Electric Love Festival celebrates in the midst of a pandemic with total success its Boutique Edition thanks to the reduction of capacity and stages.
A new return. This is how we could describe this chronicle about Electric Love Boutique Edition, festival adapted to current circumstances and that has allowed Electric Love to finally celebrate a new edition. After the resounding success of Shutdown Festival, also belonging to Revolution Event, it was the turn of his main festival. Reduced both the capacity and the number of stages, dividing the festival into only 3 stages. Mainstage consisted of the most mainstream styles, Harder Styles of only hardstyle and Heineken Area of other styles outside of electronic music.
After a promising start with first-level confirmations such as Armin van Buuren, Dj Snake, Headhunterz, Kayzo or Afrojack, was predictably harmed by those artists flying from outside Europe. Vicetone and Krewella announced that due to current restrictions it would be impossible for them to land in Austria, replacing them Mike Williams (it would be his second participation) and Moksi. Before the Alok's inability to perform in Austria, the organization decides to move fast and exclusively announces Martin Garrix, being his first post-covid performance. The countdown was running out and not with it the cancellations of artists.
Vini Vici could only perform one day which would cause the announce of Nicky Romero and finally, Malaa would replace Kayzo at the last minute, who couldn't perform either. The latter was perhaps the most painful cancellation, since Kayzo was possibly the most different artist on the line up. Despite this, congratulate the organization for the quick response to each of the event cancellations.
Once the countdown was finished, we woke up very early on Thursday to start the festival. To go to the Salzburgring, you can use both the free shuttle bus like taking your own car. In our case, we used the shuttle provided by the festival, where the pre-festival atmosphere was already palpable. Upon arrival, before entering the festival every attendee had to go through the 2G checkpoint to show the vaccination certificate or the PCR result.
We started the first day of the festival at Harder Styles with the duo Primeshock. Constantly encouraging the crowd, we highlight from their set their new release called Addicted To The Night with the vocalist Diandra Faye, in addition to the success of FitnessMove, played by several of the artists in these 3 days of festival and acclaimed by each of the attendees with it particular dance. Later, another duo would take over the hardstyle stage. Da Tweekaz completely swept and after playing some of their well-known remakes, they would increase bpms by closing their set with uptempo. In between, we were visiting the mainstage for the first time to see Malaa.
Traced to the 2017 mainstage, by day it colored the venue, dark at various times of the day due to the climate that affects this region. It rains constantly and you hardly see the sun rise sometime. What the forecast claimed to rain during the 3 days without stopping, luckily turned into various moments of the festival, allowing us to enjoy especially the latest performances without a drop of rain.
We were going back to Harder Styles to see Ran-D. Everything he touches turns to gold. Personally, it was one of the best sets of the festival. He started with his own remix to Living For The Moment, continued with his successful collabs Fight Fire With Fire and Run From Reality with his good friend Le Prince and even presented for the first time his collaboration with Galactixx. Finally, he closed his set with several tracks by Gunz For Hire, in addition to their ID Hard Knock Life.
We'd continue the last 4 hours of the festival at Harder Styles with a luxury lineup: Sub Zero Project, Warface and Sefa. The Dutch duo would blow up the stage with edits to your own tracks and electronic music classics, including their new release Base with E Life. Positive point for the boys, who before their set were seen in the mainstage taking photos with everyone. Later, it was the turn of Warface, in another of the best sets of the night. We enjoy live We Always Rise, Switchblades or Obey No More, in addition to shaking the entire crowd with their comings and goings to the dubstep.
Sefa would close the first day with his particular frenchcore. The wonder boy presented his new track called Liberté with Outsiders, He played a multitude of IDs as we are used to and ended the first day of the festival with everyone devoted to his music. He has charisma, enjoy what he does and have no limits, and therefore, the crowd always identifies with him.
We started the second day with Jay Reeve on stage Harder Styles. The euphoric took over the venue where Jay played classics like One In A Million or his recent release (so recent, that it released the same day of his performance) Make The Heaven Bend with the Spanish producer Solstice. Sephyx landed on Electric Love Festival for his first performance as an artist of art of creation. He presented for hundreds of people both his first releases on the label like Devil In The Eyes or Youngblood, as his next remix to the The Space We Created by Noisecontrollers and Headhunterz.
Headhunterz would be the next to act, bringing Sephyx to the stage to play together Defend The Hard, collab with Carola how long have we been waiting for Defqon.1 At Home. It was a set more oriented to his old tracks as well as to the support of the new members of Art of Creation. Regarding IDs, the king of hardstyle playing more Project One tracks than his, missing hearing from The Hunter. After having seen Warface already the day before, we decided to go to mass with Tchami. Obviously, a stage full of led screens helps a lot to the set of an artist, more in the case of having a theme in your visuals as is his case.
After the mass of 9, the mainstage received Afrojack. The expectation was incredible but it failed to exceed expectations. On the one hand he teleported us years ago with Rock The House or Ten Feet Tall, but his most recent releases have failed to reach the level of previous years. A loss of essence with previous years that hopefully he can recover soon. Martin Garrix would close the second day of Electric Love. First post-covid show, which made him one of the most exclusive performances of the event. 5 IDs, 3 of them his, made it worth a look. Accompanied by Julian Jordan and John Martin, presenting two with Julian Jordan (one of them with Tinie Tempah) and one track with John Martin.
Last day of the festival and we started it like the first days, at Harder Styles stage. Special day for art of creation, Sephyx, Aftershock and Wildstylez would perform in a row, several of the members joining behind the booth. Headhunterz attended each of the performances, expecting a pleasant surprise at the end. Sephyx was back in his second set at the festival, this time playing the collab with Headhunterz. Aftershock brought the harder and more forceful rhythms of the label. We looked forward to his anthem to Shutdown Festival and obviously, it was played on his set. With MC DL, he made an earthquake showing that he has the crowd at his feet.
Finally, we come to one of the most special sets of the festival. What was to be a set of Wildstylez, ended with Headhunterz on stage, performing together again. The rapport was perfect, the surprise, huge. They were back and they themselves transmit it to the crowd. Wildstylez smiled and Headhunterz moved like a fish in water all over the stage. Based on Project One, they played two of their most anticipated IDs and which we are more used to hearing in their last sets: Move With The One and The Upside Down.
Legends day. Brennan Heart, another of the oldest producers, was presented at Electric Love. His song Lose my mind is perfectly one of the tracks of the decade. With Wildstylez created a hymn and for 10 years it has not stopped playing at any time. Electric Love became the place where both artists met the stage and presented the follow up of this legendary track.
We closed the festival already in the mainstage with Carnage, Nicky Romero and Dj Snake. With Carnage, it's a mix of sensations. As soon as you're dancing frenchcore like house in a few minutes. He masters a multitude of genres and that allows him to modify the rhythm of his sets at any time. One of the artists who made the best use of the stage screens to add even more points to your set.
The penultimate performance of the day came from the head of Protocol Recordings Nicky Romero. From less to more, he end up dedicating part of his set to Avicii, whom he remembered in the last moments of the set. Finally, Dj Snake put an end to the festival with the crowded venue. The French superstar featured various IDs, as well as performing hits like Lean On, Let Me Love You or Eight Five.
Ultimately, a success for Electric Love. Reducing its annual edition and adapting it to current measures has allowed it to celebrate the event. The current situation in Austria, where the mask is only mandatory in certain closed places and public transport, is a plus for this type of event. A complicated edition surely for the organization, due to cancellations, weather and above all, the pandemic in which we still find ourselves. Congratulate each of the people who have made this festival possible and above all, for ensure the safety of each of the attendees. See you next year!
