Buzzin Electronic Music

Electric Chair presents Manchester in Croatia

The Electric Elephant Mini Festival, Croatia
22-24 August 2008

The Electric Chair Club in Manchester first opened its doors in 1995, but unfortunately it closed them in January of this year.

Over the years the famous Manchester club has played host to an eclectic long list of top nights and top dj’s, including the likes of Unabombers, Mr Scruff, Mark Rae, Nightmares On WAx, Fabio, Andy Votel, Badly Drawn Boy, X-press 2, Ashley Beedle, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Norman Jay, Jazzie B, Larent Garnier, Giles Peterson, ACR and Hot Chip, to name a few.

The hitherto unexplored link between Manchester and Croatia is about to get a lot stronger as Manchester’s long-established and legendary club Electric Chair launches a three-day mini-festival in the gorgeous Croatian coastal village of Petrcane.

Electric Chair issued a final jolt in its former home, Manchester’s Music Box, in January 2008. Much missed in the city, this festival sees Electric Chair plugged in once more, albeit in a far more exotic location and with a wonderfully eclectic bill.

The organisers are promising “music, love, sun, liberation, escape, sex, togetherness and freedom,” and they’ve assembled an incredible line-up to help the hedonism along, enlisting some of the UK’s best leftfield promoters and music minds to curate their own stages. They are: Fence Collective, Red Bricks and The Local.

Confirmed live acts include Adem, King Creosote, Quiet Village, Liz Green, Superimposers, John Stammers and Magic Arm. They’ll be playing alongside a long list of incredible international DJs headed by Electric Chair’s Unabombers, with cutting edge house and dubstep from the hottest new talent Radioslave (Rekids), Benga (Tempa), Roland Appel(Innervisions) Zed Bias & Trusme (Prime Numbers), pyschedelic disco and cosmic bombs with Electric Chair heroes Idjut Boys, and Balearic oddball sunset bliss with Ibizan legend Alfredo. Along with Resident DJ’s from the UK’s finest clubnights including Lowlife, Horsemeat Disco, Aficionado and Homoelectric you have the best party hosts you could hope for!

Electric Elephant promises an intimate, exhilarating experience that’s quite unlike any of the UK fests. How and when you party will be up to you – there’ll be Balearic beach parties, futuristic beats in a crazy ‘70s-style club with an outdoor terrace, a moonlit outdoor stage for dreamy, psychedelic moments and a party boat promising “cosmic, spiritual, happy journeys across the sea.” You can even charter your own boat and set sail for the neighbouring islands.

Travelling to the festival couldn’t be easier, with three airports within a 2.5-hour drive from the site. The nearest airport, Zadar, is just a 20 minute cab ride away. Accomodation in Petrcane is plentiful, with cheaper hotels starting at around €10 at night and space for tents in the woods.

The weekender is child-friendly too. Guests at Petrcan’s Hotel Pinija have access to an awesome indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, crazy golf and volleyball courts, while the festival site has a small adventure playground and banana boating.

Petrcane itself is a heavenly, 900 year-old fishing village with a forested coastline on the Adriatic Sea. It promises great weather, great restaurants and plenty of fresh fish, fruit and local wine. “It’s a beautiful place,” say the organisers. “It’s enchanting… You’ll fall in love.”

Tickets are priced at £50 (group discount available – 6 for price of 5) and are available from Ticketweb.