Outlook Festival Details

Outlook is dedicated to electronic bass soundsystem culture, underground drum & bass, creative dancefloor music and a fusion of rhythmic reggae and ragga beats by the world’s top producers, DJs and MCs who mix the latest dubstep, techno, house, garage, hip-hop and grime on state-of-the-art equipment that pumps megawatts of sound through tunnels, dungeons and courtyards of an ancient fortification adapted as arenas, dancehalls and intimate rave-style party zones. With the allure of the old fort and its mysterious mood, the remarkable (albeit challenging) acoustic possibilities of the structures, and the sunny Adriatic seaside ambiance with sailboat parties, beachside chill-out bashes and rave-style debauchery, there’s no shortage of world-class digital sound masters vying to be part of the Outlook Festival lineup. And there’s no shortage of underground bass music fans dying to dance from dusk till dawn.

Bass, Reggae-Fusion, Dub-ska, Vintage Synth & Juke

The Outlook Festival lineup, which began in 2008 with the Gentleman’s Dub Club (who flavoured the inaugural events with their high-energy danceable, mosh-able, dub-ska & reggae style), has expanded to include headline acts such as the mega-dubstep duo Mala and Coki - Digital Mystikz of the DMZ label (also featured at Sonar Barcelona), as well as reggae-dub and dancehall king Capleton – The Prophet, and the harmonious bass-heavy creations of Simon Green famed as Bonobo / Barakas. The Outlook Festival line up in recent years has also featured innovators who collaborate jointly on projects such as Boddika (where Al Bleek & Kid Drama blended house-techno with drum-beats and vintage synths for pulsing underground dance music with hints of dub and juke). The festival has attracted BBC Radio 1 Benji B (also known for his Deviation Sessions club nights), as well as Oliver Dene Jones aka Skream and Loefah (alone and collaborating with Mala & Coki ) who is also a member of the DMZ record label and DMZ club night in Brixton.  The combined recording, mixing and innovating talent that comes together at Outlook makes up the digital who’s who of the UK’s electronic recording and clubbing world.

Halls, Tunnels, Dungeon & Pit

Each year, Outlook Festival, under the direction of Gentleman’s Dub Club vocalist Jonathan Scratchley, invites the crème-de-la crème of the clubbing, DJing and sound producing world, with literally hundreds of performers every season – some headlining on the giant open-air harbour stages, others MCing club-style boat parties and many in the narrow mysterious tunnels, dark grotty dungeon and stone-walled courtyards, or in the festival’s highlight zone - the circular pit which has been affectionately dubbed Noah’s Ballroom. But no matter if the sounds make ancient stone walls tremble or resonate over beaches and out to sea, there are always creators of sonic fusion with roots in reggae and dub on the lineup such as legendary reggae-dancehall musician Alberto D’Ascola - Alborosie, and pioneering dubstep maestro (known for his dub-reggae, grime and hip-hop remixes) Steve Goodman aka Kode9 of Hyperdub Records, and the award winning drum & bass duo who seem to know The Shape Of Things To Come - Calyx and TeeBee.

Stages, Boat Parties & Beach Chilling

The Outlook line up is spread over more than a dozen areas of the fort, the beach and the harbour, and many of the arenas, stages and boat parties are presented by UK clubs, clubbing event organizers, record labels and electronic producers such as DMZ, Exit Records, Critical Music, Hyperdub Records, Eglo Records, Metalheadz, Shogun Audio, Dispatch Recordings and other independent DJs, producers and recording labels. This means that each of the Outlook zones has it’s own sound, atmosphere and level of intimacy that ranges from cosy raves in the 100-meter Moat Arena, Noah’s Ballroom and Dungeon, to festival-style extravaganzas with light shows in the open-air Fort Arena with stages and club night events. There’s also Mungo’s Courtyard (yes, with a genuine Scottish Mungo’s Hi Fi sound system), a grassy/wooded area known as the Clearing (where small stalls exhibit bass music memorabilia), the Dockside zone (from where boats sail), a Harbour  Arena for live headline acts, plus the party boats themselves, 54 of them operating during 5 days, designed like intimate clubs with their respective DJs, sound systems and well-stocked bars, which sail around the bay of Petrčane. There are also daytime beach parties, tranquil seaside areas to relax and soak up rays with chilling sounds (such as those by chillstep producer Matt Preston – Phaeleh), as well as cycling, private boating activities and water sports including snorkelling, jet skiing, paragliding and cliff-jumping.

Outlook Pre-festival Parties & Concerts

Concerts officially start at midday on the first day and end in the wee hours of the morning on the last, but there are pre-festival beach parties that start several days before and are free to Outlook Ticket holders.

• Don’t miss the opening concert at the Roman amphitheatre in Pula.

• Discover the amazing Fort Punta Christo venue.

Promoter

NVS Promotions Limited / Jonathan Scratchley: 23 Sowood Street, Leeds, UK.