November 4 - November 7
Various Venues
Torino, Italy
While it's probably not advisable for one smallish city to host two electronic music festivals in the space of a week, Torino clearly has no qualms about making it work. Where Movement rewrites the infamous Detroit brand for a local setting, Club To Club is designed with Torino's own mo-town history in mind, from its far-flung locations that are all but inaccessible without a set of wheels, to the ultimate venue of auto worship, the car-porn-meets-chic-bar setting of the Mirafiori Motor Village. Aside from preview events in Rome and Milan, and a parallel program running in Istanbul, the main action for the 10th edition will still hold it down at various clubs, theatres and public spaces in and around Torino. This November will see the return of last year's tried and tested favourites James Holden, Hudson Mohawke and Jeff Mills, a solid contingent of UK bass manipulators led by Actress and Joy Orbison, this year's album favourites Four Tet, Caribou and Shed, plus a touch of experimentalism from Oni Ayhun and Shackleton.
RA pick: Oneohtrix Point Never' dropping some drones at the Museum of Natural Science.
02. Stereosonic
November 27 - December 5
Various venues
Various cities, Australia
Sydney | Perth | Melbourne | Adelaide | Brisbane
Trumpeting a mission statement to present only "the best in ever-popular and new talent" can prove an exercise in foot-shooting, but as it notches up its fourth edition Stereosonic can easily claim to have kept up the balancing act with barely a wobble. This year the likes of Ricardo Villalobos and Reboot, Annie Mac and Tiesto, Coxy and Millsy will all put a check in the crowd-pleasing column, while acts like Wiley, Optimo, Redshape and Caspa ought to keep the niche-dwellers happy.
RA pick: Ricardo's first Australian jaunt for more than a decade.
November 27 - December 5
Various venues
Various cities, Australia
Sydney | Perth | Melbourne | Adelaide | Brisbane
Trumpeting a mission statement to present only "the best in ever-popular and new talent" can prove an exercise in foot-shooting, but as it notches up its fourth edition Stereosonic can easily claim to have kept up the balancing act with barely a wobble. This year the likes of Ricardo Villalobos and Reboot, Annie Mac and Tiesto, Coxy and Millsy will all put a check in the crowd-pleasing column, while acts like Wiley, Optimo, Redshape and Caspa ought to keep the niche-dwellers happy.
RA pick: Ricardo's first Australian jaunt for more than a decade.
03. La Petite Invites: Nuits Sonores
November 10 - November 14
Various venues
Toulouse, France
The Nuits Sonores name will probably be familiar to those with an eye on the European festival circuit. The multi-day, multi-venue soiree operates out of Lyon during the early summer and is rightly considered among France's best in class. This scaled-down winter version will be presented in conjunction with arts company La Petite, shipping the fun some 350 km down the road to Toulouse. Four days and eight venues will provide the framework for the event. Ivan Smagghe, Optimo and Jennifer Cardini begin things at Le Ramier on the Wednesday evening; Francesco Tristano and Chloé play live at Theatre Garonne come Thursday; Pantha du Prince, Acid Washed and El Guincho do the same venue the next night; and Joy Orbison, Feadz, Carte Blanche (Dj Mehdi & Riton) and Erol Alkan round out the musical festivities on the Saturday.
RA pick: Mehdi and Riton's tear-up as Carte Blanche should be fun.
November 10 - November 14
Various venues
Toulouse, France
The Nuits Sonores name will probably be familiar to those with an eye on the European festival circuit. The multi-day, multi-venue soiree operates out of Lyon during the early summer and is rightly considered among France's best in class. This scaled-down winter version will be presented in conjunction with arts company La Petite, shipping the fun some 350 km down the road to Toulouse. Four days and eight venues will provide the framework for the event. Ivan Smagghe, Optimo and Jennifer Cardini begin things at Le Ramier on the Wednesday evening; Francesco Tristano and Chloé play live at Theatre Garonne come Thursday; Pantha du Prince, Acid Washed and El Guincho do the same venue the next night; and Joy Orbison, Feadz, Carte Blanche (Dj Mehdi & Riton) and Erol Alkan round out the musical festivities on the Saturday.
RA pick: Mehdi and Riton's tear-up as Carte Blanche should be fun.
