10 tracks that brought heat to Iceland’s Secret Solstice

Another necessary ID from King Kerri Chandler’s set was KiNK’s ‘Chorus’, released at the tail end of 2016 on Midnight Shift. Again though, what was equally brilliant as this track was Secret Solstice’s programming on the first night to kick off the festival. Truly legendary with Seth Troxler and The Black Madonna setting the tone before Kerri. Dance music was in high demand, considering the festival focuses on delivering sets from every genre. With late night showcases curated by Circoloco, The Warehouse Project, Anjunadeep and SCI+TEC, patrons got exactly what they needed. This first night delivered what to expect for the rest of the festival and the HEL stage proved to be a hedonistic haven that was bumping as hard as possible from start to finish.

When Windsmoke appeared on the festival schedule the name might have been unfamiliar to many, but upon closer examination you would find that it’s the collaborative project from UK mainstay Artwork and Justin Sloe of LA house collective Droog. The duo actually first came together at a Secret Solstice afterparty in 2015 and the long-awaited debut did not disappoint. Although the crowd was not as packed as the other stages, which hosted Foreign Beggars and Novelist, their set took us on an excursion through an eclectic array of house, disco, funk and deeper shades of dance music. A critical moment was when Artwork jumped off stage to lead a conga-line that snaked through with everyone attached as he lead us toward the front row in a spiral motion. It was a smart play to ignite the energy and the bright, positive nature of Ajukaja’s ‘Benga Benga’ captures the essence of the experience perfectly.