Electric Love Festival (ELF) took place from July 6th to 8th at the Salzburgring in Salzburg, Austria. Celebrating a decade of shows, the 10th edition of ELF consisted of five stages, camping on mountaintops, and incredible show elements and effects throughout the festival. Well over 100,000 attendees joined the excitement, including a completely sold-out final day on Saturday July 8th.
By John Zollars & Joe Roestler
Getting There
The location of ELF, Salzburgring, is around 30 minutes driving from the heart of Salzburg’s downtown. After getting off the main Austrian highway, most of the journey is on two-lane roads twisting around the beautiful Austrian countryside before you see signs marking where to park.
Before attending ELF, we drove from Munich’s airport in Germany south to Salzburg which (with traffic) took a couple hours. Unlike many festival-goers who choose to camp for the full weekend, we stayed with friends in Salzburg and at an Airbnb requiring us to commute to and from the Salzburgring each day. Fortunately, we only had issues with the traffic going to the festival on the final day as there was a mild car accident which blocked a lane going up the mountain.
At ELF, the main festival grounds are located at the base of a valley with the mountains for campgrounds on one side and the parking over the opposite mountains. We really appreciated being able to walk from the main stage at one end to the main hard dance stage at the other end in under 10 minutes time. In between these two largest stages were rows of food stalls, restrooms, and the other three stages.
Food and Drink
We were very impressed by the variety of food on offer at ELF and how you buy it. Unlike the token systems ubiquitous to Dutch parties, ELF allowed visitors to load their Euros onto their festival wristbands where the proper amounts are deducted per item purchased at food and drink stands. Even better, any unused Euros can be completely refunded to your bank after the festival making it much easier for us to load our bands up and use whatever we needed.
As non-German speakers, it could be a bit confusing at some stalls to order but the food itself was cooked and served up in quick order. The only disappointment was with some pizza we ate near the end of Day 2, something about the taste and crust consistency was just off to us!
One unique aspect of where ELF is based is the importance the company RedBull has to the region. RedBull’s headquarters are in Salzburg and the festival featured so many beverages, including limited seasonal energy drinks in addition to a full line of soft drinks known as RedBull Organics such as their own Cola, Lemon Bitters, Blood Orange, and Ginger Ale varieties. These (especially the seasonal energy drinks) really kept me going throughout each day!
Venue
Salzburg is a small city on the border of Germany with views of the Eastern Alps. A city rich in music history, including the home and birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg is in excellent standing to celebrate music from early classical sounds to chart-topping EDM hits alike. In addition to the core festival area located on the Salzburgring, there was one unique area available only to campers called the RedBull Organics Beach. Open from 12 to 6 PM, this pristine beach and lake environment was available for festival goers to relax by the sand and even go for a swim in some of the cleanest water Europe has to offer! It’s clear the ELF team have put considerable thought into improving the festival environment for visitors to have bonus reasons to come back.
Stages
Main
For a 10th anniversary celebration, the main absolutely did not disappoint. Designers for this one went back to the roots and the stage was made up of modular cubes that all came together in the shape of a heart (with spades on the sides). As each day progressed, more lights and special effects came to life and the stage’s capabilities was most put to the test during the opening and closing ceremonies. Not to be left out here was the incredible talent on display, featuring the best in dance music from Charlotte De Witte and W&W to Timmy Trumpet and Hardwell, with a dash of Scooter on top!
Hard Dance Factory
On the far opposite spot on the ELF grounds arose this mega structure depicting an urban backdrop with ELF-themed graffiti across it. The centerpiece of the stage, floating over the DJ decks themselves, was a large red robot reminiscent of the flying robot in Miyazaki’s classic film “Castle in the Sky”. Although we wish the Hard Dance Factory could have had some of its own fireworks, all other effects were on-point throughout the festival, such as CO2/confetti cannons and flamethrowers. A great variety of talent emerged on the Hard Dance Factory stage including long-time scene legends like Headhunterz and Gunz For Hire, summer party vibes in Da Tweekaz and Primeshock, and many more hot acts such as Sub Zero Project, Rebelion, Rooler, and Sefa.
Club Circus
If you’ve been to Defqon.1 this year, you may have checked out sets at the modern, solid-tent structures Indigo and Magenta had on offer. Club Circus felt exactly like these stages with the back of the stage completely open for plenty of fresh air and a more accessible walking experience. As for the visuals, this stage relied on a number of large and impressive LED screens which gave the area more of a luxury club feeling to it (hence the name!). Each day’s lineup varied a bit from hard techno Day 1 to a more dubstep-heavy lineup Day 2 and more of a mix on Day 3 (going more into hard techno beats by the closing sets).
Heineken Starclub
This one was for all lovers of German music (especially schlager)! The stage itself felt a lot like an amphitheater which was intentional for the hybrid purpose of the stage. Visuals were basic compared to the other stages. At times there was only one DJ playing and other times a group of MCs and rappers would come on stage to hype up the crowd.
Shutdown Stage
Shutdown Stage (named after another hardstyle festival in Austria called Shutdown) was a great second stage conveniently located near the Hard Dance Factory. The Shutdown Stage area had a very intimate feeling to it as it lacked the feeling of separation between the artist and the crowd you got at the three largest stages. However, we found that unless you stood in the areas closer to the Shutdown Stage, sound from the Hard Dance Factory easily leaked over. Nonetheless, we had a great time supporting acts across the spectrum of hard dance including Clockartz, Anderex, Crypton, and Angernoizer to name a few.
Other
Two very small stages to mention are the Blueboxx 90s Roller Disco, which we first mistook for a bumper cars area, and the well-hidden Biergarten. The Roller Disco looked like a blast for those with enough energy and balance to cruise around the arena to early dance hits. The Biergarten was surprisingly packed when we checked it out on Saturday with plenty of festival goers enjoying what the DJ had to spin.
Music
Headhunterz
Headhunterz’s stage presence was nothing short of magnetic, connecting effortlessly with the sea of partygoers before him.
Throughout the set, classic anthems intertwined with cutting-edge tracks, bridging the gap between nostalgia and innovation. The crowd’s unified chants echoed through the night, creating a sense of unity and shared passion for the hardstyle genre.
Miss K8
The visual production complemented the music perfectly, creating a dark and immersive atmosphere that mirrored the intensity of Miss K8’s beats. Strobes, lasers, and visuals synchronized flawlessly, amplifying the overall experience to new heights and complimenting the alpine mountains.
One of the highlights of the set was undoubtedly the showcase of Miss K8’s original productions and remixes. Her own tracks, such as “Up in Smoke” and “Raiders of Rampage,” sent shockwaves through the audience, and her remixes of classic hardcore anthems brought a nostalgic yet revitalized dimension to the performance.
Sefa
Sefa took the stage at Electric Love Festival and enchanted the audience with a performance that transcended the boundaries of traditional hard dance music. From the moment he began his set, it was evident that Sefa’s musical prowess went beyond the ordinary. Mixing classical instruments and orchestral arrangements with hard-hitting kicks, he crafted a one-of-a-kind experience that lived up to his reputation.
Sub Zero Project
As the set reached its peak, Sub Zero Project unleashed some of their most iconic tracks, including “The Conquerors” and “The Project,” igniting an explosive response from the crowd. The chants of their recognizable melodies reverberated throughout the festival, creating an electrifying moment of shared enthusiasm.
Sub Zero Project’s performance at Electric Love Festival was an unyielding display of raw power and musical prowess. Their ability to captivate the audience with their relentless energy, innovative sound design, and genuine connection with their fans solidified their position as true leaders in the hard dance scene. Their set will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the festival’s most exhilarating and unforgettable moments.