Electronic Beats Festival Zagreb 2011 in review

A freezing Zagreb was the setting for the latest Electronic Beats Festival with Digitalism, Róisín Murphy, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and When Saints Go Machine all packed into the Tvornica Kulture centre. With crowds of people trying to get inside and excitement levels rising, we got the feeling that this was going to be an epic event.

After a short and energetic warm up by DJ Itch it was time for the evening to begin. First on stage were Croatian band How Convinient, after whom came When Saints Go Machine with their soaring, powerful electronic torch songs that were eagerly received by the crowd.

The moment many had been waiting for – Digitalism. Even cut down by one because of illness, the band appeared on stage, flanked by masses of equipment and got straight down to business. The next hour went past in something of a blur, with their hits from newest album I Love You Dude morphing into one big happy dance-athon. After closing their act with Pogo, it was time to cheer the headliner – Róisín Murphy.

Róisín Murphy was performing just a DJ set in Zagreb last night, but decided to give as much performance as she could muster – which was a lot. Giant screens with projections, booming bass and reworked versions of Moloko classics with Murphy singing live on top saw people really losing their minds (and feet) to the Irish singers surprisingly ghetto beats.

After the briefest of pauses after Róisín literally turned on the heat at the venue, it was time to move on and the last artist on stage was the irrepressible Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs with his fragile electro-pop and smart dance grooves. He was welcomed on stage like and old friend and the crowd danced along with his two showgirls cheering on stage. DJ Moz, Illectricity festival nucomer winner, had a chance to close the perfect Zagreb night.

Published November 26, 2011.