There are certain events that make you so excited to write about, and this year’s 4th edition of DGTL Barcelona is certainly one of them. The festival took place on Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th of August, at the enormous location Parc del Forum. It left nothing to be desired, from the incredible talent to the well-thought-out setups, a perfect event for techno lovers.
DGTL is quickly becoming a well-heard of the festival not only because they bring the best, and I mean the best talent (over 60 recognized artists sharing 4 stages throughout 2 days), but also their innovative ways to become the most sustainable festival. I guess people really enjoy a mix between techno, sustainability, and art, because this year DGTL Barcelona brought more than 35,000 people to their ground, and I feel grateful to have been a part of this experience.
Photo by: Michael Ronn
One could feel the excitement raising a few blocks away from the location, where you could already see many groups approaching the event with their festival decorations and spirit. The walk from the TRAM to Parc Del Forum was not only short but so enjoyable, allowing you to take in the beautiful and modern architecture of the area. Once there, we waited on line to get our bracelets and rushed to the security gates to get checked so we could soon begin our musical journey.
Photo by: Michael Ronn
It is so enjoyable to have good sounding music get louder and louder with every step you take, knowing you’re walking into what is about to be a great experience. The first thing I noticed was the layout, everything was well signaled and the emergency tent was set up right in front of the entrance, so everyone could be aware of where to go in case anything happens.
The first stage we hit was Generator, which welcomed us with the incredible German trio FJAAK, whose set I got to enjoy for a few minutes before the Berghain resident Ben Klock took over at 8 PM. I was already so happy to be there, not only was the sound right, the music on point, and the weather on our favor, but the people around me had such incredible energy and all the staff I came across was really kind and ready to help; there was nothing more I could ask for.
After seeing Ben Klock work his magic for a good amount of his set, I wanted to explore the ground and take advantage that Adriatique was playing at the biggest stage of them all Modular, before heading to see Black Coffee whom I had been waiting to see for a while.
Photo by: Tim Buiting
Seeing Modular (basically a medium-sized stadium) made me realize the grand dimension of this festival and just how many people had come together for this celebration of music. I went down the stairs to get to the dance floor and joined in the party, at this point it was 9:30 PM and you could feel the space starting to fill up quickly.
Wanting to get a good spot to see the one and only Black Coffee perform his 2-hour set, we rushed up to the second biggest stage AMP, the only stage that had a roof on top. We stopped by the bar to get a drink, and placed ourselves between the crowd to welcome this genius. Although the lines for the drinks tended to get long, there were many bartenders behind that worked to be as efficient as they could, so the wait was never too long.
Photo by: Michael Ronn
At around 12:30 AM we headed back to Modular so I could see Dixon one more time after leaving me in awe with his performance last year at a NY warehouse. Now that the sun had completely set I could really appreciate the lighting design of this massive stage, which added even more to the already great experience.
For a little break, we went around the food area and were so pleased with the different cuisine they had to offer, as well as gluten-free options and all BIO.
Photo by: Tim Buiting
To end the night in the best possible way, we went back to AMP to see no other than Solomun, whom as always slayed the stage and kept everyone as energized as ever until the last minute of his set at 3 AM.
Before we left we wanted to take a peek into Frequency, the smallest stage of them all which was more secluded than the rest and turned out to have the best sound, most likely because space was smaller and there were obstacles that helped the resonance of the music. The party was also still very alive and going with Ben UFO and Job Jobse. No one wanted the night to be over.
Another thing I appreciated about the festival is that they set up buses that cost 2 Euros per person to take you from Parc del Forum to the official after party (that you could pay 15 Euros to get in with your DGTL bracelet) which was about 20 minutes away.
Overall I left that night feeling so happy that I had been able to see such talent and share my love for music with those around me, leaving me wishing I could have cloned myself so I could experience all of the stages at once. Every single one had amazing talent from beginning at 3 PM until close at 3 AM.
