| On to the main event and there’s no shortage of heavyweight names headed to Fort Punta Christo. 2017 has seen the rise and rise of electro, dance music’s gritty, raw relation – and there’s a solid selection of acts flying the flag, from Kraftwerk at the opening concert to new school representative Helena Hauff. OG legends Detroit In Effect and Silicon Scally present jackin’, killer dancefloor productions, and Detroit masked avenger DJ Stingray is on duty with his trademark brand of dystopian electro. Billy Nasty is another herculean figure heading to the fortress. There’s a wild ride through electro in store from NY collective Discwoman as founders Volvox and Umfang delve deep into weirdo acid jams and more. Cult electro artist The Exaltics will play a rare set, and for all electro obsessives there’s a CPU x Electrix stage with Billy Nasty, Silicon Scally, DMX Krew & CPSmith.
As always, house and techno appreciators are spoilt when it comes to Dimensions, bringing an eclectic yet brilliant set of global DJs to Fort Punta Christo year on year. Woman of the hour, Peggy Gou makes her debut, fresh from a string of acclaimed releases including the most recent on Ninja Tune, plus Hunee, Saoirse, Palms Trax, Skee Mask and Craig Richards; joining the dots between house, techno, acid, disco and more in journey-like sets of cosmic oddities and feel-good gems. It’s an all-night-long affair with Bonobo, selecting his blend of uplifting house. Diverse sounds come from Manchester’s finest, Jon K, Rinse FM affiliate and DJ’s DJ Josey Rebelle, and Stones Throw’s Peanut Butter Wolf. Dimensions Soundsystem, Lexis (MIMS), Cosmic Slop, Love Muscle team, K-HAND, Oyvind Morken, Red Greg and Alexander Nut are also on digging duties.
Classic cuts come from underground veterans and modern day reps, with Detroit’s own Underground Resistance presenting Depth Charge. Another OG for Dimensions 2018 is Marcellus Pittman, and Darkhouse Family – a project by Don Leisure and Earl Jeffers that sees soul, house and jazz unite together in one melting pot. Techno is in abundance too, with Sonja Moonear and Anastasia Kristensen ready to lay down stripped grooves. Dimensions favourite and leading light Nina Kraviz is back after her immense Moat set last year. There’s Volruptus, Bjarki and Alleged Witches. More left-leaning crossovers come from Jon Hopkins, R&S Records affiliate, Paula Temple, James Holden’s critically acclaimed live project, James Holden And The Animal Spirits. Salon Des Amateurs residents Willikensand Ivkovic come together on the line-up, two characters at the heart of the burgeoning Düsseldorf scene, plus Mannequin Records’ Alessandro Adriani and Courtesy, a DJ with effortless style melding techno, jungle and more. DJ Python adds a touch of latin flavour, with Øyvind Morken and Nicolas Lutz in tow.
By contrast the immense live acts explore everything from jazz and hip-hop to soul and punk. Cult 80’s band Maximum Joy make a rare appearance, their obscure fusion of reggae, punk and disco make them an oddity hit band, and this rare show in Croatia will be something special. Perfect for the sun-kissed adriatic coastal city, Brazilian legends Azymuth are set for Dimensions 2018, accompanied by Marcos Valle, and Iranian x Cuban quartet, Ariwo, who blend Iranian melancholy with Cuban rhythms. Then there’s Motor City royalty, Amp Fiddler, and funk-fuelled basslines from Dimensions Recordings’ affiliate Kerem Akdag. Another live performance not to miss is Open Eagle Mike, the Cali rapper who’s ‘Brick Body Kids Still Daydream’ project in 2017 received critical acclaim. Jazz is at the heart of Dimensions, with invites extending this year to some of the circuit’s most exciting artists – find South London jazz crew Sons of Kemet, Joe Armon-Jones & Maxwell Owin, and five strong London crew, Ezra Collective, alongside majestic singer, Yazmin Lacey, whose mesmerising tones reflect classic jazz with an urban UK twist. The Comet Is Coming unite jazz, soul, hip-hop and rock to make tripped-out productions that’ll fly perfectly on a sun-kissed Croatian beach, and finally, Alfa Mist, with beat-based soundscapes.
Strictly low frequency vibrations come from Mala and The Bug who’ll rep for the bassier side of the bill, and long term Dimensions family, Hessle Audio, return with a full squad featuring Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea. More off-kilter bass and techno fusions come from Timedance boss, Batu, a name going from strength to strength with release after release of solid gold productions, plus label mate Ployjoins. A touch of DnB comes from EXIT Records founder dBridge alongside Skeptical and Fixate. And there are many more artists, labels, and partners to be added later. |
