EXIT Festival 2012 - 12th-15th July 2012 Return Flights to Belgrade from £150 see www.fly.co.uk

More than a decade of EXIT festival performers

2009 - 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Performer's quotes

“Sunday in Serbia was superb” Roddy Bottom, Faith No More

“Playing Exit Festival in Serbia tonight was surreal and powerful...man! THANK YOU!!!” Atari Teenage Riot

“IJust came off stage exit festival best show we've had in ages.” Gareth McGrillen, Pendulum

“Exit Festival was great! Thanks everyone.”South Rakkas Crew

“Thank you EXIT FESTIVAL, Thank you Serbia, Thanks you Novi Sad. That was pretty big." Brodinski

“Exit Festival was amazin, ended up wiv me, dyna, ms dyna, majestic and pay-foreign beggars playin. I love me job :)” Zinc

“Thanks @ExitLive, Serbia, you were AMAZING. Yop 5 gig of the year for me!” Laidback Luke

“Wow Novi Sad. Were there really 20,000 of you? Serbia linkes to funk" and "Goodbye Serbia, Exit Festival was a blast" Chromeo, on Twitter

“Exit Festival is one of the best festivals in the world”Erol Alkan

“Exit Festival - you are great!”Boys Noize

“WOW EXIT FESTIVAL WAS THE ISH!!! Dn't no wot time I reached bak2the hotelORhow the ? I'm up now!!!! Bigup majestic zinc, dynamiteMC&my DJ3x”MsDynamite on Twitter

Here's some of who played at the 2011 EXIT Festival

Pulp
Portishead
Arcade Fire
Nick Cave, Grinderman
Joris Voorn
Joachim Garraud
Tiga
James Zabiela
Gramophonedzie
Hadouken
Underworld
Beirut

