The famous No Sleep Novi Sad stage at EXIT Festival will once more invite their audience into a different world-acclaimed club on each of the four nights at the colossal Petrovaradin Fortress! The magic of certain legendary venues does not come from the bricks and mortar, but from their specific spirit, rich history and the program which has been in carefully selected since the previous edition. Last summer, this infallible formula was proven in practice by the three-decade old symbol of Barcelona, the Nitsa club, Berlin techno institution Tresor, and Concrete, the famous Parisian club, whose night was the antics right before the grand finale jointly put by Vienna’s Grelle Forelle and Belgrade techno cathedral Drugstore. This year, in the very well-known trench, from July 5 to 9, we are on the list for another four sleepless nights!
The Greatest Small Club In the World
At the very start we are in for a huge celebration of 30 years since the uncompromising music got spun at the iconic Sub Club in Glasgow! “The greatest small club in the world”, as some popularly call it, was chosen among the 12 best clubs in the world by Resident Advisor, who threw a month of parties at 22 Jamaica St where the “Subbie” is at bay! Known for the exceptionally warm and intimate atmosphere boosted by the specially projected sound where the bass kicks you from the floor upwards, Sub Club has always been at the center of the Glaswegian music scene which was first to acknowledge the likes of Daft Punk, Slam, Jackmaster and so many more. It would all be impossible without the resident DJs such as the legendary duet Harri & Domenic whose “Sub Culture” has been taking place every Saturday for the last 25 years, making it the longest residency in the world! The Scottish submarine prepared a special crew for this opportunity that will soon be announced, emergong into the fortress on Thursday, July 6. This night will be the part of “30 Years of Sub Club” tour which will also head to London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Athens, Oslo and other destinations.
Monolith of the Global Techno Culture
After Berlin’s Tresor introduced the techno’s present and past on last year’s Friday night, we are in for a visit from another monolith of the global techno culture, the club that has been opened for the last two and a half decades – Fuse from Brussels! Back in the mid-90’s the club was spot-on to host the likes of Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier, Sven Väth and Richie Hawtin, while today they seem to pick all the next-gen stars like Psyk, Antigone, Francois X and Bjarki. Fuse’s future is secure with the resident whose fame is rising at a dazzling rate, Charlotte De Witte, who is following the legacy of the legendary Pierre, the symbol of this Belge club. From the same lab, a year later came the famous “I Love Techno” festival, whose first performers were Daft Punk, Dave Clarke and Jeff Mills. At the turn of the century, the notorius mix CDs came under the Fuse banner, which has recently started off as record label hosting some of the most sought-after techno producers like Henning Baer and Goldffinch.
London Hip Place
Another anniversary will be marked at #NSNS when the favorite London hip place Corsica Studios opens its doors on Saturday! The epicenter of British capital’s art life is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and the hosts of their party will be the impeccable London promoter and a venerated club-night Avant Garde, that so far presented only super-exciting artists such as Pantha Du Prince, Royksopp, Modeselektor, Function, Pachanga Boys, and numerous others. Team behind Avant Garde are hosting many of their events at Corsica Studios which is far more than a club, having one of the best sound installations in UK. At the same time, it is also a cultural center, a gallery, a creative hub and a place where the artistic core of the city comes together. This place and its DIY philosophy have grown into quite a phenomenon and you can see Thom Yorke, Jamie xx, Hot Chip, James Murphy or Little Dragon playing there. Just the other night, Bjork did a surprise DJ set and the Radiohead is launching their albums at Corsica. Techno icon himself Jeff Mills wanted to mark the 20 years of his record label Axis for 200 invitees witnessing a nine-hour set which, according to Pitchfork, left “grown men in tears”!
Return of the Gallic Expedition
The finale at EXIT will also get super-emotional, since the family reunites: Concrete is coming back HOME! After the Parisians sent their “vanguard” quartet last year, the fully-fledged Gallic expedition is coming in twice the number, with the desire to turn the whole trench in front of them into the most famous boat on the Seine! When Resident Advisor placed Concrete among the 12 best clubs in the world last summer, their very unique story was dubbed “How Paris got its groove back”. The club was a spontaneous creation arising from barely-legal rave parties at various location. After a police raid, the final location became a sizable three-deck barge, anchored in the center of Paris. At the start, five years ago, the parties would begin at 7 am on a Sunday and last until 2 am next day. Later, other days were also introduced, with following all-night sessions, but on the 8th of March this year, it was the mayor of Paris that personally supported Concrete’s new 24-hour licence, which meant that the club officialy became an important institution of culture for the City of Lights! Unstoppable in their plans since the day 1, Concrete have since launched the reveered Weather festival, along with their own record label while their residents are now well-established artists with busy schedules and rave reviews from the fans and media alike.
The list of performers for each club will be revealed in the following days, and after Belgrade, Barcelona and Vienna, the next No Sleep events will soon be announced, while a completely new, beach edition of the No Sleep stage will appear at this year’s Sea Dance Festival at the turquoise Adriatic coast in Montenegro!
