A cultural hub, one so hip and full of creativity, cyclically falls as gentrification, government policies and commercialism suck the very essence from out of its creative bones. London once the desired destination of all artists and musicians finds itself as a city of creative foreclosure as high rents and council complaints force creatives elsewhere. Lisbon on the other hand begins to blossom, collectively the city welcomes a creative energy and openness. The friendliness I encountered among the people says as much about the culture, the people and the beautiful city they represent.

Upon my visit, I quickly realised that this is a city as it truly should be, old and new architecture in sync, old and new complementing one another, contemporary street art, with political messages and cultural icons highlighting a clarity of relevant thought, that craves engagement. In terms of electronic music, my trip to Lisbon was blessed, my highlight being the prime reason for visiting, the Lisbon 15 Jardimsonero festival, but more on that later. During my time there I found Lisbon had so much to offer and definitely encourages a fresh perspective on things, many people there are doing things differently as there are few restrictions when it comes to cultural developments, music or otherwise.

As such I found myself on Friday in one of Lisbon’s many contemporary art Museums watching PANS own Bill Kouligas, mixing among the statues. Friends of mine had put me on to this guy, and I was refreshingly blown away by his abstract sounds and mixes, which would have been appropriately placed in a futuristic sci fi as opposed to a chilled out artistic gathering in Lisbon. The atmosphere was very mellow, with a contemplative air breaking each sample down among the purveyors, overall the set was very enjoyable, very different and a sweet start to the weekend.

The energy around the Baxia Chiado area was pretty wild, a mixture of tourists and locals mixing among some pretty cool bars, with some excellent local resident DJs. After a while, A few of the locals put me on the next venue for the evening, Lisbon’s Musicbox , one of the city’s renowned clubs, situated underneath Lisbons old railway arches, it nostalgically reminded me of London’s own Cargo, a sick little venue in Shoreditch. Musicbox was atmospheric and tense, the acoustics in this place were fantastic, the line up was excellent, with some really impressive local Lisbon DJ’s, some of which had played internationally, playing an array of afro house, house, and techno. Two in particular that stood out where Daino- Check out ‘With out your love’, and Audiopath, playing some heavy techno tunes across some Function 1‘s , the place was shut down until the early hours.

Day 1

Saturday saw the beginning of the Lisbon 15, Jardimsonero festival, in its infancy still as its only in its second year. The festival itself took place in the center of Lisbon, in the beautiful Parque de Edwardo VII surrounded by high rises, yet idyllically isolated by surrounding trees. Firstly the general vibe of this fest encapulates Lisbon as a whole, diverse, vibrant and romantic and very creative. Particularly the use of an electronic payment system attached to revellers wristband’s, which stood out. The festival had many chill out areas, deck chairs and bean bags located about as well as abundance of grass to sit on, if you didn’t feel like dancing. With one stage, there’s no fear of missing acts or a huge rush to a packed tent and with many casually observing from afar.

To kick things off for me was a Nicolas Jaar DJ set, Jaar being one of my favourite DJ’s and producers was a treat to watch. His set is always unique in the manner he crafts his mix creating a story with, mixes political and soulful samples into monstrous drops which always move the crowd. Jaar mixed it up throughout, throwing in some unforgettable classic gospel and disco tracks with his own tunes. Nothing he played seemed out of place, his ethereal touch, that makes his sound so unique and other wordly, strangely never fails to connect with the crowd. Everyone was vibing to it, each drop went off. Highlights included his mix of Geraldine Hunt ‘ Cant fake the feeling, a huge Maceo plex remix and his latest ‘ three sides of Audrey/No one is looking at you which sounded beautifully. A sick start to the evening..

Nina Kraviz was a huge close for the day, the relaxed atmosphere had turned electric, the dance area packed with revellers, Nina smashed it with a huge set, mixing house, acid and techno in her unique style, it was hard for the crowd to keep their eyes off her on stage, energy emanating from her. Props for bringing her mother out on stage too, obviously a huge fan, who put a lot of people to shame with her energy dancing for the duration of the set. Nina brought the party to the next level for sure and topped off a great first day. Highlights included her track ‘Pain in the ass’.

Afterparties we’re taking place across town, however I decided to hit up Josh Wink at the Monasterium, a former ministry of Finance building, its lay out was huge, and put together extremely well, topped off with some function 1s for some added ummph. Wink brought his eclectic mix of experimental dance music to a packed club, again the acoustics were on point as was his set. Leaving was a bit of an issue as his support DJs were extremely capable, and had the place moving until the early hours. Eventually I got out, ready for sleep and Day 2.

Day 2

Day 2 was ideal, beautiful sunshine, less crowded than the day previously and the act Jazzanova featuring Paul Randolph, who was fronting the band for the occasion kicking things off for me. This electronic band were completely new to me, however I was seriously impressed with their brand of electronic music, perfectly blending Jazz house, funk and soul throughout the set. Incorporating live house beats from the band’s many talented instrumentalists and producers, was so sweet to hear and the excellent singing from Paul Randolph whose falsetto notes created some infectious sounding tunes. Very much an electronic band i’d go to see again. Highlights included : I Human.

Jazzanova were followed by Todd Terje, one of Norway’s finest exports, Terje’s Nu disco vibes always create a fun carnival atmosphere and today was no different, mixing most of his classics into some classic disco tracks, the set was fun, marked by the eternal floor filler, ‘ Inspector Norse’. Last to conclude the festival was Cologne Supremo Michael Mayer, one of the main men behind Kompakt Records. Mayer was one of my many highlights of Lisbon, his knowledge of electronic music was evident for all to see, crafting a beautiful set which probably was the best of the weekend. Mixing minimal, techno and elements of trance he concluded the weekend fantastically, and brought an energy that had everyone dancing until the last beat.Highlights included ‘Good times’ and an Erol Alkan rework of Hot Chip.

The weekend and my time in Lisbon was a fantastic experience, a city that i’ll visit again for sure. The festival was excellently ran, beautiful looking and the acts were well selected. Shout outs to all the organisers and people we met over there, who really looked after us. Especially Ivone and Nuno, for their exceptional hospitality!

Obrigado, until next year, Lisbon 2016.

Words by Danny O’Sullivan