Kappa Futur Music Festival - Turin, Italy

I’ve been lucky enough to venture to some quirky and enticing venues that really push the envelope and boundaries of our beloved industry. However when scoping for an arena that speaks volumes when it comes to techno and offers you that jaw dropping moment on arrival, you’ll be totally taken back by Turin’s asylum that is the Parco Dora, home to Kappa Futur Music Festival. Set right in the heart of the city centre, the disused warehouse space, fresh with innovative graffiti and urban apocalyptic aura was perfect for the finely tuned line up that covered the Saturday and Sunday respectfully. The 18,000 strong crowd could easily fit under the elongated roof that went as far back as the eye could see and upon arrival at around 2pm on Saturday it was already in full force. Native tech-house hitter Marco Carola kicked off our show on the main stage, not a bad way to start eh? With an elegant blend of bass and punchy rhythm the fan favourite really tendered to the crowds anticipation with lucrative drops that caused a stir for the full 2 hours. Maceo Plex was another heavy hitter to play a somewhat early set. The Ellum Audiofrontman who has had a huge two years honing his fresh sound simply didn’t mess around following on from Carola. Cutting some fresh slabs on the audience Maceo even hinted some Maetrik style efforts onto his onlookers, I mean why wouldn’t you if you had a arena filled with techno lovers, it just goes hand in hand to mix up some genres and play to the faithful.

It took a while to leave the main stage, not because of how busy it was, but because I was so taken back by the soundsystem and setting. However when I managed to shoehorn myself out through the side exit, I ventured out to the Red Bull stage to witness some serious talent in that of Pink Holy Days. Shortly after we hit the Dora stage which was a US base for the day, claiming home to Omar S who hit us some a blend of edgy and raw house followed on by Soul Clap who brought down the house with a sublime mix of disco and house. Tony Humphries performed a special 3 hour slot that closed off the night at Dora. The Dora actually took a little shine off the main stage here which believe me was hard to believe. Sunday was the pinnacle day for Kappa as the curation of the line up really stood out to me. Adam Beyer clashed with Jackmaster so it would have been rude not to split my time between them both. Adam Beyer of course sledge hammered his way through the main stage, again surprisingly early doors but to full affect. The Swedish techno don portrayed a variation of acid tinged snippets moulded with his infection no nonsense techno. This was all whilst Jackmaster, the king of jackin’ beats subtly switched from house, dub and techno to an amazing reaction from the crowd at the Dora.The Martinez Brothers stepped in just after and before the rain hit heavily onto the audience, they even back to back with Mr Sneak himself with some sultry house bombs. This was sadly before the rain set in even further and closed the stage down. This did not dampen spirits as the main area was playing host to Derrick May who has a fond affiliation with the Turin crowd each year with his Movement brand. Another techno genius mixed another amazing set right before Tale of Us, who were my pick of the whole event. Even though the torrential rain set in the Italian duo covered their set up with tarpaulin that was rigged by Derrick May himself and even through some minor electricity jitters due to the storm the show went on in full force. To further amazement, throughout all the worries, the set was completely unblemished. Hats off!

Discolsure co headlined the Sunday and performed one of their coveted live sets. The young duo who have completely turned the world on its head over the past two years took hits from their latest album alongside some of the established classics that have wowed millions of fans. It was fair to say the crowd really showed an affection towards the youngsters who took it all in their stride. Whyt Noyz filtered between Disclosure and Richie Hawtin with an effortless warm up. The ‘Brummy’ duo who are fresh off the back of releases on Sci-Tec and Minus seemed unmoved by the capacity crowd rallying to their beat; these guys are definitely ones to watch. Last but certainly not least was Richie Hawtin who favoured his beloved Italian crowds with an exclusive lighting rig. As the night fell the crowd opted for lights on their phones to adhere to the lazers and strobes that massed the faithful. When I mention phones and dancefloors we get an uproar that we should be dancing not taking photos, however this was a spectacle in its own right and was well worthy of a picture or two. All in all, my first Kappa was an experience like no other, cheap, attainable and eye opening with a tight knit line up perfect for all music lovers. What a great way to start July!