Traveling to a place such as Serbia might seem like it is a bit off the beaten path for most festival-goers, but for 15 years now EXIT Festival has managed to up its game, culminating in the 2013 Best Major European Festival prize. Voted ‘Best European Festival’ in the 2013 European Festival Awards beating out longtime heavyweights Glastonbury, Sziget, Rock Werchter and Roskilde. This year’s festival is once again set to take over the Petrovaradin Fortress of Novi Sad – a unique venue which offers breathtaking sunsets over the city.
Packed with over 600 artists performing on 20 stages connected by cobbled streets, ramparts and tunnels – a walk through the mystical fortress is like a trip through a magical wonderland. EXIT itself is also a musical journey as they embrace diversity and offer different genres of music from worldwide artists.
With such a massive lineup of eclectic acts – some of whom have been doing their thing a dozen years before most millennials were even born and others who have even just vaulted into superstardom since the last Euro Cup. EXIT2014’s intimidating lineup deserves a pre-funk starting point, an access point to previews the musical acts, therefore NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION is happy to provide you with a virtual EXIT FESTIVAL cheat-sheet – #EXITfestivalPLAYlist assembled in no particular order of seniority or quality – a quick rundown of some of the upcoming acts you should not miss and why – not to mention an easy way to pump yourself up for the upcoming performances regardless of whether you are still sitting at a desk all week at work or riding bikes in the park our recommended binge-listening go-to point until #EXIT2014 starts:
Real-life follow-ups of EXIT musicians and a few Serbian perks skim closely, there’s some useful info of note here:
CARL COX. The Godfather of House vs. Legendary DJ DANNY TENAGLIA. COX has been rocking it since the 80’s, he is massive – so is TENAGLIA – quite literally making this an epic set.
CARL COX will be playing EXIT’s world famous Dance Arena, renowned for its incredible energy and set within a moat of the fortress walls. From techno to electro to dirty house to house with a disco twist, the Dance Arena covers all tastes and will keep you dancing all night long. Pushing cutting edge new talent and tipping its hat to the old school, the music in the arena never disappoints and the experience of dancing with 20,000 people as the sun rises over the fortress walls is truly mind blowing! Celebrating the 15th Edition in true EXIT style, the iconic Dance Arena will present the second part of their infamous back to back sets revered in 2009 for their 10th Edition. This year sees another selection of DJs from the past, present and future including headliners DISCLOSURE, CARL COX vs DANNY TENAGLIA, AFROJACK vs QUINTINO and the return of the mighty DEEP DISH out of Washington D.C.
DISCLOSURE. These two brothers from the UK spent all 2013 building momentum and gaining cred with their infectious and artsy, video-friendly dance-pop hence now is the prime time to catch them before they switch things up and move on to another album and another tour. To get an idea of what that will look like check out the their show in London of to drop in your iThing here is audio of a live show graciously provided by NPR Music. Not half bad…
PET SHOP BOYS. So, you probably don’t know that your brain already knows all the PET SHOP BOYS hit songs, but it does – why? Because these boys are listed in the effing Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful British pop phenomenon ever, hence: this is just one you need to check off your list. (That and they’re just really really fun live. Is that a good enough reason? Of course it is.)
DAMON ALBARN. Solo? Indeed, sans GORILLAZ and not touring with his old BLUR entourage, the artist has finally put out a solo album which offers us a fascinating closer look at the artist as a middle-aged man. Back in the day guy has been so busy working on side projects that it is kind of great for him to drop all the other bands and personas and just present and play as himself, it is safe to say: expect a transplendent live performance. Until then – check out a breakdown of his surprising new album.
THE AFGHAN WHIGS. This band just rocks live. And, heck, any surreal, across-the-board full and total 90s time-warp comeback wouldn’t be complete without the veteran alt rockers THE AFGHAN WHIGS, who are now in top form even after an almost 16 year-long record break.
SKRILLEX. He is like Disneyland: regardless of who you are or how old you are his shows are insanely fun making it easy to drop all hesitations and just dork out to the familiar brostep sound of transformers wrestling interspliced with great vocals and simple messages. Just in case you haven’t managed to memorize his full back catalogue from 2011-present then start here: meanwhile, the new album RECESS which came out earlier this year as an app is full of surprising guests and is a notedly more mature record than his previous work. NOTE: He’s also supposedly the nicest guy ever. His website is fun to play with, too: Happy to have him on-board and quite literally ‘stoked’ to duck and cover for his live show again.
