DGTL Festival 2015

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  • It's hard to say what separates a good festival from a great one. Larger events tend to book many of the same artists, so there's often not much musical difference between them. As for sound quality, my experience is that most (in Europe, at least) operate on a similarly high level, too. There is one thing, though, that's becoming more clear the more time I spend at these bigger events: organisers go to vastly different lengths to design their festival's visual aesthetic. There's a lot more to it than throwing up a few disco balls and strobe lights. When a festival puts the right amount of time and effort into production, attendees end up in a world-within-a-world, and the event's atmosphere is much better off for it. Such is the case at DGTL, a two-day festival in Amsterdam. This year's edition featured appearances by a few dozen top-tier selectors and live acts, ranging from housey headliners like Dixon and Jamie Jones to more techno-oriented artists like Scuba and CW/A. But as is usually the case with festivals of this size—15,000 people spread across six arenas—the music wasn't the only attraction. A lot of effort had been put in to making the festival's atmosphere as slick as it could possibly could be. DGTL's vast site was decked out in all manner of decorations and props. Walking between stages, you'd cross paths with giant robots and model aliens, while powerful lights bathed the indoor arenas in warm reds and vivid blues. Once such a solid festival site is in place, and you've booked a raft of artists particularly adept at playing festival stages, it's hard to imagine what could go wrong. From what I saw over two afternoons and evenings, the music was mostly a resounding success. But this is hardly surprising given the artists' level of experience. Most interesting is how, even at this top level, some DJs are clearly better at playing festival slots than others. There were three standouts throughout the weekend: Jamie Jones, Kristian Beyer of Âme and Scuba. These DJs were in complete control during their sets, keeping the energy high and the crowd entertained. They did it in different ways, too. Jones, who was the pick of the three, did it with quick mixes and big, dynamic basslines. He was one of just a handful of acts using vinyl, yet his transitions sounded cleaner and more exciting than anyone else's. Beyer and Scuba played in a more linear fashion. Beyer dished out high-octane house, with long mixes and the occasional big breakdown. Like Jones, the mood was continuously bright and the tracks never seemed to drag on for too long. Techno was Scuba's weapon of choice. He also paced his set expertly, and his mixing style created tension with every transition, which was released with a bang every time a new track came in. At large festivals like DGTL, I think it's less what you play and more how you play it. In contrast to Jones, Beyer and Scuba, Mano Le Tough's set didn't go so well. For the hour I listened to him, it felt as though the kick drum was gone longer than it was actually there. Breakdowns dragged on forever, losing the attention of the crowd (which gradually shrunk). And when the beat did come back in, Le Tough would mess with the EQ, annoyingly cutting the bass out over and over again. The music wasn't so different from Beyer's and Jones's, but it was strung together in a way that sucked the energy out of every track. On a more positive note, other highlights throughout the weekend included DJ sets from Maceo Plex and DJ Koze, a melody-heavy back-to-back from Roman Flügel and Michael Mayer and live sets from Kölsch, CW/A and Recondite. Overall, though, the lineup could have used a bit more variety. That might seem surprising given there were over 50 artists on the bill, but having the option to catch someone like Marcel Dettmann or Raresh, or virtually anyone pushing more subtle sounds would have added another dimension to the lineup (the crowd seemed up for anything, so DJs like these wouldn't have been out of place). That aside, DGTL is tough to fault. From an attendee's perspective, it's an extremely well-run operation. Where so many festivals these days feel like giant cash cows, this one is clearly run by people who have carefully considered every aspect of their event.
RA