Coming right at the end of the summer on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, the inaugural Unknown – a joint venture undertaken by festival mainstays Hideout, Field Day and the Warehouse Project – already boasted one of the strongest line-ups of the year. As well as the usual big names from the world of house-leaning electronic music – Scuba, Jamie xx, Disclosure, Four Tet, SBTRKT – the bill boasted great variety by including live performances by Actress, Jessie Ware, Moderat, Django Django and Lindstrøm as well as DJ sets by Michael Mayer, DJ Koze and James Holden, amongst others, and partnerships with Kompakt, Tim Sweeney’s Beats In Space and Innervisions (of which Dixon, Âme and Henrik Schwarz will all feature). It all added up to a bold line-up for a newcomer, something the second wave has only re-enforced.
Big surprises include the recruitment of The Horrors and Factory Floor, two of Britain’s finest purveyors of uplifting menace, as well as Richie Hawtin, a truly singular name in techno and one of the finest DJs on the planet. Two of techno’s brightest hopes – Italian duo Tale Of Us and bubble bath fanatic Nina Kraviz – join in, alongside rising acts like Waze & Odyssey, Jagwar Ma and Clean Bandit, to compliment the already seriously strong roster.
Tickets are moving quickly and special accommodation is in short supply, so hit up Unknown’s official website for more details a$ap if you want to muck in on Croatia’s last great summer hurrah.