EXIT FESTIVAL 2011 REVIEW

REPORT BY Marcus Barnes & Ben Rossington
This year’s Exit Festival was built on a line-up that the organisers had somehow procured from my brain and transplanted on to the internet for all to see. It literally screamed out at me to make a return pilgrimage (for my third consecutive year) and so, I had no choice but to book my trip and head back to Novi Sad – a town that has managed to steal my heart and make me feel like one of its own every year I’ve been there.
Breakdown of the acts the biggest festival in south-east Europe.
NIGHT 1:
As you may expect from an opening night EXIT FESTIVAL pulled out the big guns to really set the whole long weekend off with a bang… literally. Just before Jarvis Cocker ambled on to the stage in his faux-awkward-yet-somehow-uninhibited manner a surprise fireworks display happened right over the main stage. To the usual chorus of ‘oooos’ and ‘aaaahs’ a kaleidoscope of colourful explosions filled the sky. “Welcome to EXIT FESTIVAL” I thought….
House Of Pain: It’s safe to say that a large percentage of people at the festival only knew House Of Pain for one song, the ridiculously infectious Jump Around. The same applies to myself, so when we got to the Fusion Stage and heard some kind of folk rock blaring out (yet a huge crowd) there was an air of confusion as to whether it really was the Irish-American group or whether the band before had overrun. The last song put our minds at ease and our legs into pogo-mode… it was House Of Pain and Jump Around was what Ben, myself and the rest of gathered crowd had been waiting for. ODD.
Pulp: While they’re not exactly my cup of tea, when Pulp were at the height of their fame, they were pretty inescapable and, as a result, I know a few of their songs. They created anthems that became part of popular culture, anthems with credibility. So this was a great trip down memory lane for me. Jarvis Cocker was born to entertain, with a bunch of cheesy jokes up his sleeve… (Midway through he stops and asks the audience how they manage to find the way when there are signs saying ‘EXIT’ everywhere)… and those oh-so-seductive dance moves.
Magnetic Man: Now, as a music journalist, Magnetic Man became one of my key acts to follow and write about last year mainly because I was a dubstep fan way before it hit the mainstream. So, I’ve seen them a fair few times already and knew what to expect. What really embellished this viewing is the fact that most of the thousands of fans gathered at the Main Stage had never seen them live, so it was almost like seeing them for the first time all over again. Skream was absent from proceedings as his girlfriend was on the verge of giving birth (which she has now, to little Jessie Jones) – but Artwork and Benga still entertained Exit Festival with a ferocious, and occasionally gentle, performance with MC Pokes keeping everyone bouncing, plus a special appearance from one of grime’s brightest prospects P Money. Special mention has to go out to Benga for singing through a vocoder, brilliant.
Deadmau5: The man who many of the locals refer to as Deadmau-Five was already deep into his set by the time we arrived in the eternally awe-inspiring Dance Arena. Captivating the huge crowd, 90% of whom, it seemed, had red mouse masks on, with some deep atmospheric techno. As the sun began to creep up slowly over the Dance Arena, he changed the pace, stepping up the momentum with some angry dubstep – the US kind of dubstep, lots of twisted screeching noises and wobbly, hard hitting basslines.
James Zabiela: Having seen James Zabiela play out in Miami earlier this year, I knew what to expect – yet he still managed to surprise me and fill me full of energy for the duration of his hour and a half set at Exit Festival which felt like an intensive work out at the gym. Zabiela is the DJ world’s equivalent of Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout, bouncing around constantly behind the decks and appearing to genuinely enjoy what he’s doing. A personal highlight for me was an edit of Goldie’s Inner City Life that sent shivers down my spine. Absolutely amazing, particularly with the sun rise almost reaching its peak.
Joris Voorn: As explained in my introduction, the Exit Festival line up this year was absolutely spot on – there aren’t many places in the world, outside of Ibiza, where you can see three world-class DJs like Deadmau5, Zabiela and Joris Voorn one after the other in the same night. Although Joris is relatively new to me, his standing within the global dance music scene is undisputed – the man is a DJ powerhouse and he proved that with an energetic, yet varied set that oozed class throughout. A funky mix of Prince’s When Doves Cry somehow sat perfectly in between all the house and techno beats. Refreshing.
NIGHT 2:
Maya Jane Coles: Opening her set to a relatively empty Dance Arena (Editors had the lion’s share of the Exit Festival crowd on the Main Stage), Maya eased everyone in with some sublime rolling house beats, it was akin to a warm welcoming hug. This was her debut at the festival and she handled it like a pro, as you’d expect from someone who has been honing their craft for eight years already. Her technical precision behind the decks was a marvel to behold and the slightly subdued Dance Arena soon began to fill out with faithful electronic music lovers and possibly a fair few stragglers too. Two-thirds of the way in, Maya picked up the pace and from then on pushed the tempo up further keeping the crowd on their toes in anticipation of Underworld.
Underworld: This was Underworld’s second appearance at Exit Festival and, after their recent hiatus, they were back with a storming performance as we’d anticipated. Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have three decades worth of experience in making and presenting their music to the masses and much of their music has been produced with the intention of getting a large number of people to dance in unison. With mic man Darren Price providing the link between Underworld’s almost faceless set up and the Dance Arena, what we witnessed was arena dance music at its peak. Thumping beats, spectacular visuals and Darren’s ever-present voice combined to create one of the festival’s best moments. Closing with Born Slippy was a foregone conclusion but when it came in, it was met with the united roar of 10,000 or more joyous revellers.