04. I Love Techno
November 13
Flanders Expo Centre
Ghent, Belgium
15 years. Not bad, Ghent. I Love Techno began life back in 1995 with a reported attendance of 700 people, and now, with an estimated participation of 35,000, is one of the world's biggest and most widely recognized events of its kind. Flanders Expo Centre is its gargantuan base, and this year will welcome back a fellow colossus in the form of Underworld. Joining them in the main/green room are Booka Shade, Ben Sims, Ellen Allien and Efdemin. Elsewhere, the red room means techno (Dave Clarke, Chris Liebing, Robert Hood), go orange for dubstep (Magnetic Man, Joker, Caspa), yellow has an electro house streak (Boys Noize, Vitalic) and blue has more of the same (A-Trak, Fake Blood).
RA pick: It will be interesting to see how Efdemin tailors his sound for such a large space.
November 13
Flanders Expo Centre
Ghent, Belgium
15 years. Not bad, Ghent. I Love Techno began life back in 1995 with a reported attendance of 700 people, and now, with an estimated participation of 35,000, is one of the world's biggest and most widely recognized events of its kind. Flanders Expo Centre is its gargantuan base, and this year will welcome back a fellow colossus in the form of Underworld. Joining them in the main/green room are Booka Shade, Ben Sims, Ellen Allien and Efdemin. Elsewhere, the red room means techno (Dave Clarke, Chris Liebing, Robert Hood), go orange for dubstep (Magnetic Man, Joker, Caspa), yellow has an electro house streak (Boys Noize, Vitalic) and blue has more of the same (A-Trak, Fake Blood).
RA pick: It will be interesting to see how Efdemin tailors his sound for such a large space.
05. STRP Festival
November 18 - November 28
Klokgebouw
Eindhoven, Netherlands
"Art, robotics, concerts, DJs, theatrical and dance performances, experimental music, interviews, discussion, live cinema, films, lectures, video art, animation and workshops"—if you can't find something to do at Eindhoven's STRP festival there may be something wrong with you. The event takes its name from Strijp-S, the home of the party and the former industrial space on which electronics manufacturer Philips came up with all its bright ideas. Those in Eindhoven for the event will have ten (non-consecutive) days to play around with. UK artist Chris Cunningham is among the day one highlights, while the following nights and days will see Underworld, M.I.A. 2manydjs, Skream, Monolake and Shed all grab the limelight.
RA pick: Hometown boy Martyn.
November 18 - November 28
Klokgebouw
Eindhoven, Netherlands
"Art, robotics, concerts, DJs, theatrical and dance performances, experimental music, interviews, discussion, live cinema, films, lectures, video art, animation and workshops"—if you can't find something to do at Eindhoven's STRP festival there may be something wrong with you. The event takes its name from Strijp-S, the home of the party and the former industrial space on which electronics manufacturer Philips came up with all its bright ideas. Those in Eindhoven for the event will have ten (non-consecutive) days to play around with. UK artist Chris Cunningham is among the day one highlights, while the following nights and days will see Underworld, M.I.A. 2manydjs, Skream, Monolake and Shed all grab the limelight.
RA pick: Hometown boy Martyn.
06. Xxxperience
November 14
Fazenda Maeda
São Paulo, Brazil
Richie Hawtin, Sasha, Paul Van Dyk: The names alone convey a sense of size when it comes to São Paulo's Xxxperience festival. The city's huge outdoor Fazenda Maeda space will again be a playground to thousands, while four stages spanning a wide range of big room dance strands proffer the options. The main stage will be the place to catch the likes of Paul van Dyk, Sasha, Dubfire and Steve Lawler or if Minus-style techno is more your thing, Richie Hawtin will be jetting in with a large portion of his roster (Magda, Troy Pierce, Marc Houle, Ambivalent, Click Box) in tow.
RA pick: Sasha still commands massive amounts of respect globally—go see why.
November 14
Fazenda Maeda
São Paulo, Brazil
Richie Hawtin, Sasha, Paul Van Dyk: The names alone convey a sense of size when it comes to São Paulo's Xxxperience festival. The city's huge outdoor Fazenda Maeda space will again be a playground to thousands, while four stages spanning a wide range of big room dance strands proffer the options. The main stage will be the place to catch the likes of Paul van Dyk, Sasha, Dubfire and Steve Lawler or if Minus-style techno is more your thing, Richie Hawtin will be jetting in with a large portion of his roster (Magda, Troy Pierce, Marc Houle, Ambivalent, Click Box) in tow.
RA pick: Sasha still commands massive amounts of respect globally—go see why.
