Disclaimer: This review is more likely to read as an ode to Nachti than a review.
This is the first event review on this site for a couple of years – believe me, it hasn’t been for lack of trying! Of course there was the rave hiatus that was 2020, which was then followed by a couple of abandoned review attempts of ‘Escape to Olganitz’ (2022) and ‘Nachtiville’ (2023) where I couldn’t quite do the experiences justice. Long story short, they were both amazing (as expected), but in my opinion, neither quite hit the heights of the festival proper, ‘Nachtdigital Mint’ (2019), the festival that we thought would be our final Nachti at Bungalowdorf Olganitz – a small holiday park in an unassuming village in east Germany.
Bettering a festival as spectacular in every aspect as Nachtdigital Mint was always going to be tough. What I know for certain, after my fourth Nachti, is that it is still the best festival going and, to take the late great Nate Dogg completely out of context, ‘Nobody Does It Better’ than Nachtdigital!
But what makes Nachti das beste?
The first thing is the hospitality. As you arrive on site, you walk down the gravel track with your luggage, and get your festival wristband and welcome pack that cryptically details what you can look forward to. You then walk down the hallowed path towards the main festival area where you are greeted with complimentary refreshments (which this year came in the form of Jägermeister!). Every year as I complete this sequence of events, it gives me a warm, familiar feeling that I’ve arrived.
Then there’s the site itself – idyllic, compact and secluded. The Main Stage aka the Open Air Stage has a sound system that is expertly tuned and packs a punch, whilst its visual effects perfectly fit the ambience created by the performers. The Lake Stage, and in particular its prior iteration for the final Nachtdigital, is one of the most picturesque festival stages you’ll encounter. Located along the edge of the lake, you can wade into the water for a knee-deep boogie, chill out on your inflatables or simply get down on the stage’s wooden decking with the likes of Elias Mazian, Sevensol and S-candalo as your soundtrack.
On top of the incredible music provided by artists who step up their game for the occasion, it is Nachti’s simplicity and focus on the small details that make it so special, whether it be light projections of this year’s logo spiralling in the night sky, or the Nachti neon sign that shines bright through the back of the smoke-filled dancefloor on the Open Air Stage.
Whilst the Nachti organiser’s ability to execute a great festival experience is guaranteed, small changes to the site year on year help keep it feeling fresh. Escape to Olganitz did away with the Tent Stage, a change that many were sceptical of at first due to a lack of cover when the inevitable Saxony rain hits, however, rolling the dice on the weather has worked so far. It ensured that the only available dance floor remains full of energy throughout day and night.
This year’s Main Stage was positioned at the bottom of the beach, and whilst dubious upon arriving on site, I was immediately won over during the festival’s opening ceremony.
As the sun began to set behind the stage, a group of masked, balloon-wearing dancers sauntered from the Main Bungalow’s balcony to the beach that was slowly filling with smoke. Circling each other, as if they were being carried by the smoke, switching direction every few beats, the opening track crescendoed (Olsvangèr – The Triss), as is tradition, acting as a call for festival-goers to join the dancefloor, and a lighting of the metaphorical torch as the festivities commence!
Institut Für Zukunft resident, Janthe had the honour of opening. She produced a lively, euphoric set that featured piano house anthems, Bump vs Rhythm Foundation’s “Rushin’ (The Whole World Mix)” and Alex Kassian’s remix of Mani/pulate’s “Music Call”. Janthe teed up Bashkka perfectly, who in turn produced arguably the performance of the first evening with a varied set that ranged from percussion driven tech (Jamie Coins feat. Mas Negro – Tinga) to hard house (Magic Dog feat. Ms Mead – Mirror Mirror (Mike Cruz Krash Mix)).
The first ‘peak time’ slot (1am – 3am) of the festival was given to Shanti Celeste, a favourite DJ of mine, and someone that our group had been excited for since the lineup was released in April. There’s something exciting for us about seeing a UK-based/influenced artist play in Olganitz, I guess there’s something novel about seeing a German crowd get down to inherently UK genres like bassline, UK funky or jungle! Or simply the enjoyment of seeing artists you’ve followed for the past ten years produce seminal performances that live long in the memory at your favourite festival. Whether it be Make Me’s sunrise set in 2018, or Batu tearing it up in the Tent in 2019, there has been plenty of past precedent to set the stage for Shanti.
Whilst there was plenty of great music on offer, her performance unfortunately had a few technical issues including skipping records and a power cut that disrupted any momentum she managed to build. Although we were given a sneak preview of Shanti’s magic, hopefully she gets an invite back next time to showcase her full talents.
Angel D’Lite and Avalon Emerson B2B Roi Perez followed as the night swiftly turned to day. They kept the energy high and the dancefloor jovial for the duration of their respective sets; the chemistry between Emerson and and Perez unquestionable.
Whilst Nachti tends to invite new faces both young and old each year, one of its most charming aspects has always been the familiar faces that you find behind the decks. The connection that the Nachti residents have to the festival is evident and with their many years of experience, having played pretty much every available Nachti slot over the years, you know you’re in safe hands!
One of its newer residents is AGY3NA who’s played the last three Nachtdigital-affiliated events. Whether at the Lake Stage in the summer of 2022, or the after hours set on the Main Stage this summer, it has become a given that they’ll smash it each time. Then there’s Elias Mazian, who played a blinder, closing ‘The View’ at Nachtiville, a stage that I absolutely loved for its vibe and music that was either deep, groovy, fun or all of the above! Shout out Peach and OK Williams for their incredible set on that stage as well!
