As mentioned in the GUM Outlook Festival preview, new and exciting things are happening at Fort Punta Christo in Pula, Croatia. This year, once the music from Outlook has gone quiet, it won’t be long until the Croatian coastline comes alive again with tunes from what promises to be one of the most important underground electronic music festivals in Europe this year. Electronic music and sound systems go hand in hand, and Dimensions promises a higher technical specification of sound systems than at any other festivals of its size. It’s definitely one for you techno junkies out there, and we know Glasgow has a few…
If you’re a student at Glasgow University, chances are you’ve discovered just how amazing the Glasgow music and club scene is. If you like your electronic sounds, blip-blop noises, 4×4 basslines and a bit of wubwubwub then you are also more than likely to recognise much of the Dimensions line-up from their Glasgow gigs earlier this year – Andrew Weatherall, Ben UFO, Benji B, Blawan, Eliphino, Four Tet, Joy Orbison, Pinch, Pearson Sound, Theo Parrish and Zed Bias to name a few.
Producer, remixer and DJ Andrew Weatherall played at Sub Club’s 25th birthday celebrations. He’s been on the scene for many years now and produced several big artists, but he only released his debut solo single ‘The Bullet Catcher’s Apprecentice’ in 2009. More recently he has also had some commercial success as his song ‘Feathers’ was used in a Volkswagen car advert. Others to fill the small underground space that is the Sub Club have been Blawan, Eliphino and Four Tet. Blawan had a hit with his “Getting Me Down” where he samples the 90s RnB song “I Wanna Be Down” by Brandy, proving again that old 90s RnB make great new UK Garage. The night Rubix is a newcomer on the Glasgow club scene and they booked Eliphino for their second party back in May. Eliphino comes from a Hip-Hop background, but recently his productions have moved towards a more House/Garage-inspired sound. His hit ‘More Than Me’ bridges the gap between those two genres.
Four Tet is one of Dimensions headliners and the tickets for his gig at Sub Club went quicker than the level 3 computers during exam time. Kieran Hebden, which is his real name, has a career that dates back to the late 90s and over the last decade or so he has released several impressive albums. Amongst the more famous are his songs ‘Angel Echoes’, ‘Plastic People’ and ‘Hands’. Kieran’s music is known for being very diverse and he finds his inspiration in genres ranging from Folk and Jazz to Electronica and Hip-Hop. His live performance at Dimensions is not to be missed.
Benji B, Pinch and Zed Bias have all played successful night Bad News at The Arches. Although they cover a diverse range of styles, these DJs lean bit more towards the Dubstep end of the spectrum. Zed Bias is perhaps especially known to be very influential on early Dubstep, with his hit ‘Neighbourhood’ very clearly mixing UK Garage with the electronic bass sound that is one of the genre’s hallmark sounds.
Theo Parrish is another Dimensions headliner act and he made the roof come off at La Cheetah earlier this year. He grew up in Chicago listening to jazz musicians such as Miles Davies and Nina Simone and later went to art school in Kansas where he concentrated on sound sculptures, combining live instruments, human voices and looped recordings. Now based in Detroit, he plays mainly Detroit Techno and House and is known for his eclectic DJ sets.
It’s definitely also worth mentioning that our all-time favourites and Glasgow natives Mungo’s HiFi will have their very own stage, Mungo’s Arena, where the party will never end. If you’re feeling a little homesick, this is where you want to head. On the Friday Mungo’s Aena will feature Pearson Sound, Ben UFO, Zed Bias and Midland to name a few – don’t miss out!
Dimensions Festival promises to be a great experience. It’s brought to you by the people behind the big success that is Outlook Festival and set in the same scenic place. With an experienced crew behind it, Dimensions is unlikely to suffer any planning mistakes and mishaps often encountered at first-year festivals. Held on the Croatian coast, it has many attractive features apart from the music: sun, sea, beach and boat parties, and the potential to be part of the summer holiday of a lifetime. You can get an even better idea here. GUM is very proud to be a part of Dimensions in its first year – stay tuned for a full review of the event.
