Lists
10 boutique festivals to hit this summer
From Bygrave Woods to Bulgaria
The Labyrinth
The long-standing Japanese festival has become an institution, with techno fans flocking from around the world to experience one of music’s best-kept secrets. Never a festival to cater to populist opinion, if you go to Labyrinth, you get what you’re given: one stage, impeccable Funktion One-powered sound, minimal lighting, some teepees and a tightly curated line-up. If anything, Labyrinth is really the opposite of what people think when they hear the phrase ‘boutique festival’. But with this year’s edition being downsized, we’re still slipping it onto this list for it’s intimate vibe. Originally starting out life in the late 90s as a Goa/psy-trance rave founded by American Russ Moench, the festival on the picturesque mountainside in Niigata, Japan features regular attendees Donato Dozzy, Peter Van Hoesen and Mathew Jonson in an “egoless” environment. They don’t just come, play and leave, it’s all about everyone immersing themselves in the experience.
Where: Niigata, Japan
When: September 16-18
Tickets: http://www.mindgames.jp/
Louis Anderson-Rich is Mixmag’s Digital Intern and you can follow him on Twitter. He is neither small nor fashionable