Mazian’s performance on the Lake Stage this Nachti grabbed the crowd’s attention and was unrelenting for the duration. It reached its apex as he teased the crowd with a lovely bit of loopage of the instantly recognisable guitar riff of “Lady (Hear Me Tonight)”. If there was one way to make this moment even better, it could only be to add a sprinkle of Kendrick’s dulcet tones and his all-time classic track “Money Trees” over the top. This produced one of the biggest crowd reactions I’ve seen at Nachti, and likely, the most iconic moment of this year’s festival.
As well as its newer faces, Nachti wouldn’t be what it is without its long-time residents. Sevensol soundtracked a sunny Saturday afternoon on the Lake Stage with tech house slammers like, Mad Again’s “Point 5” and Lawnchair General’s “The Truth”. As the sun beamed down, I admired the scene in front of me during those few hours chilling on the lake with my mates was perfection – beautiful tall pine trees on one side and a sea of dancers going for it on the Lake Stage – I thought to myself ‘does it really get any better than this?’
Sevensol’s label co-founder (KANN), Map.ache, another long-time resident, was tasked with playing the final set on the Main Stage and held the attention of the weary-legged Sunday 9am ravers with ease. Blending tracks with plenty of groove, atmosphere and energy such as Anunaku’s “Andromeda”, with tearjerkers such as Frankie Knuckle’s remix of the Toni Braxton classic “Un-break My Heart”, before ending on the incredibly soothing, ‘Mary J Blige Feat. Smiff N Wessun – I Love You (Remix)’. It was a performance filled with energy and emotion – a true master at work.
Sevensol and Map.ache had played their final set as Manamana at Nachtiville in January, in what was easily one of the highlights of the festival. The news came only a few months after their stunning 3.5 hour sunset performance on the Saturday of Escape to Olganitz, a set I couldn’t pry myself away from the dancefloor for its entirety! While they may no longer play back-to-back, they will forever be inextricably linked and are a staple of the Nachti experience.
Map.ache’s set was a delightful conclusion to an outstanding evening of music – it was perhaps my favourite evening in Olganitz to date. Following a couple of ambient and leftfield music on the Main Stage from Salamanda and Sapphire Slows respectively on the Main Stage, the Saturday evening kicked into gear with a standout performance by Victor. He traversed between UK techno, bassline, footwork and jungle with ease, showcasing tracks such as DJ Manny’s “All I Do Is (Smoke Trees)” and Pev’s all-time classic “Dance Til The Police Come” through the unrivalled, Open Air Stage sound system.
Still immersed in the experience, I’d admired the majority of his set perched on a bench, chatting with some mates before joining the action for the last hour or so. Victor had set the bar extremely high with his (excuse the tongue twister) sunset set, preceding Maara, an artist who has seen a stratospheric rise over the past couple of years. She didn’t disappoint, laying down the rollers, pumpers and stompers extra thick with tracks such Known Artist’s “Get Up (Club Mix)” and Perpetual Motion’s “Spinning (Vocal Mix)”. French Affair’s earworm, “Sexy”, her penultimate track got at least a couple of plays this Nachti, and also at Escape to Olganitz – at this point it has started to feel like an unofficial anthem of the festival, you can’t help but sing along!
Priori, was next to step up and opted to dial it back a few notches with an ambient opening track, before delivering a live set of encapsulating deep techno. He delivered a concise exhibition of his exemplary back catalogue all whilst setting the stage perfectly for Freddy K, an artist that I’d heard plenty about over the 4-5 years, but had never seen. He delivered a maestro performance of deep, minimal techno with flawless mixing that made it feel as though all tracks had blended into one. It was archetypal Nachti, reminding me of some of the peak time sets from my first few years visiting Olganitz.
Awaking from a tactical nap, the weather had turned – the sky was grey, but a light drizzle kept you feeling fresh. Moopie was laying it down for the last 30 minutes on the Main Stage. They were one of the artists I’d been most excited for, but an inevitability of Nachtdigital is that with its 24 hour programme you’ll miss a few acts you’d hoped to see.
A mate caught me up on what I’d missed, describing Moopie as “sometimes, dreamy, at other times, chuggy, but high energy throughout”. There’d been acid lines (Take me To Your Galaxy by B.AI), swampy chuggers (Warped Voodoo by Voodoos & Taboos) and funky grooves (Edward Norton – Melodram) – producing one of their favourite sets of the festival.
Proceedings are usually wrapped up around 6pm on Sunday evening, allowing for people to head to work on Monday if they wish! First up was Job Jobse, an artist who embodies the spirit of Nachti and who is in his natural habitat behind a set of decks at Bungalowdorf Olganitz. He wore a beaming smile (as he typically does), but there is something more deep and pure about his love for Nachti – an energy that has always carried through in every set I’ve seen him play there.
THC, another new wave Nachti-affiliated artist closed the festival with her brother, DHC, as S-candalo. After seeing THC at Escape to Olganitz, consequently developing an obsession over her mixes available on Soundcloud, and then catching S-candalo at London’s-finest, Venue MOT earlier in November 2022, we knew what to expect – old school pumping beats with plenty of energy. They were a fitting choice to close, and didn’t disappoint; their final track Armand van Helden’s “I Want Your Soul” had everyone singing along, and even a few tears I’m sure!
You were warned at the start of this piece that it was more likely to read as a love letter to my favourite festival than a review. To those who’ve read about it and/or have been to Nachti, I hope some of it has resonated with you. And to those who needed reasons to attend, hopefully this convinces you to take that leap of faith!
Review by: James Acquaye Nortey-Glover
Check out some of our favourite tracks from the festival in the playlist, below.