Dekmantel is the festival that always gets it so right

Dixon - Main Stage, Saturday

Everyday at around 8/9pm you're faced with the hardest choice of all: who the fuck do you finish your day with? There are some big decisions to be made. Do you opt for the sweaty, techno cathedral of the UFO tent? The hedonistic and serene Selectors stage with the Greenhouse 30 seconds away? What about the Boiler Room so your choice is streamed live across the world? For us it's kind of a no-brainer as the Dekmantel main stage is one of the most visually astounding and eye-popping areas of Europe's festival circuit, let alone just the event. Dixon was closing proceedings and he's a choice that splits festival-goers down the middle. For some, his melodic, emotive style is something they've seen a million times before while for others he's the absolute must-see of the weekend. We thought it only right to go and see what the world-conquering German had prepared for Dekmantel, after-all, he'd supplied us with some truly ethereal moments over the years. Luckily, he absolutely spanked it. He played a lot harder than usual, with 40-minute periods of techno-inclined rippers, like the yet-to-be released Eagles and Butterflies track that had the Identification of Music Group on Facebook in disarray. He of course played some long, drawn-out tracks with zippy melodies but then what Dixon set would be complete without that. The pulsating, retina-burning display behind the main-man was enough to make the vast majority of the crowd come-up almost instantly and also in unison. A powerful stage, a powerful set and a powerful, powerful DJ.

Palms Trax - Main Stage, Sunday

Sunday is always a different vibe at Dekmantel, as is the case with most festivals. You've had two, maybe three days of heavy-duty partying and Amsterdam isn't the most forgiving of locations when it comes to hangovers. That being said. it was crucial that whoever we saw at the start of the day got the balance right. The audience needed something easy on the ears to soothe and calm the queasiness but at the same time, it needed to be uplifting enough to inspire an energetic start to the day. Our first encounter of the main stage was with Palms Trax, the UK producer who's steadily making waves as a selector who can cater to any crowd at any time. His daytime session was simply beautiful. An array of soul classics, disco rollers and grooves that'll make your heart melt. There are too many tracks for us to pick as a highlight but 'Closer' by Project Pablo hit the sweet spot. We can't not mention that he played 'Brooklyn' by Kerri Chandler, 'E-Versions' by Kahn (a tantalisingly good edit of 'I'm Every Woman by Chaka Kahn) and of course 'Music Sounds Better With You' by Stardust, a perfectly deployed party trick that had everyone singing-along. A brief encounter with the DJ outside the toilets shortly after his set revealed that he nearly had a technical breakdown that would have resulted in no music at all. Luckily it was saved and the audience was none the wiser, in fact they were glistening with happiness.