- The Schloßberg is a mountain—well, a cliff—located smack-dab in the middle of the Austrian city of Graz. It's been of strategic use for centuries: a statue of a lion at the top commemorates the time, in 1809, when outnumbered local forces held off Napoleon's army. These days it's home to Elevate, an annual electronic music festival and conference that takes over three venues carved into the mountain—Dom Im Berg, the Tunnel and the Dungeon.
All three are connected by a vast subterranean corridor, and each has its own charms. The Tunnel is a small, cylindrical space that's the most suited to a grotty rave. You get to The Dungeon via an elevator whose fluorescent blue lights create the feeling of being inside some retro-futuristic moon base. The main room, Dom Im Berg, hosts the bigger names. At times it's easy to think the chiseled-rock décor is fake, but the cool, stale air reminds you that you're actually partying inside a cliff.
Elevate 2013 eased into life with a joint performance from Felix Kubin and James Pants in Dom Im Berg. They made for an odd pairing—the latter drumming happily in his bobble hat, the former wearing a grey suit, busily fiddling with Korg keyboards like the operator of a Cold War-era surveillance room. The result was a strange kind of organic-meets-synthetic funk, and it worked.
Meanwhile, the L.I.E.S. crew took over The Tunnel for the whole night. XOSAR played first to an eager crowd, her signature sound coming though despite the muddy speakers. Svengalisghost initially struggled to win over the crowd with his rough live show, but he got there in the end, before label boss Ron Morelli brought it home with an extended session of noisenik techno. Upstairs in The Dungeon, the sounds were just as abrasive. Luckily the system was better, ably transmitting Cut Hands' shamanistic techno and African war drums.
On Saturday, Vakula's late cancellation meant the first act of note was Stellar OM Source. She played in the UK-themed takeover of the Tunnel, which was strange considering she's French. Stepping up with a techno-loaded set, her renditions of "Polarity" and "Par Amour" from this year's Joy One Mile album were both highlights. Once again, though, The Tunnel suffered from poor sound quality—towards the end the speakers were audibly struggling under the weight of her analogue assault.
Up in the Dungeon, Italian duo Ninos du Brasil showcased their bonkers brand of percussion, while Peverelist offered a typically tight selection in the Tunnel. Dom Im Berg was packed when Magic Mountain High eased into their trippy, improvised live show, which managed to be simultaneously cool and nerdy. Lil Louis finished off the night in the main room but his presence felt out of place—it was undoubtedly the smaller, experimental acts who made this festival memorable.