Alexander Robotnick: Way up high within the Petrovoradin Fortress lies the Elektrana Stage where, as the name suggests, you can find an assorted array of music with a distinctly electro foundation. Alexander Robotnick, a man who appears to be in his early 50s at the very least, commanded the Elektrana Stage with panache. Working his way through a collection of techno-influenced, electro house he closed with You Spin Me Round by Dead Or Alive, an absolute classic eighties anthem. One which had everyone up and dancing, a testament to Alexander’s performance was the dispersal of the crowd the minute his set finished. You had to feel sorry for the poor guy who had to play after him.
S.P.Y and MC Stamina: Drum n Bass was one of my first real loves as far as music is concerned. I spent the best part of my teenage years addicted to the music, as I’ve matured my musical preferences have changed but DnB will always have a special place in my heart. So I dedicated some time to this set which took place on the EXIT FESTIVAL main stage – fortunately for me S.P.Y opted to play a lot of the tunes that were out when I was still into the music, a highly enjoyable performance and Stamina on the microphone was a perfect compere.
tINI: In the Dance Arena Marco Carola was just finishing up as his Desolat label mate tINI jumped on to the decks. After staying until the festival closed on the first night, I told myself I would’t do it again, “I need to be up early and on the beach tomorrow” I said. But this promise was soon forgotten as tINI launched into her special blend of techno and house. The magic of the Dance Arena is hypnotic, particularly when the sun rises. As the beats grew more intense, my inability to leave the Dance Arena increased – finally she closed her set and the loyal 300 or 400 ravers who were still left refused to leave, demanding one more song. tINI obviously wanted to oblige but time restrictions meant she couldn’t, despite a protest from the exit festival goers that lasted at least ten minutes
NIGHT 3:
Jamiroquai: Jay Kay and his group are definitely the musical equivalent of Marmite – they really are loved and hated in equal amounts. In Serbia they are loved, which was clearly evident by the wall of people we encountered as we tried to make our way to the front of the Main Stage. The festival’s largest crowd by far had amassed for Jay Kay’s brand of funky pop music. And he put in a sterling display, modestly thanking the crowd after every song. There were no surprises, but their back catalogue is so strong there was no need to pull anything special out of the bag.
Fedde Le Grand: One of the only dance DJs we saw who had an MC/hype man with him and it worked. Reminiscent of the old school days of call-and-response, Fedde Le Grand’s set was interspersed with calls of “Put your hands up…. Put your hands up..” in reference to his dance smash Put Your Hands Up For Detroit. Sadly for some that track was never played, however he more than made up for it with a set that was both hard and full of funk. This was not a warm up for Groove Armada, Fedde was a law unto his own and made sure he destroyed the Exit Festival Dance Arena during his performance.
Groove Armada: Taking their new Redlight project on the road, Groove Armada are hitting festivals around the world with a DJ set rather than a straight up live performance. With as many years on the scene as these guys have it goes without saying that their choice of music was perfect, taking Fedde Le Grand’s lead and following up with a set that matched his tune for tune.
Mishu Mitsubishi: Back to the Exit Festival Elektrana Stage after the impressive performance by Alexander Robotnick the previous night. This time Mishu Mitsubishi was behind the decks, playing the stage’s closing set – and, again, electro-based music was on the menu. A superlative set kept a small gathering of people glued to the Elektrana Stage as the sun rose over the fortress. Most of the crowd looked like they’d just stepped off a direct flight from Shoreditch, but there was none of the snobbery or pretentiousness you might expect in London. Instead everyone was united in glee as Mishu finished up with Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode. Cliched to say it, but it was a spine-tingling moment.
Better Lost Than Stupid: Individually Davide Squillace, Martin Buttrich and Matthias Tanzmann are well-respected DJs within their own right. Only recently they decided to combine their talents for the Better Lost Than Stupid project. Simply put, they are a force to be reckoned with once the trio is assembled behind the wheels of steel. This was widely acknowledged as one of the best sets of the festivals by all who witnessed it – slick, professional and consistently in tune with the feeling of the crowd and surrounding environment throughout.
EXIT FESTIVAL FINAL NIGHT:
Portishead: This west country group amassed what appeared to be the second biggest crowd at Exit Festival, after Jamiroquai. Now, although I’m a big fan of their music, I would much rather have seen them in a smaller more intimate setting – but that’s just my personal preference. However, there’s no denying that the emotion conveyed in their music goes down well whether they’re playing to 10 people or 10,000 people, as I witnessed on day 4 of the festival.
Steve Aoki: Having heard glowing reports about this LA-based DJ I was intrigued to see how his set would play out, and knowing the people who’d reported back to me I had a feeling I might not like him. However, Aoki proved that a set consisting of loud abrasive dance music played by a DJ who showboats more than Keith Flynt from The Prodigy can be very entertaining. One thing’s for sure, he kept me dancing and dancing until the legend that is David Rodigan blessed the Main Stage…
David Rodigan: A master of his craft in every sense of the word, David Rodigan may look old and past it to some but he has the heart of a lion and the energy of someone four times his junior. Combine these attributes with a record box full of precious reggae gems and an ability to educate without being patronising and you’ve got yourself a one-of-a-kind DJ who rocks crowds from Jamaica to Scotland and all around Europe. Rodigan is a must see for anyone who’s heard of him at any event he plays at. To call him a living legend is an understatement.
Rebel Rave: As a huge fan of Seth Troxler and his contemporaries, this was probably the most highly anticipated performance of the festival for me. So, as Rodigan finished, I made a beeline for the Dance Arena and arrived five minutes into the Rebel Rave set. Jamie Jones and Damien Lazarus completed the threesome on the huge Dance Arena stage and blessed the sunkissed ravers with some sublime tech house with a thick thread of acid woven all the way through. Maceo Plex’s Can’t Leave You was a high point during a set that provided a neat, chilled out climax to exit festival.
Marcus Barnes & Ben Rossington

