The people behind Dekmantel have truly outdone themselves this year with the artists they have lined up. Having recently published one of the most excitingly eclectic line ups on this summers festival circuit. We decided to give a go at recommending our top 5 must see acts at this years festival. With such an insanely stacked line up we had a difficult job on our hands of deciding what to recommend but here are our top 5 key performances not to be missed at Dekmantel 2019.
- The Trancedence Orchestra. Surgeon joins forces with collaborator Dan Bean for an education into what is truly capable under the banner of techno performed live. This will be synthesis combined with a panoply of esoteric acoustic instruments, disregarding pre-conceived ideas about what constitutes techno. Not your average live set in the very best way.
- Lotus Eater. (Lucy & Rrose) (Live). Stroboscopic Artifacts head Lucy teams up with Rrose to bring to you a performance of their Lotus Eater project. The two experimental techno producers teamed up to bring forth their debut album last October and premiered their live performance at the most recent edition of Amsterdams ADE. A rare performance of some highly intriguing techno.
- Yussef Dayes. One of the heads of the South London Jazz scene that has, as of late, been given a new lease of life. Yousef, who was once of the jazz duo Yussef Kamal and a percussionist extraordinaire dancing to the beat of his own drum in every sense. His always improvised sets are a thing of wonder and amazement and an example of a true artist at work.
- Ugandan Methods. Regis and Ancient Methods, individually two incredibly powerful acts in their own right. But together are one of the standout acts on this years Dekmantel line up. Expect a furious wall of sound. Breakbeat noise and techno fusion from two dons of the game.
- Ben UFO & Blawan. Easily one of the most exciting duos in an already fully stacked lineup. Blawan, unrelenting ferociousness has been his calling card since the days of “Getting me down”. While Ben UFO has been mystifying the train spotters for over a decade now. Together on what we predict to be one of the standout sets of the festival, we can not wait to see what they will bring. It is safe to say you will see us at the front for this one.
If there’s anything we’ve learned from the past few years of Dekmantel is to always expect the unexpected. and with over 100 acts on this years bill it is almost impossible to predict where this years moments of magic will occur. In its relatively short lifetime Dekmantel has become a place where Dj’s bring their A game. This is not just a place where kids come to dance and party (although they have that in spades too). Dekmantel has become one of the most important festivals of the year for both the artist and the punter. So if you haven’t got your ticket already the only thing we can say is….DON’T SLEEP!
You can check out the full line up for the festival HERE and you can grab you tickets HERE!! but get moving because this one is sure to sell out.
Words by G. Lewis