Italy’s Adriatic Sound Festival Aims to Be the New European Destination for Techno

There’s a new big techno festival in Italy, the Adriatic Sound Festival. This year’s fest just ended, having taken place on June 13 and 14 at the airport in Fano, a city in the Marche region on the Adriatic Sea, with two days, two monumental stages, 28 artists, music from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., and headliners ranging from Rüfüs Du Sol to the “maestro” of techno, Sven Väth. The festival was born big — being a first edition, one wouldn’t expect such levels of production and audience (the organizers declared almost 17,000 total attendees).

The exclusive launch party on Thursday evening (June 12) at the former church of Saint Francis, in the center of Fano, gave a taste of the atmosphere of Adriatic Sound Festival. The location is spectacular: Dating back to the 14th century, the structure shows a stratification of styles where the neoclassical column and the large apse visually dominate. Without a roof, the former church recalls the atmosphere of places such as the Abbey of San Galgano in Tuscany or the Convento do Carmo in Lisbon.

The architectural elements were revitalized by the elegant play of lights and lasers, in an ideal dialogue between past and present. It was in this context that — among others — Franky Wah’s DJ set took place, with his introspective beats. He was joined on stage by 22-year-old guitarist Brandon Niederauer, an artist that at the age of 15 was already playing with Lady Gaga and Stevie Nicks, and also blues legends such as Derek Trucks and Buddy Guy.

It’s a good way to add value to the architectural heritage of Fano, which in turn is an integral part of the fest’s concept, with its references to the Roman past of the city (the ancient Fanum Fortunae) starting from the design of the main stage, which recalls Roman columns and the Arch of Augustus, once the entrance to the city.

The jewel in the crown of Adriatic Sound Festival were its two stages: main stage “The Temple,” with its huge 360-degree open structure, and “The Hangar,” positioned in front of the central hangar of the three present at Fano airport (the other two are embellished visuals in the night hours).

The festival’s parking lot was particularly large, though many spectators used alternative forms of transportation such as bicycles and shuttle buses; ambulances and paramedics were present and clearly visible within the festival area, and there were a good number of food trucks, bars and toilets.

Along with the concept, the location was equally iconic. The choice of Fano Airport was one of the winning ingredients of Adriatic Sound Festival, with an energy a bit like U2’s “Beautiful Day” video. The row of three airport hangars can become the symbolic “skyline” of the festival.

Festival organizers respected the lineup’s schedule, with set changes taking place with minute precision and without interruption. There were no hitches apart from Green Velvet’s last-minute cancellation. He was one of the most anticipated DJs and would have graced the main stage for the final set Saturday night, but was replaced by Nicole Moudaber, who took the stage for a surprise second set after performing a few hours earlier at the Hangar Stage.

In Italy, an event like this has never been seen south of Turin, the de facto capital of the Italian electronic scene, where major festivals such as Kappa FuturFestival, Movement and C2C take place. Precisely because it is still “unexplored” from the point of view of mass tourism and the production of major events, and because it is very close to the historic clubbing district of Rimini and Riccione, this area is in a strategic position for an event like Adriatic Sound.

Throughout the festival, one could hear accents from many different parts of Italy, but also a lot of English. With clear potential in terms of audience — starting with the tourists who normally crowd the Adriatic beaches in the summer — Adriatic Sound has what it takes to truly become an event of European relevance.

This article was originally published on Billboard Italy.