The first edition of Pitch was the perfect festival debut

Fatimha Yamaha, Béton Brut, Sunda: Fatimha Yamaha played 2am-3am on Sunday after Gerd Janson and there were some bodies understandably starting to feel the weight of gravity after partying all day and half the night. But the stage was full at 3am as a still up-for-it crowd eagerly awaited the emotion-laced synths of the Dutch artist’s resurgent classic ‘What’s A Girl To Do’ at the end of his stunning live set. Béton Brut was permeated by pink for one of those festival-and-life-affirming moments, which was spoken about as the highlight of the four days by many afterwards. Hands in the air, people on shoulders and pure bliss as bright lights turned out towards a dancefloor full of ear-to-ear smiles. Equally impressive was the closing energy of ‘Araya,’ Yamaha’s latest release on Dekmantel, which brought the night to a powerful crescendo and drew the curtains on the first full day and night of the festival, by the end of which Pitch had really found its soul.

Henrik Schwarz, Béton Brut, Sunday: Sunday was more or less an Innervisions takeover of the main stage with Âme and Dixon playing three hours each with Recondite in between. Up first though, was Henrik Schwarz from 12.30pm and, kindly, Mother Nature had pulled herself together after persistent rain the night before. The sun was shining bright for Schwarz’s live one-and-a-half-hour-long set and the ambience was perfect for his blend of melodic techno tinged in places with African rhythms and vocals, including his mix of ‘Ene Nyame ‘A’ Mensuro' by Ebo Taylor & Pat Thomas, and 'Kuar' by South Sudanese-Canadian musician Emmanuel Jal. Bright attire stood out against the blue sky as the crowd shook off any lingering partying-induced shackles from the night before to the exotic rhythms and charismatic back and forth male and female vocals of the latter, from the 'Kuar' EP, released on Innervisions in 2010, ahead of another huge day of music.