As the winner of 2013’s “Best New European Festival” award, the second-annual B.my.Lake Festival kicks off with high expectations this afternoon on the property of the Club Aliga holiday village in Balatonvilágos (formerly an upscale vacation destination for politicians and dignitaries during Hungary’s communist era, with guests including Fidel Castro and Yuri Gagarin). From August 18-22, a beautiful panorama over Lake Balaton serves as the backdrop for over 130 DJs playing epic electronica amid sprawling lawns where swimsuit-clad crowds lounge between refreshing dips in the “Hungarian Sea”.
Located at Lake Balaton’s easternmost shore, the B.my.Lake Festival is quite close to Budapest, and can be easily reached by several modes of transportation. For fun-loving folks who’ve survived the Sziget Festival, the easiest option is to take one of the direct shuttle buses departing from the Sziget grounds or downtown Pest’s Nyugati Railway Station. Also, direct train service to Balatonvilágos is offered from Buda’s Déli Railway Station, departing every day at 8am, noon, 2:05pm, 4:05pm, 6:05pm, 8pm, and 9:40pm (check out www.mav-start.hu for more details).
Driving from Budapest to Balatonvilágos is fairly straightforward – take motorway M7 west of Buda until reaching the intersection with main road 71, which also leads directly to central Balatonvilágos and Club Aliga, with plenty of signage posted to help lead the way.
Check out www.bmylake.hu for complete English-language information about the B.my.Lake Festival and ticketing, and here are some details about some of the premier performers who will send blasts of sound across the lake all week long.Marcel DettmannAugust 19 (Tuesday night), 01:45am: B Stage
Berghaim is heaven for fans of rough, rugged, and raw techno; Marcel Dettmann is one the residents of this club. This and the fact that most of his stuff was released through the cultic techno label Ostgut Ton should be enough to make you interested about this Berliner. Dettmann pours Detroit’s oil into European engines, puts British bass music under the control of Chicago’s very own Jack, cuts classics with abstract nuances, and connects yesterday with tomorrow and today. If you are interested in both the past and the future of the genre, don’t miss this set!Andrey PushkarevAugust 20 (Wednesday), 4pm: My Stage
If you are familiar with Deepmix Moscow Radio (deepmix.ru), you already know what you can expect from this fresh-faced Russian DJ. Yes, hypnotic dub techno-deep house seances, where the only thing that matters is the chilling vibe you get from the music. Just like the best DJs, he only spins vinys, opting for the quality of sound and the variety of material provided by his collection. Not to mention that he sometimes plays for more than five or six hours… L.A.S.August 21 (Thursday), 2pm: Akvárium Stage
Jacek Lachowicz really wants his new solo project, L.A.S., to be described beyond the context of his earlier work. He doesn’t want us to talk about his old band Scianka, for example. So we won’t talk about it, because L.A.S. is an interesting project all by itself, one that combines poppy lightness with astute lyrics. Lachowicz wraps it all up in the sounds of analog and occasionally slightly retro synthesizers. L.A.S. is an expression of Jacek’s long-dormant fascination with electronic music. It will give you something to both think about and dance to.The MagicianAugust 21 (Thursday), 10:30pm: My Stage
Everywhere The Magician goes, there’s music in the air. People come under his spell and dance like there’s no tomorrow. Lost in a purple haze, transfixed in a flurry of white doves. He makes clubbers float through disco heaven and takes them around the house on a magic-carpet ride. Behind his green translucent eyes, there’s an unlimited knowledge of the musical past, present, and future. He could even transform Lykke Li’s ballad into an easy-hearted Italio-disco banger. Forget about Harry Potter and Merlin – the only dancefloor wizard you need to know is him!Kollektiv Turmstrasse August 21 (Thursday night), midnight: My Stage
The Hamburg/Berlin duo Kollektiv Turmstrasse (Christian Hilscher and Nico Plagemann) is one of those rare acts with music catering for both body and soul. Their cinematic take on 4/4 electronica has won praise from all quarters via releases on Diynamic, Connaisseur, and their own Musik Gewinnt Freunde imprint. Their sense of emotion – informed by their upbringing on Germany’s visually arresting Baltic Sea coast – lends their productions human warmth, allowing them to slot effortlessly into both club- and home-listening scenarios. Don’t expect this show to go down without dancing.
