DEKMANTEL in Amsterdam (August 2 to 6) is an obvious top choice in August, and for good reason. From the start its close-knit crew of organisers have exhibited something of a Midas touch, both for organisation and attracting an unbeatable line-up. This year’s fifth edition is more of the same, with the usual Detroit legends (Omar-S, Robert Hood, Jeff Mills) sitting alongside established European names (Optimo, Floating Points, Nathan Fake) and excellent emerging acts such as Marie Davidson, Inga Mauer and Vladimir Ivkovic.
Over the same weekend near Leipzig one of Germany’s best-loved festivals, Nachtdigital (August 4 to 6), also hits a major milestone with its 20th edition. Defiantly small-scale, DIY and sponsorship-free throughout, the festival has booked Ben UFO, Aurora Halal and Ital and a few dozen others to help with the celebrations.
Berlin Atonal (August 16 to 20) is another venerable German institution (it actually started in 1982 but went on hiatus from 1990 until 2013) with an experimental foundation that’s well worth a visit. With names such as Powell, Regis and Demdike Stare in the mix, this year’s edition is as uncompromising as ever, but there’s plenty of fun to be had amid the noise and darkness.
Kiev’s electronic music scene has flourished in the last few years in defiance of the devastating economic and personal consequences of the war with Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The first edition of Brave! Factory (August 23 to 24) looks like one of the most exciting developments to date in the city, with Laurel Halo, Jane Fitz, Jus-Ed and Octave One among the top names on a killer line-up playing in — as the name suggests — an old factory.
We’re not sure yet how easy a hop Kiev to Marrakech is, but Brave! to Atlas Electronic (August 24 to 27) appeals to both our best and worst impulses, so we’ll be pulling out all the stops to make it happen. A very well-known and well-travelled Glasgow DJ who played there last year told us it was the single most amazing festival setting he had ever seen, which would be good enough for us even if a torrent of our favourites including Midland, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Floating Points and Hieroglyphic Being weren’t playing.
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