RUDIMENTAL. The London underground quartet’s energetic pop jsut blew away audiences at Glastonbury – be sure to catch them at EXIT. They’re also part of the UKF X-Bass Main StageTakeover. Check it out to get an idea of what last year’s takeover looked like.
MIGHTY OAKS. Dreamy Berlin indie folk rock might be just what your brain needs after a day or two of driving, bassy beats.
SABATON. When was the last time you indulged in a damn fine Heavy Metal show? And by a Swedish band nonetheless? SABATON is set to rock the hell out of the Explosive stage.
7 SECONDS. A famous hardcore band from the 80s (the kind of ‘hardcore’ that is played with guitars;) to get a feel for it, have a look at their YouTube Channel
PRETTY LIGHTS. You know when someone is a Grammy-nominated artist and you’re like: ‘that’s awesome because he actually has artistic integrity?’ Yeah, that is this guy.
‘EXIT. Where hedonism meets activism.’
The Exit Festival also bills itself as ‘MUSIC WITH MEANING / A FESTIVAL OF CHANGE’
which essentially means that it is a non-corporate event with a unique history, having started as a student protest against the communist Milosevic regime. EXIT has proved that music is a universal language that can connect and bring people together to make the world a better place. Be part of something that is more than just a music festival, where hedonism meets activism as EXIT continues to evolve and bring like-minded people together. ‘Party hard and remember – apathy is the enemy’.
LOCATON: Just in case you’re tired of dancing or rocking out, the city of Novi Sad itself was recently dubbed ‘the New Amsterdam’ and also has tons to offer with a bustling cafe culture and plenty of cheap, delicious beer. When not preoccupied by the EXIT artists’ sets feel free to spend your time cafe hopping and enjoying the Serbian sun and hospitality with plenty of bars, restaurants and shops to choose from. They also have great coffee. Most cafes in the city resemble ruin pubs in Budapest – retrofitted chairs, cute refurbished tables, and. Always ask for the coffee of the day/month. If you’re feeling energetic you can also rent a bike and explore the cities sites which include, churches, parks, monasteries and of course the river Danube. The local cuisine packs a punch. Amongst many fantastic dishes, there are juicy, tender, greasy, grilled meat burgers we’ve adapted to the region and call them pljeskavica (plyeskaveetza); Burek is a crispy on the outside and soft as an angel on the inside kind of pastry dish, filled with either local cheese or ground meat (and more varieties depending on the shop) that makes a hearty breakfast. ‘Ćevapi’ are an absolute favorite – rolled meat grilled to perfection with a side of ‘kajmak’ or ‘ajvar’ and some fresh, quickly cut onion. They’re pretty cheap, too – they go for about £1 each. Don’t worry if you’re vegetarian – all our produce is local, fresh, and organic, grown on farmland near villages, under the sun, nearby.
RECOMMENDATION/WARNING: Forget plain Vodka (which is made of potatoes) because you’ll fall in love with the Serbian spirits made from local fruits, called Rakija. There are multiple varieties, but all promise the same: they’re as strong as a frenzied, rabid mother bear protecting her baby cubs. Drink responsibly. Or if you get drunk easily, don’t drink them at all. Just stay away. Goes for a quid, too.
NEARBY PLACES OF INTEREST
BELGRADE
Named at one of Europe’s top ‘secret holiday locations by Lonely Planet, Belgrade is one of the most happening cities in Europe. The city is also full of grandiose coffee houses, quirky sidewalk ice-creameries and smoky dens with historical buildings juxtaposed with old socialist blocks. ‘Belgrade’ literally translates as ‘White City’, but Serbia’s colourful capital is red hot.
BUDVA
Budva is the reigning ‘tourist capital of Montenegro’ for all the right reasons. Apart from its natural beauty, its bay islands and beaches for example, Budva is one of the Adriatic Sea’s oldest cities and is rich in historic monuments. The Old town lies on a small peninsula and represents a treasure chest of culture heritage with many narrow streets and squares featuring with famous buildings, shops, cafés, restaurants and galleries.
THE BEACH
During EXIT Festival you can visit the city beach called Štrand, which is one of Europe’s best by-the-Danube beaches. Only 15 mins away from the city centre by foot, this 700m-long stretch of sand morphs into a city of its own come summertime, with bars, stalls, showers, basketball park and loads of other opportunities to fill in those spare hours with fun. Or you could just, you know, spread a towel and hit the sun. At Sea Dance festival you can enjoy Jaz Beach which is one of the three largest beaches on the Montenegrin Coast located to the north of Budva . It has beautiful white sandy beaches and is surrounded by dense Mediterranean vegetation, making it the perfect place to relax and chillout after EXIT.
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EXIT