07. Groove City
November 27
Brussels Kart
Brussels, Belgium
The new 'Euro Millions!' prefix for the 11th edition of Groove City proves that even the most well established festivals need a bit of corporate love now and then. The gamble-happy associations end there though, as it keeps up the winning formula that's kept the Brussels drawcard ticking over for more than a decade: four neatly packaged genre arenas—house, techno, drum & bass, electro—with names like Basement Jaxx and John Dahlbäck, Carl Craig and Derrick May, Roni Sitze and MC Dynamite, and the Electronation crew to represent them respectively.
RA pick: Gui Boratto's melodic take on techno.
November 27
Brussels Kart
Brussels, Belgium
The new 'Euro Millions!' prefix for the 11th edition of Groove City proves that even the most well established festivals need a bit of corporate love now and then. The gamble-happy associations end there though, as it keeps up the winning formula that's kept the Brussels drawcard ticking over for more than a decade: four neatly packaged genre arenas—house, techno, drum & bass, electro—with names like Basement Jaxx and John Dahlbäck, Carl Craig and Derrick May, Roni Sitze and MC Dynamite, and the Electronation crew to represent them respectively.
RA pick: Gui Boratto's melodic take on techno.
08. Le Guess Who?
November 24 - November 28
Various venues
Utrecht, Netherlands
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
Guess Who? No need. They've bagged Caribou, Beach House, Black Dice, Peter Broderick, Mike Slott, Pinch and Scientist. Utrecht in Holland is where Le Guess Who? festival goes down; four days and multiple indoor locations across the city's centre will be utilized in the name of the project. Although beginning life as platform for exclusively Canadian artists, Le Guess Who?'s remit has since expanded to take in acts from all corners of the globe as this fourth edition on the event definitely proves.
RA pick: Scientist's upcoming versions project for Tectonic should rightly introduce the legendary producer's work to a new generation.
November 24 - November 28
Various venues
Utrecht, Netherlands
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
Guess Who? No need. They've bagged Caribou, Beach House, Black Dice, Peter Broderick, Mike Slott, Pinch and Scientist. Utrecht in Holland is where Le Guess Who? festival goes down; four days and multiple indoor locations across the city's centre will be utilized in the name of the project. Although beginning life as platform for exclusively Canadian artists, Le Guess Who?'s remit has since expanded to take in acts from all corners of the globe as this fourth edition on the event definitely proves.
RA pick: Scientist's upcoming versions project for Tectonic should rightly introduce the legendary producer's work to a new generation.
09. Mayday Poland
November 10
Poniedzialek Spodek
Katowice, Poland
"You Make My Day!" This year's edition of Mayday will be doling out the warm fuzzies, with a friendly theme that ought to counteract the needle in a haystack effect of Polish giga-arena Spodek. Main room sounds will abound from trance superstars Westbam, techno boffins will be kept happy by Dave Clarke and those that go weak at the knees for minimal ought to stick around for Oliver Koletzki and Ramon Tapia.
RA pick: Jeff Mills' techno mastery.
November 10
Poniedzialek Spodek
Katowice, Poland
"You Make My Day!" This year's edition of Mayday will be doling out the warm fuzzies, with a friendly theme that ought to counteract the needle in a haystack effect of Polish giga-arena Spodek. Main room sounds will abound from trance superstars Westbam, techno boffins will be kept happy by Dave Clarke and those that go weak at the knees for minimal ought to stick around for Oliver Koletzki and Ramon Tapia.
RA pick: Jeff Mills' techno mastery.
10. Foreshore Festival
November 27
Commonwealth Park Concert Arena
Canberra, Australia
Although it's Australia's capital city, Canberra often gets short shrift, or no shrift at all, on the nation's music landscape. Foreshore makes its debut this year, hoping to prove that fun and the parliamentary triangle aren't mutually exclusive, with a boutique offering that cuts a swathe through several takes on dance music—from bona fide anthems by Tiesto and Calvin Harris, through to cool cats Major Lazer and Caspa, as well as homegrown heroes Cut Copy and Temper Trap.
RA pick: Indie dance pin ups Cut Copy.
November 27
Commonwealth Park Concert Arena
Canberra, Australia
Although it's Australia's capital city, Canberra often gets short shrift, or no shrift at all, on the nation's music landscape. Foreshore makes its debut this year, hoping to prove that fun and the parliamentary triangle aren't mutually exclusive, with a boutique offering that cuts a swathe through several takes on dance music—from bona fide anthems by Tiesto and Calvin Harris, through to cool cats Major Lazer and Caspa, as well as homegrown heroes Cut Copy and Temper Trap.
RA pick: Indie dance pin ups Cut Copy.
This shall be the base's of my top 10 festivals publication brief allowing me to focus my project on layout and type.
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