Well, that was a weekend and a half
It started at 3.40am on saturday when my alarm went off and I was on the road just after 4. 90 miles later i'm at stansted airport checked in for my 7am flight and as excited as a child on xmas morning
After a quick nap on the plane and an even quicker bus journey i'm in Eindhoven and on my way to the Pink coffeeshop to get the weekend started. The only problem is that it's only 9.30am and it's shut so I reluctantly head for my hotel to get ready for the long day ahead.
I catch the 12 o'clock bus from the hotel which i'm amazed to find is free (you wouldn't see that in England) and there is a huge cheer as we pass the festival site from the motorway. After some serious powerwalking through the forest i'm at the gate and meeting up with DJS1 and Amber for the first time. We head in through the E-friends gate whereupon i'm stopped by the security guard (who looks about 14) and told that i've got too much weed on me (I have about 3g and 3 ready rolled joints). He decides that I have to give up one of my joints because "it's the rules" although I think that it was either because he didn't want foreigners smoking all the weed or he'd forgotten to get his own in the morning. Either way he was a cheeky bastard but I was in and ready to party!
First stop was the lakeside stage where Lucien Foort was warming up the sizable crowd. We decided to do a tour of the site and spent a few minutes at each stage catching Nick-k, Shinedoe and John Acquaviva along the way. The only stage we didn't make it to was the main one as there was some major gridlock at the entrance and this was pretty much my only complaint about the whole day. It was a bit of a chore trying to get between some of the stages at times but I suppose that's to be expected at big events like this. We made our way back to the lakeside for Kosmas Epsilon, who was very impressive, and it was nice to sit by the beach and chat to a few people. Everyone I spoke to was very friendly but they all asked me what I was doing there which seemed a strange question
The crowd was gathering for Desyn but I took half an hour to go and see Steve Angello at the futurefunk stage (which was probably the most impressive stage in terms of decor and layout imo) and he was excellent and got the large crowd going. The same could be said of Desyn who was on the money right from the start and it was during his set that I managed to meet up with a few GC members including Jerry. We headed over to the Garden for Remy but there was an echo or sound delay at this stage which meant that unless you stood right in front of one of the speaker stacks you got double beats. He got off to a bad start but soon found his flow and we enjoyed most of his set from the edge of the arena in the shade by the fence.
I spent a lot of time heading back and forth getting drinks and it was on one of these trips that I made it to the mainstage for the first time. Dr Lectroluv was playing and whilst his music was impressive, I was more impressed by the fact that he didn't pass out from the heat by wearing a suit and face mask!!
I don't really listen to a lot of techno but I wanted to catch some at Extrema so we went to the dome for the Collabs session and it was a good choice as Speedy J and Chris Liebing were superb. The first half an hour was a lot funkier than I expected but it was soon time to head back to the lakeside for Steve Lawler who, like many on here, I thought was the highlight of the night. I probably watched more of his set than any other DJ and that was due to a combination of the excellent music and great atmosphere in the arena.
The remainder of the night was a bit of a blur but we caught a bit of Deep Dish, Misstress Barbara (my 2nd favourite DJ of the night) and 16 Bit Lolitas. Arriving fashionably late, Sasha started off with the usual 'atmospheric' intro but we lost interest after half an hour and it was time to make the final walk of the day over to the lakeside for Dave Seaman. Most of the crowd were now sitting around the beach but that didn't stop the few who were having it to Dave's driving prog, including some nutters who were jumping on the boards on the left hand side of the arena in time to the music, oblivious to the fact that they were in danger of going through and having a late night swim!
I stood on the platform in front of the futurefunk stage for the end of Erick-E but I couldn't really see or tell what was going on with the grand finale. The fireworks were nice though and my general feeling was that a lot of effort and thought had gone into the festival as a whole in order to make it a great experience. Many of the people I spoke to asked me what the festivals were like in England and my reply was that they were alright but just consisted of a load of big tents in a field. The decor in every arena was excellent and I loved the random stuff around the site like the beds near the futurefunk stage and the pink and yellow seats everywhere. Extrema was as much a visual experience as an aural one that is something that the English festivals lack. They think that throwing up a few banners and a laser in a big circus tent with some superstar DJ's will suffice but there's a lot more that can be done to make it an enjoyable experience. The setting was breathtaking and it was amazing to look across the site from the mainstage as the sun went down, watching all the mayhem unfold! The weather was obviously a huge bonus too as I don't think it would have been the same if it had have been cold or raining. As for the women, I don't think i've seen that many fit and scantly clad ladies in one place
In summary:
+ Lawler, Collabs session, Misstress Barbara, Desyn and Seaman.
+ The amazing venue
+ Loud soundsystems
+ Decor of the arena's
+ Being able to smoke weed without worrying about getting arrested
+ Friendly crowd
+ Great company
+ Gorgeous women in bikinis
- Congestion between the stages
- Having to pay for the toilet (well, I didn't have to but that should be included in the price for everyone)
- Getting one of my joints confiscated
All in all an amazing festival that I will hopefully make it back to next year. Thank you for having me
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