- I was advised to "take it as it comes" on day one of Distortion—advice that proved golden as the raveathon wore on. The festival began in 1998 as a one-day "celebration of Copenhagen nightlife" before developing into a district-hopping series of street "receptions." Today Distortion attracts over 90,000 people, and hosts enough parties—on and off the program—to tire even the most insatiable of clubbers. I came with a plan, but quickly discovered this was simply not the Distortion way.
Photo credit: Thorbjørn Chiloux Fessel
For seven years the festival enjoyed a kind of "pirate" status, as its founder Thomas Fleurquin refers to it, a budget-less "just-for-fun" affair that utilised Copenhagen's entire infrastructure—including buses, trains and even boats. Mobility is still a Distortion cornerstone, and one of the festival's more unique characteristics. "Pop up parties" can and do happen, at any time, anywhere. On Friday I boarded the (in)famous Raver Bus 666—complete with precarious DJ setup—to a suburb some 30 minutes out of the city to join 1,500 others under a highway overpass. That crowd had arrived by train from Copenhagen Central Station, entertained on the way by the Extra Action Marching Band—part marching band, part burlesque cabaret ensemble from San Francisco, and hands-down Distortion highlight. "Party culture—real, funny party culture—is accessible and open to all," explains Fleurquin, "so let's fucking get it up there and share it."
Photo credit: Anders Evans
On Wednesday to Friday the city centre, Norrebro and Vesterbro districts respectively were invariably jammed with mobbish hedonism. There was more than enough, if not too much, weird and wonderful things going on, from workshops and games, to sit-down dinners and roadside gigs but finding anything specific through clots of mayhem proved tricky (and using the Distortion map mid-throng far too plebeian.) However it did make chancing upon cloistered gatherings all the more worthwhile—like Wednesday's friends-of-friends rooftop party, run by local label Tartelet. Soothing house from roster associates Muff Deep (AKA Emil Margetli and Mathias Mesteno), Jean Von Baden and MHM One as the sun set over the city centre skyline was a welcomed relief from the melee of sound clashes, costumes and inebriated urban climbing happening below us, that only picked up momentum as the weekend closed in.
Photo credit: Mark Stig Betelsen
Distortion by night, on the other hand, is almost something else entirely. It is still party focused, but with a bit more emphasis placed on the music. Here's when Copenhagen nightlife is truly celebrated, as over half the programming comes via its clubs, promoters and labels—or "hosts," a collaborative aspect that has been integral to the festival's identity since the beginning. Name a genre and it was covered at some stage over the five days, including plenty of hip-hop, reggae and live acts outside of the electronic gamut.
Photo credit: Sarah Buthmann
DJ Hell, Chromatics, M.O.P., Andrew Weatherall, Matthew Styles and local hero Trentemoller were amongst the headliners in the lead up to Saturday's convergent final party, but it was Thursday's booty bouncin' ghetto house set from the notorious and ever entertaining DJ Funk that not just set the bar, but summed up the essence and energy of Distortion itself. And I was not alone wearing a Cheshire Cat grin, pumping up and down for two hours straight to filthy classics like "Work That Bitch," "Pussy Ride" and the appropriated "Face Down, Ass Up" (originally by DJ Isaac), mixed in with plenty of up-to-date, non-booty mash-ups (Kid Cudi's "Day 'N' Nite" for one).
Photo credit: Mark Stig Betelsen
Everything then came to a head on Saturday: all the street party chaos collided with eight stages of showcases from the likes of Kompakt, 100% Silk, Vice and more cherry picked gems from Copenhagen's own scene. My carefully formed schedule to see X at Y time in the Z-tent went right out the window shortly after witnessing poor Raver Bus 666 hoisted several feet into the air and turned into a firework dispenser. In a whirligig of gin and Christiania's finest I did my round of the Refshaleoen plot—a shipyard at the tip of the island district Christianshavn, and first-time Distortion venue—making at least a point to catch Danish starlet Mike Sheridan play the main stage, which to my surprise housed the night's "bass" line up.
I believe I missed pretty much everyone else I wanted to see—Awesome Tapes From Africa, Zebra Katz, Nguzunguzu, Thomas Barfod to drop some names—but had plenty fun in the process. And when it comes down it, that's exactly what Distortion is all about: "More than a music festival, it is a party festival," says Fleurquin. I couldn't agree more.
Photo credit: Mark Stig Betelsen
The festival's exponential growth over the last few years, the proliferation of prominent sponsorship (hope you like Heineken) and daily dice with almost certain chaos may be a far cry from the slightly cliquey, underground Distortion of yesteryear—but its adventurous and downright crazy spirit remains the same. As one promoter put it: "When I see how many people from the new generation of Copenhagen partygoers having the exact same time of their life today as I had eight years ago, I can't do nothing but smile." Now I (sort of) know what I'm in for, I may just have to see what Fleurquin pulls out of his hat next year—I mean, how do you top a helicopter fly-by?