Italy has always been a hotbed for electronic music and there are few finer places to experience it than the Decibel Open Air Festival.
It takes place in the famously gorgeous Florence – a lush setting where the world-renowned Visarno Arena is host to one of Europe’s biggest parties. It brought a large international following and this year Paul Kalkbrenner, Amelie Lens, Cosmo, Marco Carola, Peggy Gou, Richie Hawtin, Vitalic and more all played across an amphitheatre stage and those hosted by elrow and Terminal V.
In all 50000 people attended across the weekend and there were plenty of standout sets Here are five of the best.
Overmono
Overmono is the UK sibling duo of Tessela and Truss, aka Ed and Tom Russell. They mix up plenty of famous UK sounds with their own fresh styles on labels like R&S, Perc and their own Poly Kicks. They blew the place apart with some powerful but on point selections that really got the crowd going.
Nina Kraviz
The Trip label boss is a real wizard in the booth. She flashes through big techno, acid, IDM and electro with real knowledge and ease. She was in fine form here, elevating the crowd with her own dancing and generally serving up something special.
Caribou
One of the most worshipped names in dance music, Caribou certainly lived up to the expectation. He has a master of melody and electronic sounds that are indie in design but powerful on the floor. He takes people on a real trip with many of is own tunes and plenty of classics all making an indelible mark.
I Hate Models
I Hate Models is a French DJ who started to produce his own brand of hard-edged, industrial techno and soon after turned all height heads. He has a unique signature sound that is a mix of brooding bass and chunky drum funk alongside plenty of raw texture and it was all here for people to see during his stunning set.
2ManyDJs
These Belgian brothers are real veterans now but that only means they know exactly how to work a massive crowd. They play with blistering intensity and speed as they whip through, famously, tons of different genres from across the electronic spectrum and beyond. What a thrill.
