Photo credits /
Daniel Bartolić - Lead
Daisy Denham For Khroma Collective - Binh b2b Francesco Del Garda, Zip
Rob Jones For Khroma Collective - Larry Heard, Beach, Pink Sky
Jamie Rosenthal - Craig Richards b2b Nicolas Lutz
Daniel Kirsic - The Moat, Courtesy
Callum Chaplin - Amphitheatre, Nina Kraviz
Eddy Maynard - DJ Stingray
Dimensions Festival 2019: Five key performances
- PublishedSep 4, 2019
- Words
- Who rocked the final edition at Fort Punta Christo?
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- Dimensions called its 2019 edition "The Last Dance." After eight successful years in the ruins of Fort Punta Christo in Pula, Croatia, the festival revealed that this would be its final year at the venue. Rumours began circling well before the festival began. Most suggested the festival was moving to Tisno. Some guessed Portugal. Whatever the decision, it's clear that the fort will be deeply missed. Not only is Punta Christo a huge and incredibly impressive location, it also holds many memories for thousands of ravers.
Billed as an epic finale, this year lived up to every expectation. The music was consistently excellent all weekend and the weather was scorching hot. Come Monday, it seemed like every heart was especially full.
Here are five key performances from Dimensions Festival 2019.
Binh b2b Francesco Del Garda As well as all the typical stage action, Dimensions offers a range of boat parties, all of which cost extra on top of your festival ticket. With so many parties on the bill, there were some tough choices to make—with one exception. The Leeds promoter Butter Side Up, now in its ninth year, is well-known for its distinctive bookings, and their boat party, featuring the party's residents alongside Binh and Francesco Del Garda, was an outstanding example. It was the first to sell out, so, to meet demand, Dimensions ended up moving it to a bigger boat. The residents warmed up as we set sail on the Adriatic. Binh and Del Garda decided to play back-to-back instead of individually, which worked for the better. Their chemistry was electric as they fed off the energy from the crowd and each other. It was blazing hot and completely shadeless on the upper deck dance floor, but that didn't stop people singing along to tracks like Criminal Element Orchestra's "House Time, Anytime." The duo closed with an upcoming release on Binh's Time Passages label, just as the boat pulled back into the harbor.
Jane Fitz The Moat is Dimensions' best stage for techno. As you descend the stairs into the ancient moat, you immediately become engulfed by its 80-foot stone walls. It was always packed, making for an especially intense rave experience. Surprisingly, Jane Fitz was billed here, alongside more conventional techno artists such as DVS1, Objekt and Blawan. Her set, though, was testament to both her skill as a DJ and the festival's smart bookers. She showed off her darker, deeper side, with a particularly keen ear for percussive techno, mixed and programmed in her distinctly brilliant way. Although she complained about the technical setup on Facebook after the gig, you couldn't tell at the time. Her set was talked about all weekend long.
Zip Tucked away in the forest, The Garden was one of the festival's more troubled stages. Only steps from the main pathway and surrounded by bars, market stalls and endless streams of people, it was, at times, hectic. Plus, the sound was sometimes so low that crowd chatter could be heard over the music. The ground was packed dust, meaning that every step kicked up a cloud, resulting in many punters wearing face masks or bandanas over their mouths and noses. Despite this, The Garden played host to some amazing acts, and Zip was the top of the heap. Once the volume issues were sorted, his set took off, showcasing his inimitable mixing abilities. His best moments were effortlessly groovy—tracks like Designer Loops' "I Believe" and Aaron Carl's remix of UR's "Hardlife" were crowd favourites. He closed with an Andrés tune, an unexpected ending to an incomparable set.
Larry Heard feat. Fatima & Paul Cut This wasn't Larry Heard's first time at Dimensions, but this year's set at The Clearing felt different. He recently launched a revamped version of his live show, touring with Fatima and the Parisian jazz pianist Paul Cut. Their addition helped pull the act from live set to live performance—it felt like a concert, especially when Heard got on the mic to speak to the crowd. They covered parts of his vast back catalogue that he doesn't usually get to play. Of course, classics like "The Sun Can't Compare" and "What About This Love" were highlights, reimagined and enhanced by Fatima's incredible vocals. The crowd sang along, too. This was the last night of the festival, and there were lots of emotional moments.
Craig Richards b2b Nicolas Lutz As Dimensions drew to a close on Sunday night, the vibe at The Clearing was euphoric. That is, until 20 minutes of technical problems after Larry Heard's set all but cleared the dance floor. It was a worrying sight, though once the next act, Craig Richards back-to-back Nicolas Lutz, finally began, the crowd trickled back in. Midway through their five-and-a-half-hour set, the place was packed. Initially, I thought The Clearing might be too big for the duo, who are more at home in intimate settings. But they pulled it off. Playing with so much energy, they moved through house, vocal-laden big-room tracks and a bit of minimal. As their last tune faded out, the words "Thank You Fort Punta Christo" flashed onscreen behind them. Friends all across the dance floor hugged each other and cheered, their applause lasting minutes. We've compiled a YouTube playlist with some of our favourite tracks from Dimensions Festival 2019. Resident Advisor hosted two tunnel parties and one night at The Void at Dimensions 2019.
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