Upclose, the sister festival of Awakenings, returned on May 16 & 17th for its second year, and it was just as incredible as its debut. Unlike the original headliner-heavy festival, the Upclose lineup includes a lot of new artists that are shaping our techno future, while still inviting some of the legends like Jeff Mills, who helped create the genre.
This festival is truly an ode to the dancefloor, where the techno takes over and you get lost in the vibe. People come to this festival to dance, so you won’t see many phones. Nearly everyone lets themselves go and immerses in the musical journey. Spread across six stages, and a surprise one hidden in the forest, this really was a techno adventure.
Although you will see stages that are packed, it still maintains an intimate vibe. It was always easy to walk through the crowds to get to the front, where we preferred to be on the dance floor. There are no backstage areas, which was intentionally done to foster a better connection between the crowd and the artists, as well as encourage equality and inclusivity, something we really love about this festival.
Whether you want house music or heavy-hitting techno, this festival offered the full spectrum, including some amazing debut B2B’s like Ben Klock x Ignez on Sunday, and our favorite from Saturday, Marron x Rødhåd.
Our Saturday started with another amazing B2B on the house stage with Carlos Valdez x Cassy, who was sticking to her true form of playing on vinyls. It was a beautiful way to start the day, highlighted by Carlos receiving a sparkling birthday cake. It’s beautiful to see promoters going the extra step to make their artists feel special.
After this, we were pumped up and ready for Marron x Rødhåd, which was a debut of incredible techno that had us locked into the trippy techno tent for their full set, definitely a B2B we would love to see again!
We closed out with the legendary Modselektor, at the largest stage, which was surrounded by glowing pillars, beaming lasers, and smoke that made the whole experience feel otherworldly. We were taken to another dimension with Berlin duo playing classic tracks from Jeff Mills, Joy Orbison, and The Prodigy mixed in with their own powerful productions.
We salute the Awakenings team for curating another outstanding weekend – one that brought us to get back to what really matters: the connection we feel with the music, the artists, and each other on the dancefloor!
This festival will be a mainstay in our festival calendar for years to come!
