much later at the afterparty with something more intense and driving. Ame’s set after Tennis’ was a major highlight, making expert use of his rotary mixer, slowly building layers of rhythms on top of each other, gently lifting the crowd ever higher. Soon after a torrential rain storm hit the site which made moving from stage to stage a real effort. Part of the tent on the main stage had also ripped open and many of the stages already had mysteriously growing lakes in the middle of them so even staying put wasn’t necessarily safe. Thankfully it only lasted a few hours but the water wasn’t going anywhere.
One of the biggest puddles was in the Phono stage where local hero Job Jobse stepped up for a rare back to back session with Jennifer Cardini. Both seemed to be having a whole lot of fun bouncing an eclectic selection of tracks back and forth. At one moment Cardini dropped Dexter’s edit of “Watskeburt” by De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig which was met with shock and awe. After a while the dance floor got so crammed that some brave crowd members took to dancing in the muddy puddle in the middle of the room. Another proponent of the rotary mixer, Motor City Drum Ensemble came with a passionate and engaging mix of disco and funk records compressed and contorted into their toughest forms. An extended Larry Levan edit of “Stand On The Word” was a particular high point, one of the few moments where the Stereo stage was filled to the brim. At the same time Mano Le Tough delivered something altogether more straightforward but hard hitting. Again the medium sized Ellum stage seemed to fit just right compared to Digital where Nina Kraviz played to a damp and sweaty swarm.
With the festival proper closing at 11pm, all too soon it was time for the after party hosted inside one of the nearby warehouses. Adana Twins started things but felt a little flat at that point in the night. Tale Of Us managed to pick things up but after getting used to such a huge selection on offer, the one small stage seemed a bit underwhelming. After two days it seemed we’d gained a taste for the grand scale and the sheer variety.
DGTL festival may lack a clear focus but that doesn’t mean you’re going to struggle to have a great time. In fact the wide variety of stellar DJs on offer means there’s a different “great time” for most tastes and perhaps that’s all you need. If you’re looking for some kind of shared experience however, don’t expect any of your notes to compare with anyone else’s.
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Picture credits: Marty Marn, Tom Doms, Kirsten van Santen
