- Big-room stars and deeper acts collide in sunny Portugal.
- Viana do Castelo is a small Portuguese port town that consists of little more than its name suggests: a road to a castle. Strolling down the boulevard that leads to the old fort, vacationers told their kids "no" to incessant requests for cachorros (hot dogs), churros (sugary dough sticks) and candy floss in neon colours. At the bend of the road, a truck sold reggaeton compilations and other party music.
Every August, a peculiar clash of civilizations takes place at Viana do Castelo. During the four-day dance music marathon of Neopop, leather-faced fishermen knotting hooks to their lines stare at sun-kissed ravers exiting the fort. The festival was originally called Anti-Pop in response to the lack of underground electronic music in Portugal's isolated Norte Region. Today, it's split across two stages that reflect both the big-room sound from the local raves (Neo Stage) and the more forward-thinking taste of its founders (Anti Stage). The simple layout made the festival easy to navigate.
At the larger Neo Stage, cranes heavy with container freight dwarfed superstars like Joseph Capriati, Ricardo Villalobos and Marco Carola, giving it a Melt Festival-like feel. The impressive lights, created by DubLab, completely blew me away, especially when Jeff Mills played for the moon and the stars on Friday. He began with an intro that sounded like a broadcast to another galaxy, before shifting gears and rounding off with an impressive 909 freestyle that set the stage on fire. On Saturday, Nina Kraviz enchanted with a deep and trippy blend of bass-heavy techno, acid stabs and many tracks from her own label, like Deniro's "Don Dino." At one point, she inserted a breakbeat with a vocal, sucking everyone into her hazy vibe while singing along and dancing behind the decks.
But it was at Anti Stage where things got really interesting. Shielded by the walls of the fort on one side and shipping containers on the other, it hosted outstanding sets from the likes of Tijana T and Carlos Souffront, who served up acid bangers and, to finish, a beautiful introspective melody courtesy of Aphex Twin ("On"). On Thursday, the gap between the full-throttle sets at Neo Stage and the deeper sounds at Anti Stage felt too wide, and Dopplereffekt and Aleksi Perälä played to near-empty dance floors. Things improved when DJ Nobu took the stage on Friday morning. A proper groove, a kick and a hi-hat (The Black Dog's "Bass Mantra") was all it took to get the energy flowing. He played weirdo techno with rolling sub-bass, exemplified by tracks like Varg's bubbly "Heroine I (CK)." By the time he dropped "Sleepless" by Kwartz, ravers who had been sitting down battered and broken were back on their feet again. A man well into his 70s strutted through the audience, discarded his bag and danced his ass off with a girl half his age.
In addition to concerts by James Holden and Clark in an old amphitheatre, there were some excellent live performances onsite. Playing through the rain and wind, St. Germain and his Malian band opened the festival on Wednesday, when Neopop offered free entrance for locals. The colourful troupe spiced up anthems like "Rose Rouge," "So Flute" and "Sure Thing" with solos on gnawa, guitar, sax, flute, congas and vocals that reminded me of the Grammy Award-winning group Tinariwen.
On Friday night at Anti Stage, Conforce played a danceable and atmospheric live set, veering from stripped-back techno ("Non Track") to melodic bombs ("Kernel Of Truth"). Truly special, though, was the rare performance from Vrilski that began at 6 AM. They fed beautifully off each other, Vril tweaking and twisting melodies while Voiski provided the beats and loops. This continuous dialogue provided climax after climax, completely captivating the final dancers of the night.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Dax J played a remarkable closing set at Anti Stage. He pushed the crowds with manic double drops and fast, pounding electro (S.O.B.'s "Nocturne".) After a gem of an unreleased track (it's due out on one of his labels soon), he opted for another tear-jerking classic (Percy-X's "X-Track One") in an attempt to wrap things up, but the crowd wouldn't have it. The powerful sense of togetherness on the dance floor, underlined by the many "All For Techno" sweaters and the signs requesting respect for the LGBTQ community, was palpable. As Dax J ran well past midday, the stage manager threw free bottles of water to the thirsty masses.
Photo credit /
Rui Soares - Lead, Orange Lights
Diogo Lima - Tijana T
Marta Santos - Banner
But it was at Anti Stage where things got really interesting. Shielded by the walls of the fort on one side and shipping containers on the other, it hosted outstanding sets from the likes of Tijana T and Carlos Souffront, who served up acid bangers and, to finish, a beautiful introspective melody courtesy of Aphex Twin ("On"). On Thursday, the gap between the full-throttle sets at Neo Stage and the deeper sounds at Anti Stage felt too wide, and Dopplereffekt and Aleksi Perälä played to near-empty dance floors. Things improved when DJ Nobu took the stage on Friday morning. A proper groove, a kick and a hi-hat (The Black Dog's "Bass Mantra") was all it took to get the energy flowing. He played weirdo techno with rolling sub-bass, exemplified by tracks like Varg's bubbly "Heroine I (CK)." By the time he dropped "Sleepless" by Kwartz, ravers who had been sitting down battered and broken were back on their feet again. A man well into his 70s strutted through the audience, discarded his bag and danced his ass off with a girl half his age. In addition to concerts by James Holden and Clark in an old amphitheatre, there were some excellent live performances onsite. Playing through the rain and wind, St. Germain and his Malian band opened the festival on Wednesday, when Neopop offered free entrance for locals. The colourful troupe spiced up anthems like "Rose Rouge," "So Flute" and "Sure Thing" with solos on gnawa, guitar, sax, flute, congas and vocals that reminded me of the Grammy Award-winning group Tinariwen.
On Friday night at Anti Stage, Conforce played a danceable and atmospheric live set, veering from stripped-back techno ("Non Track") to melodic bombs ("Kernel Of Truth"). Truly special, though, was the rare performance from Vrilski that began at 6 AM. They fed beautifully off each other, Vril tweaking and twisting melodies while Voiski provided the beats and loops. This continuous dialogue provided climax after climax, completely captivating the final dancers of the night. In the early hours of Sunday morning, Dax J played a remarkable closing set at Anti Stage. He pushed the crowds with manic double drops and fast, pounding electro (S.O.B.'s "Nocturne".) After a gem of an unreleased track (it's due out on one of his labels soon), he opted for another tear-jerking classic (Percy-X's "X-Track One") in an attempt to wrap things up, but the crowd wouldn't have it. The powerful sense of togetherness on the dance floor, underlined by the many "All For Techno" sweaters and the signs requesting respect for the LGBTQ community, was palpable. As Dax J ran well past midday, the stage manager threw free bottles of water to the thirsty masses. Photo credit / Rui Soares - Lead, Orange Lights Diogo Lima - Tijana T Marta Santos - Banner