2010

The Chemical Brothers, Faith No More, Mika, Klaxons, Placebo, Missy Elliott, David Guetta, Pendulum Live, Ricardo Villabos,

LCD Soundsystem, Röyksopp, Chromeo, Crystal Castles, Suicidal Tendencies, The Exploited, Klaxons, Ricardo Villalobos, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, The Horrors, Yeasayer, Cathedral, Behemoth, DJ Shadow, Bad Brains, Ms Dynamite, Miike Snow, Moderat live, Josh Wink, Crookers, Laidback Luke, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Erol Alkan, SebastiAn, Brodinski, Busy P, DJ Mehdi, Rui Da Silva, Dirty South, Riva Starr, We Have Band, Midnight Juggernauts, DJ Zinc & Dynamite MC, DJ Friction & MC I.D, Lollobrigida, Black Rose (Jesse Rose & Henrik Schwarz), Obojeni Program, The Twelves, Jamaica, Ritam Nereda, Juvelen, Hudson Mohawke, Ost & Kjex live, Solomun, Joker, D-Bridge, Breakage & Stamina MC, London Elektricity & MC Wrec, Foreign Beggars, DJ Randall & MC Moose, Mistajam & MC Majestic, Plastician, DJ Chef & MC Flowdan, South Rakkas Crew feat. Serocee & Lady Chann, Zombie Disco Squad, Al & The Blackcats, Antenat, Arigo Pentrado, Ashen Epitaph, Awaiting Fear, Bambi Molesters, B King + Andrea, Bombarder, Bonaparte, Caligari, Clark, Cinnaman, Concrete Sun, Consecration, Citizen X, Dargoron, Dead Trash + Frajle, D-Bridge, Decapitated, Decontrolled, Direct Control + Kalson, Disdained, Dozer, Dr Vokoder, Elvis Jackson, Ex Deo, Gemmy & MC Nomad, Grasshopper, G.U.B., Help Me Jones, High Control, Hitman, Instra:mental & MC:SP, Joker, Ida Engberg, I Divine, If Senses Fear, the Inspector Cluso, Inje, In From the Cold, Iva Starkova, Jonty Skrufff & Fidelity Kastrow, Juha, Kawasaki 3p, Killo Killo, Koh, Kolaps, , L-Vis 1990, MAD Goya, Metatron, Murder, Moment of Clarity, Papercutz, Petrol, Pinch, Punished, Radiolokator, Retro + Vito,  Romantic Jurgen, Rustie, Samrt, S.A.R.S., Sexy Sushi, Shortpant Romance, SMUT, SOK 91, Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team, Spaceeater, Starsmith, Stereo Addiction, Stuttgart Online, Sweet Sorrow, The Gaslamp Killer, The Good Guys Live, Tamerlan, Tide, Tibia, Tim Exile, Trance Balkan Desorganisation, To Moj Tim, Too Young To Love, Toy Corner, Tesla Boy, Vehementer, Veliki Prezir, Vox Populi, Welicoruss, Wannabe A Star, Zea

2009
10TH ANNIVERSARY

Moby, Patti Smith, Chase & Status, Lily Allen, Madness, The Prodigy, Arctic Monkeys, Manic Street Preachers, Kraftwerk, Korn, Carl Cox  Green Velvet, Eric Prydz  Adam Beyer, Sasha  John Digweed, James Zabiela Nic Fanciulli, Steve Lawler Lee Burridge, Richie Hawtin  Dubfire, Heidi  Justin Martin, Loco Dice Magda, Steve Angello Sebastian Ingrosso, Kissy Sell Out Alex Metric, Tayo  Hannah Holland, Sander Kleinenberg Darren Emerson, Paul Woolford  Yousef, Reboot LIVE!, Gui Borrato LIVE!, Etienne De Crecy LIVE!, Japanese Popstars LIVE!, ReWire DJ's

2008

2ManyDJ's, Audion, Axwell, Bad Copy, The Bellrays, Ben Watt, Booka Shade, Claude VonStroke, Deep Dish, Dillinja, DJ Hype, Francois K, Capybara, Gentleman & The Far East Band, Gogol Bordello, Gossip, High Contrast, The Hives, Juliette and the Licks, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Laurent Garnier, Let 3, Lollobrigida Girls, Manu Chao, Miguel Migs feat. Lisa Shaw, Ministry, Moomin, N.E.R.D, Nightwish, NOISIA, Paul Weller, The Presets, Primal Scream, Roni Size, Sex Pistols, Sham 69, Shy FX & MC:SP, Soulwax, Sven Väth,Tiamat, Tiga, Tom Novy, Zdob ?i Zdub

Only made the Happy Novi Sad stage once, for Brodinski - who was class by the way. Although the same can't be said for the mob who played after him - WTF? Anyone else catch it? Embarassing.

All in all, top time and apart from Chems sound issues a pretty flawless weekend. More please!

Good review, LCD opened well, loved Blackrose's set, must of only been a couple of hundred left for it. Friday was by far the best day, Moderat, Josh Wink setting it up nicely, Villalobos was tremendous and Marco Nastic finished it off nicely.
Saturday was hard work, Ost and Kjex were pretty good, Laidback Luke and Guetta brought the idiots out the woodwork though the dance arena was a breaking point, the long wait was worth it as Solomun rocked it till close...........hopefully they wise up and keep the mainstream nonsense to the main stage in future

Had an amazing time though
amazingamazingamazing. I am in love iwth this festival shall defienetly be going again next year.
A VERY HAPPY EXIT FESTIVAL BUNNY

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