Author: livegrooves

On Saturday, August 23, 2025, the fairgrounds of San Pedro de Alcántara transformed into something out of a fever dream. Over 30,000 party‑pilgrims flocked to elrow Town Marbella at the Recinto Ferial de San Pedro Alcántara, where a single day of immersive stages, live performances, and wild decor turned the Costa del Sol into a psychedelic playground. This was elrow at its most vivid: bigger, brasher, and more theatrical than ever.

In every corner of the venue, the scale of creativity was staggering. Massive inflatables, roaming performers in flamboyant costumes, confetti cannons synchronized with drops, and themed sets that fused folklore, pop‑art and industrial design. The stage names—Industry City, Rowsmic Carnival, Nomwads, Pink Cathedral, Rowcio, Cocoa—were as evocative as the experiences they delivered. Enter Industry City, the techno‑and‑trance zone, built out of shipping containers and fire cannons; a post‑apocalyptic rave bunker. Then Rowsmic Carnival, where LED mapping and psychedelic visuals conjured another world entirely. And Rowcio, devoted to flamenco with live Paella cooking, The Gypsy Kings, and unabashed Andalusian flair.

The lineup was just as eclectic. Headliners like Boris Brejcha, Loco Dice, and Fatima Hajji brought bold, signature styles to the immersive chaos. Brejcha’s high‑tech minimal was wrapped in theatricality; Loco Dice planted funk-tinged house in the midst of confetti showers; and Fatima Hajji delivered hard techno with unrelenting energy.

Audio peaks and thematic contrast made it a madcap day of musical voyages. In surreal contrast to the flamboyance of elrow, the Pink Cathedral stage offered more kaleidoscopic, inclusive, and queer‑positive programming, the party’s own sanctuary of color and acceptance. Elsewhere, experimental acts in the Nomwads zone twisted genres together: tribal rhythms, electronica, folk samples, global percussion. These transitions, from techno bunker to carnival to folkloric jam felt seamless yet surprising, each zone feeding energy into the next.

What stuck most was the production level: seamless crowd flows, late‑night extensions until 4 a.m., theatrical storytelling in every DJ drop, and art direction that turned every set into a scene. The visual overload never felt accidental—every detail had a purpose. This was no simple party; it was an immersive theatre of dance music.

By evening it felt like the whole site was breathing, music beating in time with the flashing lasers and crowd motion. When Boris Brejcha took charge in the early night, his set felt cinematic, staged as part of a larger show. Loco Dice, later under the neon haze, kept the dancefloor grooving with sly house moves and effortless charisma. And when Fatima Hajji stormed the decks, her hard techno storm pushed energy into utter frenzy, confetti bursting with each drop.

For many attendees, this festival felt more complete than any other elrow Town before. It offered moments of collective joy (the confetti explosions, the performance parades), hedonistic abandon (the industrial fire cannons, the tribal techno sweats), and emotional resonance (flamenco nostalgia, carnival drama, cultural mash‑ups).

In short, elrow Town Marbella 2025 was an oversize audiovisual circus and a richly curated dance event in equal measure. It reminded us why elrow remains one of the most inventive forces in modern electronic culture capable of blending absurdity, theatricality, and serious techno into one unforgettable day.

Venue & Info: Held at Recinto Ferial de San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella.

Tickets and further updates at elrowtown.com/en/marbella

From 10 to 13 July 2025, EXIT Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary inside the walls of the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. What began in the year 2000 as a student protest has become one of the most iconic music festivals in Europe. This edition, perhaps the most emotionally charged to date, was a vibrant tribute to the past and a bold declaration of its future.

Set on the banks of the Danube, the fortress offered more than just a venue. Its labyrinthine passages, stone walls, and panoramic views created a multidimensional playground. By night, it transformed into a glowing citadel of music. By day, it remained a historical monument humming with anticipation.

The festival hosted more than 40 stages and zones, each with its own identity. From the massive Gorki List Main Stage with capacity for 35,000 people to the legendary Dance Arena hidden deep in the fortress belly, every corner of Petrovaradin was pulsing with rhythm. There were spaces for trance, punk, trap, reggae, and experimental performance. No genre was left behind.

This year’s lineup was as ambitious as the setting. On the main stage, global heavyweights like Tiësto, Eric Prydz, DJ Snake, and Loreen drew enormous crowds. They shared the spotlight with The Boomtown Rats, Hurts, and a reimagined version of the Sex Pistols led by Frank Carter. But the real magic happened deeper in the fortress, where techno royalty like Amelie Lens, Nina Kraviz, I Hate Models, Boris Brejcha, and Indira Paganotto b2b Sara Landry turned the underground into a pressure cooker of energy and sound.

The Tesla Universe and Dance Arena stages brought pure euphoria. Thursday night exploded with a surprise Rebel Rave that included The Prodigy, Lorenzo Raganzini b2b Paolo Ferrara, and I Hate Models. Friday and Saturday kept the momentum alive with standout sets from Solomun and Boris Brejcha, while Eric Prydz’s cinematic set on the main stage felt like a moment suspended in time.

EXIT’s beauty lies not just in its musical diversity, but in its commitment to community and cause. True to its activist origins, the 2025 edition openly supported student-led protests across Serbia. That stance drew tension with authorities, who responded by withdrawing state sponsorship and threatening the festival’s future on Serbian soil. Still, founder Dušan Kovačević made it clear that EXIT will go on—whether in Serbia or elsewhere.

Infrastructurally, EXIT was polished but deeply respectful of its setting. Tunnels hosted intimate performances. Courtyards were transformed into workshops and art installations. Local vendors offered Serbian food and wine. Eco-initiatives, mental health corners, and cultural programming showed that this was more than a party—it was a living, breathing movement.

The experience extended far beyond the music. Campers woke to sunrises over the Danube. Some paddled kayaks before heading to the fortress for afternoon DJ sets. Others stumbled upon punk bands blasting from hidden stages beneath stone arches or wandered into trance gardens glowing in twilight. EXIT is designed for both discovery and disorientation, and this edition mastered that balance.

By the time the final beats echoed on Sunday morning, a collective feeling took hold. This was not just a festival marking 25 years. It was a reminder of what live music can mean—resistance, release, reunion. Petrovaradin had once again served not only as a fortress of stone, but as a fortress of culture.

EXIT Festival 2025 was a triumph in every sense. It fused legacy with vision, music with meaning, and architecture with emotion. Whether or not it returns to Novi Sad next year, it has left a lasting imprint not just on the land, but on everyone who walked its ancient paths and danced under its skies.

Tickets for EXIT Festival can be purchased through the official website, where you’ll find various options including full festival passes, one-day tickets, and VIP upgrades. Flexible payment plans are also available, making it easier to secure your spot at one of Europe’s most iconic festivals. Early booking is recommended, as EXIT regularly sells out due to its high demand and international appeal.