Photo credits /
Marc Sethi - Lead, Larry Heard, Moodymann, Lights, Moritz Von Oswald
Duncan Jacob - All others
Dimensions Festival 2016: Five key performances
- PublishedAug 31, 2016
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- Dance music has a rich history of turning disused structures into rave spaces, but few are as spectacular as Fort Punta Christo in Croatia. Originally built to defend the nearby port of Pula from invaders, the 180-year-old fortress stretches out across a hill overlooking the pearly blue Adriatic Sea. Its walls, made from thick stone, at their highest extend dozens of metres into the cloudless sky. Most promoters dream of throwing a party in a place like this. For a small team of British music lovers, that dream became a reality in 2010 with Outlook Festival. Two years later, they launched a smaller, four-day event called Dimensions.
Ask a group of Dimensions ravers what they like most about the festival and the location will only be one of a variety of answers. Most go for the vast yet incredibly fine-tuned lineup, which ranges from blistering techno right through to blissed-out funk. Other might say the soundsystems, many of which rank among the best in the world. And then there's the venues—11 in total, if you include the two boats and the daytime Beach Stage. Or the clued-in crowd. Or the perfect weather. Or the friendly, intoxicating atmosphere. (Personally, I'm a big fan of the classy lighting.)
In short, Dimensions offers plenty to write home about. 2016 was the festival's fifth year, a milestone that demanded a more ambitious booking policy than ever before. The team nailed it, landing marquee acts like Massive Attack, Richie Hawtin and Larry Heard alongside the usual long list of stalwarts (Motor City Drum Ensemble, Hessle Audio), regulars (DJ Stingray, Marcellus Pittmann) and debutants (Helena Hauff, Soichi Terada). For a change of pace, there was also live music from Hiatus Kaiyote and Kamasi Washington. All this and more contributed to one of the most varied, consistent and invigorating weekends of music I can remember.
Here are five key performances from across the weekend.
Massive Attack For the past three years, Dimensions has opened with a concert at Pula Arena, a 2,000-year-old amphitheatre that's among the best-preserved Roman structures in Europe. The event is as much for the locals as anyone else, something that this year's headliner, Massive Attack, were keen to make a point of. All the text in their visuals was in Croatian—the opening "hello" was received with the sound of 5,000 people roaring in surprise. It was a perfectly mild evening as 3D, Daddy G and the band took to the stage. Behind them, vast slabs of curved red stone sparkled in the bright floodlights. They opened with the atmospheric "Hymn Of The Big Wheel," led by Horace Andy on vocals. Political messages flashed aggressively onscreen, synched perfectly in time with the music. This juxtaposition—mapping current, progressive commentary on subjects like the refugee crisis to music that, however new, still belongs to the '90s—is why Massive Attack remain such a unique and powerful act. After stirring renditions of "Angel" and "Safe From Harm," the band left the stage, only to return moments later for that most epic of encores: "Unfinished Sympathy." Records that big and that timeless only truly make sense in certain contexts—Wednesday night was one of them.
Mala I'm going to go out on a limb here: the Mungo's Hi-Fi install at Dimensions might be the best soundsystem in the world. The rectangular arena at the back of the site is walled-in on all sides, trapping the insanely crisp, powerful sound. It's got that tell-tale quality: you can stand anywhere in the space, even right next to the speaker, and have a conversation with the person next to you without straining your voice. (In my experience, only Berghain and fabric's Room 1 pass this test.) You can imagine, then, what a pleasure it was to see Mala perform there. Booked for every edition to date, Mala is one of Dimensions' lynchpin artists. This time around, his set went down on the Thursday night. Mungo's was packed and tense with nervous energy as he stepped up. Seconds later, the familiar opening of Collie Buddz's "Come Around" trumpeted through the air, sending the rabble into the first of many states of delirium. Then, three or four tracks in, came the first rewind, followed shortly by classics like Skream's "Filth" and Coki's remix of Mavado's "Gangsta 4 Life." Everywhere you looked, people were giving their all to the music in ways you rarely see. Some swayed introspectively with their eyes shut, while others formed circles or mini-mosh pits with their mates. Most of the crowd were older, in their late 20s or early 30s, raucously reliving their youth. But there was a younger, fresh-faced contingent too, some of whom were lucky enough to be experiencing this incredible music for the first time.
