Party Tip: Fade In Festival

Electronic dance music (EDM) festivals are very popular in Belgium. You can find them in all shades and formats. From small and cosy to mega and pompous. From revolutionary and well-considered to big hit venues and theatrical spectacles. Every moderately large town in Belgium has one, but until recently Brussels still lacked a major player. That lacuna has now been filled by Fade In, a collaboration between techno temple Fuse and the German titan Time Warp. And they have found their niche in the market from the get-go: techno, techno, and techno. Back to basics, in other words, but in a way that combines the new generation with the old. For example, heroes from our youth like Richie Hawtin (Plastikman!), Sven Väth (Cocoon!), and Adam Beyer (Drumcode!) are coming. They’re techno veterans who’ve been around from the very beginning. To be honest, we really don’t want to know how old they actually are. But we’re sure that they control all the keys and knobs as well as they did when we were still reading comic books. The second generation, featuring Pan-Pot, Gary Beck, and Skudge, is also well-represented, but we are mostly looking forward to the incredibly exciting young group that doesn’t care about the trammels that bound techno for so long.

(Pearson Sound)

Artists like Pearson Sound, Scuba, and Ben UFO are pulling out all the stops of EDM and use them all in their music and sets. That makes it both old school and new school at the same time. The fact that their Boiler Room sets have drawn several tens of thousands of viewers to YouTube is pretty clear writing on the wall. If techno has a future, it is in part thanks to this club of English DJs. And be sure not to miss the Belgians because both Locked Groove (Hotflush) and Sagat (Vlek) are doing very well internationally. A fresh breeze we will definitely enjoy at a festival with a mere 10,000 visitors. In any case, the three halls at Tour & Taxis will form the ideal, industrial setting for Fade In.

Fade In 8/5, 20.00, €48, Thurn/Tour & Taxis, Havenlaan 86A avenue du Port, Brussel/Bruxelles, www.fade-in-festival.com

For an update on Koen Van Dijck’s party tips, listen to Deeb Club on FM Brussel (Friday, 11 pm) or go to deebclub.tumblr.com.