Last weekend, the long-awaited electronic music festival Into the Valley took place in Rummu quarry. The organizers are from Sweden and are gathered under the name of Music Goes Further. The previous venue for the festival was an Amphitheater in the former limestone quarry in Dalhallas, Sweden. As the initiator of the festival, Mattias Hedlund has said, the goal of the festival is to create a 100% comprehensive experience from the beginning to the end and to maintain an equally high level not only musically but also in everything else. He adds that visitors should experience something new each and every time, as choices of music and experiences are made according to the country and the environment in which the event is organized. Thus, collaboration with local artists was also carried out in Estonia, and local food could be enjoyed at the festival venue.
So how did the organizers manage with offering such comprehensive experience? I drove to the festival knowing that there was no security company and the police did not approve the event. I also heard the news that the stages had not been set up two hours after the beginning of the festival, which meant that it was necessary to take into account the possible delay in the musical program. On arrival, however, there were a lot of happy people around, and instead of a security company, the police were patrolling that evening.
Music. The list of foreign musicians was long and awe-inspiring. There was Jeff Mills who is considered one of the most brilliant DJs and techno producers around the world and who began his career already in 1984; RicardoVillalobos whose inexhaustible creativity and innovation, as well as his unfailing feel for the crowd, make him an outstanding artist in the world of contemporary electronic music, and Nina Kravitz who is well known for her musically uncompromising energetic DJ performances. (Excerpts are from the website of the festival.) Sadly I didnt actually see any of them at the festival. However, I enjoyed enormously Cobblestone Jazz who made a live show and offered a tremendous pleasures with its dulcet exceptionality, combining various jazz-like elements with electronic rhythm; Kim Ann Foxman whose brother we got to know (or at least that what he told us), and Swedish DJ Axel Boman who got the crowd dancing in front of the beach stage early in the Sunday morning.
Among the musicians, the presence of local DJs was considerably smaller than that of foreigners. In addition to the different world-famous and recognized DJs, there were only Kask, Nikolajev, Ellen Vene and Artur Lääts. I myself think that the number of local DJs could have been bigger as there are so many great record magicians in Estonia who would have also been able to get the crowds to the dance floor. My favorite local party series is Syncretism where Mava, 1212a, Marcel Düšess and Nebukat are playing.
Art. From various walls, mural walls and interior spaces, you could find a variety of exciting viewings. There was street art, installations, video art in the form of live visuals as well as some constantly playing loops, and it was all created especially for the festival. It surely made the festival experience much happier and more colorful! On a number of occasions, I found myself peeking into the old house with no doors or windows, where there were small rooms with different video installations. I also enjoyed the gigantic mural paintings, and when on the second day the wooden installation of Estonian artists was placed beside the mountain stage, I immediately went to sniff it and I was not disappointed! It smelled really great like wood always smells!
Represented Estonian artists were graphic designer Viktor Gurov (video installation), street artists Jamel and Neki (wall painting), installation artists Sille Pihlak and Siim Tuksam (wooden installation), Anne Vingisar and Liisa Valdmann (pyramidal installations) and VJ Alyona Movko (video art).
But how did I like the festival? I liked it, but there were too many factors that caused discomfort, so it was hard to find something new and enlightening for myself and to enjoy the festival more. I am an introvert who is looking for some contact points from the outside world and this time I didn’t find many.
