13/8/2024 🏖

Mahalia, Soundwave Festival

It’s needed a few days to catch a breath, fully savour and digest the whole experience of this previously untested, yet rich musical fine-dining; under the shadow of Tisno’s rugged, dusty green hillsides and colourful moon - then pinch ourselves enough times to convince ourselves - no, it wasn’t a dream. A gathering of like-minded, almost religiously fanatical global pilgrims, surely unmatched in company before; but now as one for such melodic union, such appetite and such a momentary bond.

As the trickle of social media recaps has already become a flood over the week, comments from some of those who championed the inaugural Balance Croatia festival stages have already dubbed it “The Woodstock of our generation” and “The best experience” in the lives of some incredibly well-travelled and respected DJs such as Dave Seaman and Kasey Taylor. Having asked a dozen-or-more fellow random festival-attendees about how they felt about their journey into progressive house nirvana, it has been nothing short of a volcanic eruption of lava in affirmation of being wowed.

Not in my retained and safely locked away memory bank of ecstatic club nights, events and favourite moments in the past twenty-five years can I match what I have achieved by being a part of this wonderful community. Everyone attending should also feel a deep pride for their presence. From the early unforeseen tsunami of arrivals on the pier stage on Thursday evening - where normally it would be uncommon to have a bulging collective before the weekend hits full swing, this surge forcing Mariano Mellino to zip across the pebbles to the more capable Beach Stage. To daily viewings of headline artists (doing the untold) dancing in the crowds, to the time-stopping, spiritual closure of the ever-immense Yard Stage by Patrice Baumel at 6am on Monday morning - the tingles while thinking about those moments are more like feverish shivers as I now travel back towards Split airport in the thirty-seven degree heat today.

While I was too young to experience original raves some of my peers have regaled from the early nineties and late eighties, such as the famous Fantazia parties dotted around the M25 near London - this is one for which I can have a true badge. I was there. I was there. I was there. It was a privilege to have been granted access to just about anywhere at The Garden’s ideal setting while covering Balance Croatia for 21C Progressive House group. And capture some unique flickers, I did. None more so than the opening set at The Yard on the Friday afternoon. Having lived in Melbourne for seven years until July 2020, the home and culture of Balance was more than an additional habit of buying compilation CDs and tracks for my sets. I left feeling that I had unfinished business with my former home.

Enter Jamie Stevens. One of the city’s most established and distinguished electronic artists - and gentleman to boot. That reaction to his opening set from the passionate travelling Melburnians at the front of the stage was pure gold-making time; spent with my camera and dancing feet. Nobody could have predicted what else occurred at that swap over before 8pm, as he handed the reins to Kamilo Sanclemente. With Jamie in throes of creative thrill as he hugged the incoming Colombian DJ, at the front of the dancing masses and in shot of my camera - not one, but two legends of the festival’s genre scene, dancing together; smiling and about to take a selfie together as well as with surrounding fans. Hernan Cattaneo was next to his once-landlord and friend, English DJ and producer Cass with the latter holding his mobile phone, ready to take a group photo. The resulting shot was one which Balance label owner and festival co-ordinator Tom Pandzic later told me was a “once in a generation shot.”

It was only early Friday and sunset had not quite happened yet. With some of the biggest headliners to come that evening and the only real mental anguish of the week being the daily clashes, forcing the choice of stages to be more like a royal feast – the consistent reel of how good each stage was for the following days was testament to the production and building of Balance Festival. Bearing in mind that word on the streets around beautiful Tisno before the seventh of August, was that the more annually established festivals which had already visited in recent weeks (without naming any), had not sold out – nor displayed the fervour or excitement of Balance. Pockets of nationalities, supporting their own icons, particularly from South American nations and Balance’s Australian natives truly bolstered the multicultural tapestry of the long weekend.

It would be unfair to single out only the superstars who performed and as expected – thrilled the crowd. In any long-running club night, it is always the full structure, buildup and that night as a whole timeline which keeps the brand successful and running. So from the start of each day’s action, the mood grew with the quality of each stage, from Pier to Beach, Olive Grove to Yard – by sunset it would be about to peak and stay at that level. Friday’s lineup for me initially excited me the most – however I could pick out pearls of moments from sets across the weekend which would keep the chills running down my spine.

Perhaps one of the most fulfilling-yet-grounding factors was spending time meeting friends old and new – some which were classed as legends and industry heroes in my mind. Finally meeting Tom Pandzic with him checking on my wellbeing having arrived, made me glow with reassurance. Chatting with my (one-and-only) release label – Stripped’s Norman H - and Cass, who has returned to production after many years of abstinence. When I was told that Hernan Cattaneo had played three or four of his unreleased tracks (including one with his daughter’s vocals included) – it was special to hear. In fact many of the homegrown, upcoming British producers attending ran around the grounds like excited children at Christmas when they heard their own tracks being played by their own headlining heroes. Paul James Nolan and Lloyd Barwood to name two. Catching up with some of Melbourne's DJ family was lovely, chatting with Laura and Trevor Rose and being jumped on by McKeown and Bassiray on Friday afternoon while wearing my Zero Tolerance top, another great one. Not to forget my more close-to-home connections in Simon (I will make it to Bournemouth soon), Dougie in Scotland and Richard from the North-East.

To sum up a package which will, I’m sure – keep giving each attendee twinkling thoughts for weeks to come is impossible. Music, beautiful setting, warmth of people and a mechanically superb event all contribute to the absolute game-changing success of Balance Croatia. Even after losing my passport and realising this when I arrived at my accommodation – having a special person at home in Brighton contact Split Airport and find that it was safe there, was a silver lining.

Still, upon being introduced to one of my Melbourne stalwart heroes at the festival on Thursday – passport still unfound, even the humour swiftly lifted the stress. Kasey Taylor asked me where my passport was from – I said “Britain”. “Oh, you don’t want that one at the moment.”, he joked. “I have my Aussie one as backup in case I can’t find it”, I replied. “Oh, you definitely don’t want that one!” he joked again. “I think I’d take a Mars passport at the moment!”, I joked back, in quiet agreement about the world around us. Leaving Tisno, I felt I’d been beyond my universe and as near heaven as I could imagine. Now, crashing back to reality. Those five thousand or so pilgrims who were with me can only hope that we may return and find the same balance in life next year.