Into The Valley 2017

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  • Estonia, the tiny Northern European country of 1.3 million people, is the latest place to welcome the eastward march of Western European-run festivals. By hosting the first international edition of Sweden's Into The Valley, it joined the ranks of countries like Croatia (Love International, Dimensions) and Bulgaria (Meadows In The Mountains). More than 3,000 people—mostly foreigners—travelled to Rummu, a stunning abandoned limestone quarry and former Soviet-era prison about an hour from Estonia's capital city, Tallinn. By far the biggest house and techno festival ever held in the country, it was an ambitious project, with around 60 big-name artists scheduled across a planned four stages. But, as the Into The Valley team quickly found out, expanding a festival into new terrain isn't a simple task. Rain brought most of the trouble. A quick Google search tells you that, in Estonia, summer thunderstorms are "commonly seen in the afternoon." In spite of this, undercover areas were almost non-existent, leaving revellers—most of whom, admittedly, didn't seem to mind—to trudge from one muddy area to another. This wasn't helped by the cancellation of the site's only indoor arena, The Warehouse, where roof tiles allegedly began crashing to the ground during soundcheck. (Organisers initially blamed the closure on bad weather.) But regardless of the rain, festivalgoers, decked out in ponchos and gumboots, danced at the foot of the three remaining stages—The Yard, The Beach and The Mountain—all weekend. A fourth, The Dome, opened on the festival's final night as a replacement for The Warehouse.
    Ranging from boisterous to subtle, the music was killer and varied. I arrived at The Yard on Thursday evening to the pumping electro of Z@p's "Atomos," delivered as part of a electro-tinged techno set from Anthea. She was followed by the more functional sounds of Maayan Nidam and Cassy, who rolled out loop techno to an energetic opening-night audience. Across the quarry, Antal and The Black Madonna kept a growing crowd moving at The Beach. The latter's selections went down especially well, as she chopped between acid house, disco and techno with quick, well-timed transitions that had people cheering with every flick of the fader or filter. Back at The Yard, following Maayan Nidam and Cassy, Dyed Soundorom took the energy down with a string of bass-heavy tech house cuts, which better suited the late-night crowd. Friday hosted more big names. Ricardo Villalobos, Praslesh and Nastia dished out rolling minimal from The Mountain, while Dixon, Recondite and KiNK took a more melodic route at The Beach. Due to The Warehouse's closure, The Yard had an extra dose of techno, with Answer Code Request, Bjarki and Function all relocated there. This timetable shuffling was a theme throughout the weekend—because The Warehouse never opened, everyone playing there was moved to The Dome. This, in turn, meant the acts appearing on other stages were moved.
    This air of disarray was present for both nights—Thursday and Friday—that I was at the festival. (Prior commitments meant I had to leave Estonia on Saturday afternoon.) A few days earlier, the company hired to provide security pulled out, allegedly due to lack of payment, which meant volunteers were tasked with frisking punters on Thursday and Friday. Complaints about the shuttle bus service—which seems an issue at most festivals—were also heavy on social media. Despite this sense of confusion, the team held things together. Once it was over, most people I spoke to, including Estonians who had forked out a decent chunk of their monthly wage for tickets, came away with fond memories, no small thanks to the breathtaking setting, impeccable sound, great tunes and moments of sunshine. If Into The Valley returns to Rummu in 2018, let's just hope they bring a few tents. Photo credits / Beata Cervin Amy Van-Baaren RA streamed sets from Kim Ann Foxman, Midland and KiNK at Into The Valley's Beach Stage on Friday. Watch them back now.
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