Ben Klock Also scheduled for Thursday was Ben Klock, another artist yet to miss the festival. He topped the bill at the RA takeover on The Void stage, cutting a stocky, chiselled figure against the intense blue glow of the DJ booth. What's most impressive about Klock's DJing is how in control he seems at all times. He kept the mood lean for the first hour, segueing neatly into the odd trippy or melodic number. I've never heard layering like it: every incoming hi-hat or funky synth line breathed new life into the record currently playing. The second hour was bigger and catchier, with flashes of rave stabs, bright melodies and well-timed spin-backs. As dawn approached, he pushed things a little harder, first with Steve Rachmad's remix of Dave Clarke's "Wisdom To The Wise (Red 2)" and then with Stanislav Tolkachev's "Everybody Is Somebody's Fool." A few minutes after 6 AM, as punters streamed out of the venue, I overhead him chatting to the stage manager. "It's a shame we can't go on another half-an-hour." Klock was only just getting going.
Josey Rebelle It's easy to spend your time at the fort pursuing big name artists, but a big part of Dimensions' charm is its support for the next generation of stars, especially those from the UK. Josey Rebelle, returning for her fifth year, is a shining example. I caught the Rinse DJ twice, first on the Stamp The Wax boat, where she teased the late-night crowd with excerpts from classics like Raze's "Break For Love" and Jaydee's "Plastic Dreams." She blended quickly between these and headsier selections; at one point, the summery glee of Groove Committee's "I Want You To Know" mutated into the gnarly acid of FunkinEven's "Heart Pound" in a way that made unlikely sense. 24 hours later, in The Moat, she'd all but drop the hits entirely, rocking the narrow floor with an obscure stream of fiery UK bass, furious jungle and wicked techno. It was a side to the DJ I hadn't seen, one of several nice revelations to unfurl across the weekend.
Larry Heard, AKA Mr. Fingers There's a nice phenomenon that happens at Glastonbury Festival when they've booked a particularly big act on the Pyramid Stage. In the days leading up to the performance, various renditions of their hits carry on the winds as you wander about, stirring the excitement. This happened with Larry Heard at Dimensions. Both Josey Rebelle and Moodymann (twice) played his songs in the run-up to Saturday night's Soul-Deep-Acid Electro-Visual Experience. They had every right to be excited: this was Heard's first live performance in more than 20 years. Bookings like Heard resonate with punters because they feel personal—only the most passionate and dedicated programmer would care enough to rouse an artist who plays so rarely. This love for the music carries through to the performer, and you got the sense that Heard was enjoying himself as much as anyone at The Clearing. His set played out like a greatest hits, starting with slower joints such as Fingers Inc.'s "Mystery Of Love," a plodding edit of "Can You Feel It" and Larry Heard Presents Mr. White's "You Rock Me." Heard was joined on stage by Chad White for that last one, the project's original vocalist. Their partnership was sublime at first and later explosive: when the squelchy acid line of "The Sun Can't Compare" tumbled from the booming, crystal-clear soundsystem, thousands of arms shot up into the air. What came next was as euphoric as it was emotional, a mass singalong of the type usually reserved for chart-topping bands. While Heard cut the fader and the audience filled the silence, small clouds of bubbles floated on the warm night breeze. The mood was immensely peaceful and full of joy. With 30 minutes to go, Heard unleashed the third and final version of "Can You Feel It," one that felt truest to the original. Once again, hairs stood rigid on the backs of necks, as a sea of smiling dancers got down to another of the greatest house records ever made.
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