Crack

Sunday sees tentative figures creeping gingerly from their chalets way after daylight had passed. Poor buggers, us included.

Connan Mockasin proves an ideal tonic, his delicate vocals and dreamy melodies rounded out beautifully by an expanded live set-up and a heftier sound. A loosely structured and seemingly spontaneous extended set-closer adds a weight of percussion barely hinted at on record, and is just lovely.

While certain artists can translate effortlessly to any setting, it’s difficult to appreciate the hazy pop jams of Toro y Moi when you’re about as far from blissful sunshine as possible. Opener New Beat bubbles along nicely, but from then on it’s hard work. The legendary Sun Ra Arkestra provide ample spectacle and lunacy alongside their far-reaching, freeform jazz. A gathering of men of a certain age clad in the most wonderfully garish stage outfits you're likely to see, with a taste for the celestial and seemingly having the best time ever; what's not to love? Later, Junior Boys prove a disappointment, something which may or may not be attributed to the fact that main man Jeremy appears deliriously unwell.

But all is forgiven with the appearance of Factory Floor in the second room. The London three-piece waste very little time in locking into a solid and vibrant techno groove, and they don’t look back. The sense of improvisation is clear, yet offset beautifully by the reliability of a pounding 4/4 beat. It’s impossible not to become immersed in the sheer volume of the whole affair alongside the transfixing visuals, hence dragging ourselves away to secure prime spot for the Caribou Vibration Ensemble is a real wrench.

There can be no accusations of Caribou failing to make the most of his headline slot. Whispers of the Vibration Ensemble have been making mouths water since its conception, continuing to add weight to Daniel Snaith’s position as an individual who simply refuses to rest on his creative laurels. And as the band (all 11 of them) take to the stage clad in sheer white, all the giddy excitement which should accompany the culmination of a weekend of audacious creativity is there. Kieran Hebden, James Holden, Marshall Allen and Snaith himself represent an incredible roll call of talent, and as exciting as it to see them assembled in this way, integrating these individuals, as well as managing expectation, is a potential minefield. At points, the power and texture added to a range of Caribou’s tunes is truly extraordinary. When the collective become drenched in searingly bright light and the percussive underbelly is complemented sublimely by the brass section, results are utterly euphoric. Yet at times, the set meanders through jazz jams which stay beyond their welcome, and it begins to feel as if the gentlemen onstage are enjoying each other’s company a tad too much. However, moments like a recreation of the remix of Virgo Four’s It’s a Crime and a stunning Odessa are majestic in scope and instrumentation, without losing focus on the dancefloor and retaining a sense of fun. A breathtaking, extended Sun ends the set on an impossible high. Final shreds of energy are then thrown at the remnants of Theo Parrish’s funk-based set and bouncing off the walls to DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn dropping the footwork version of Battle of Middle For You.

The entire experience is utterly immersive, from the TV in our chalet (which over the course of the three days became our very own, very personally squallid and debauched home) displaying shows and films handpicked by the curating bands, to the daytime activities, to the lovingly assembled festival programmes; the ATP ethos is one of creating a world defined by the artists at the head of the weekend. Other festivals, take some notes. Cause ATP is the one.

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Words: Geraint Davies