The Prodigy, Wu-Tang Clan, Alesso, Nina Kraviz, Indira Paganotto, Onyx, Sofi Tukker, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Vintage Culture, Space Motion, Gioli and Assia, and many others sent their endless love and gratitude primarily to the audience and the festival’s organizational team. What they particularly liked was the unique location of the Petrovaradin Fortress and the inexplicable energy that they say only EXIT possesses.
Iconic electro-punk band The Prodigy took to their Instagram both before and after performing on the Gorki List Main Stage: “Headlining the EXIT festival tonight; feels like our second home,” they wrote alongside a video of their 2013 EXIT performance. After conquering the festival’s biggest stage, they took to Instagram again: “Exit always represents, but last night was next level! Respect to our Serbian warriors.”
Wu-Tang Clan sent a message of gratitude to the festival’s organizational team, the audience, and all of Serbia after their incredible performance, marking the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in Serbia: “We want to thank EXIT 2023, it was amazing! Yo, Serbia, we love you, baby,” they declared in a short video.
Powerful women of the techno scene ruled the mts Dance Arena on Thursday. Amelie Lens posted a video from her performance on Instagram and wrote: “Those screams!” Indira Paganotto shared a longer post featuring a series of videos and photos, describing her EXIT performance as one of the best moments in her career: “Closing Dance Arena was one of the best moments of my career! One dream that I realized!!! Thanks for making it true guys!!! I love you,” she wrote. Nina Kraviz joined Amelie and Indira and posted a series of moments from her performance with a simple: “Thank you EXIT,” in Serbian.
New York hardcore rap veterans Onyx, part of the massive 50th anniversary of hip-hop celebration at the Fortress, were thrilled by the audience’s understanding of hip-hop and the energy they delivered to the stage. “It was wild! We gave back what the audience gave us! We fed off the energy! Serbia was crazy!” declared Fredro Star and Sticky Fingaz. They felt an incredible connection with the audience and enjoyed every second of the synergy between them and tens of thousands of people listening: “The connection is hip-hop! We all love hip-hop! Everyone in that crowd loves hip-hop! They know it, understand it, live it, and breathe it!”
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike performed after the rap gods Wu-Tang Clan, which was their favorite part of the festival, along with the “crazy” energy and location: “To perform after the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, how much more exciting can it get?” The dynamic duo was utterly blown away by the Petrovaradin Fortress: “The Fortress! I love history, I love ancient times. If I had to choose a location, this is the ideal place for a festival!” they declared enthusiastically. They succinctly described the audience’s reaction to their performance: “Crazy, crazy energy.”
The hitmaker who headlined Saturday on EXIT’s biggest stage, Alesso, reached out to his fans on Instagram and, alongside a short video from his performance, wrote: “WOW What an honor to headline this legendary festival! Thank you!!” We saw a similar post from DJ Vintage Culture, who also performed on Saturday and created an incredible party in EXIT’s temple of electronic music: “What a festival, no words to describe,” he wrote.
Masked maestro Claptone didn’t hide his excitement, saying this performance was a dream come true: “My biggest dream has come true. I am here tonight. What else do you want?” he cheekily stated and added: “I’m so excited! It’s really nice, the temperature is perfect, and there’s a lot of magic in the air; I can feel it.” Burak Yeter said this EXIT performance was his favorite to date. He succinctly described his evening at the 23rd EXIT: “It was incredible. You could feel the freedom.”
Epica band members Simone Simons and Mark Jensen thoroughly enjoyed their first performance at EXIT. They also took the opportunity to explore the festival. “It was so good and a great experience. We’re still having fun! It was an amazing show, first time playing in Serbia, and we’re not disappointed,” they exclaimed, adding, “This is how a festival should be.”
Hot Since 82 posted a video on Instagram from his performance at the mts Dance Arena, saying, “ Exit festival, Serbia – a place full of amazing people dancing till the sunrise. Exit family, thank you!”
Viagra Boys’ frontman, Sebastian Murphy, praised the audience and expressed a fondness for the historic location, saying, “It was amazing! Very fun, good crowd, great to be playing in the Balkans. When I came, I thought it was really cool because it’s like some sort of ancient war fortress or something. It’s always cool when there’s history behind it.”
The pop duo, Sofi Tukker, were charmed by the audience and the unique location of the Petrovaradin Fortress, the festival’s home for 23 years. “It was amazing, an incredible energy, it was perfect! This was certainly one of the best first performances we’ve ever had,” said Tukker. He then continued, “I think this is the best festival location in the world! We’ve been to most of them, and I think this Fortress with all the different smaller parties everywhere and the Dance Arena is the best.”
The duo, Agents Of Time, emphasized that EXIT’s energy is something you can’t find anywhere else. “It’s a completely different kind of vibe… Like you’ve entered another city, where all different kinds of music are combined, so you get all this energy. I think that’s something you can’t find anywhere else,” they said.
The female indie-techno-house duo Gioli & Assia made their first appearance at EXIT, saying they didn’t know what to expect, but it was beautiful: “It was amazing, and since it was our first performance, we didn’t know what to expect, and we didn’t expect there would be so many people. It was wonderful to see everyone dancing in their own way. It was lovely, and we really liked it.”
Phat Phillie, the founder of Blackout, thanked EXIT from the Gorki List Main Stage while celebrating the 30th anniversary of this influential regional hip-hop community: “EXIT, our strongest festival, not just in the region but one of the biggest festivals in the world, has given a chance to hip-hop and us to be a part of this great big celebration tonight. It confirms that hip-hop is more than just a musical expression. It’s a way of life, a different mindset; it brings people of different backgrounds together. Thanks to EXIT for that.”
DJ Space Motion also thanked the audience in a short video from his performance: “Last night was special, as always when I play in the city where I fell in love with music. I’m grateful for being on that stage last night and seeing so many familiar faces. Thank you, people, for the energy you give back.”
The queen of the regional music scene, Senidah, was another in a long line of performers who described EXIT as madness: “Since I was little, I’ve wanted to go to EXIT. I love that vibe. I love how people come from all sides,” she said. Tijana T, who has a special connection with EXIT as part of the festival family from the very beginning, said, “I was here at the beginning, worked at the first few EXIT festivals, to my generation, EXIT was a revolution, and it was the first contact with the outside world after ten years of isolation.”
Both Senidah and Tijana were part of the all-female nights at the festival, each within the line-up of the stage that best represented their music. Tijana also reflected on this moment at the festival: “I have to admit that the EXIT always worked hard to book as many women as possible. There are more and more women DJing nowadays, and I am really glad about that,” she said, adding, “Tonight at the Arena was a real electronic-music ‘Top of the Pops.’”
EXIT would not be renowned for its atmosphere, sense of freedom, and magic if not for the energy and love the visitors bring and spread. As the strong impressions still settle, the dates for 2024 have been revealed – the next EXIT will take place from July 11 to July 14. Therefore, EXIT fans now have a unique opportunity to fill out this short form and be among the first to secure tickets for EXIT 2024 at the best prices. Registration is open until July 21.
