Dekmantel Festival

Iconic moments

What makes for an iconic Dekmantel Festival moment? In anticipation of our #Dekmantel10 reveal—stay tuned!—we asked some of our regulars and team members to share their most memorable experiences from the past years.

"Perfect blend of uplifting but deep sometimes grimy house with some dancehall ragga in the end. Going from Chicago to Detroit to UK and Netherlands."

"Tzusing’s Greenhouse closing in 2019 was crazy, so inspiring, tempo switches and so many different genres all in one set, and it still makes so much sense."

"Personally, the opening concerts and the Thursday performances are the days that I remember the most. I've seen a lot of acts here for the first time and some of them were just incredible. Acts like Sunn O))), Andy Stott or Caterina Barbieri left a big impression on me. During the main festival I'm always very focussed on my own sets or I'm hanging out with loads of friends. I'd remember a few amazing DJ sets at the Selectors stage like Donato Dozzy in 2016 playing the best house and techno in a way only he can do, or the set by Lena Willikens in 2017 I also remember as one of my favourites that year.

However if I have to pick a favourite moment then it would probably be my own set at the Selectors stage in 2022. We had just come out of the pandemic, and I remember being more nervous than ever before. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to play in this set, and it was all about positive vibes and good energy. The sun was shining, and the energy at the Selectors stage was as magical as I remembered. Everything came together really well, and seeing my dad dancing in the front row with his arms in the air made it complete."

"First ever moment I was able to play after the pandemic, including so many songs of friends and people from abroad to try to fit it, listening back to it gives me a feeling of new beginnings."

"I'll go for Andrew Weatherall 2019. I think it perfectly captures the sound of one of the greatest musicians of our time. It's a totally timeless set because you can hear a specific sensitivity that has been passed on to the next generation of artists carrying his legacy."

"I will go for Aquarian at the UFO II in 2022. Having released two explendid EP's on our own record label, he knows how to get the dance floor going. That being said, although he had some issues with his usb before the start of his set, he managed to deliver. One hour of high energy and eclectic mixing!"

"During a festival production I don’t have a lot of time to see many performances so I have to choose my battles – and oh I was right with this one. In 2022 MC Yallah & Debmaster performed in the Greenhouse together and it was everything I hoped for it to be.

A fun note; they were delayed so they couldn’t soundcheck before the performance. You can hear MC Yallah soundchecking at the beginning of the recording, but she did it so smooth no one really noticed it."