Outlook

Fort Punta Christo, Croatia | 29th August – 2nd September

Outlook 2013 went off with a bang, snap, crunch and crack, and proved again why many see it as the go-to shindig for those who like to blur the lines between ‘the festival experience’ and ‘the beach holiday’…

As the boat parties sailed from the Harbour in the shadow of a main stage still in transit, the temperature soaring to 35+ degrees, it’ fair to argue that everything was pretty paradise like. UK hip-hop imprint High Focus Records’ boat party on Thursday was utterly brilliant (MC Leafdog‘s Some People Say was a standout moment) as were the subsequent after parties on the main Outlook beach. We swayed in every direction to a medley of old school garage classics (you know the ones) and Julio Bashmore’s biggest hits. All of this in between plunging into the sea, diving off speed boats, making new weird and wonderful friends, and getting painfully sun burnt.

Outlook only really kicks off once the sun has set, with the mountainous site turning into a dark paradise of bass and waves. The festival program lays on unrelenting wave after unrelenting wave of dub, bassline, garage, hip-hop and pretty much every other form of dance music. But we wouldn’t say we were once ‘charmed’ by any of the music on display at Outlook 2013; it’s not the type of festival to take a seat on a grassy mound (there is no grass in Croatia) and listen to the whimsical tones of a malnourished Laura Marling type. We did however lose count of the times the music on show made us go utterly mental. From D Double E and Footsie smashing their Newham Generals beach party set to pieces, to the the newly reincarnated Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) giving it the big disco God complex on the Friday night. Traditionally minded hip-hop heads were appalled at the show he rolled out, whereas more progressive types reveled in the complete insanity of his Jackson-esque headline performance.

The following night saw The Pharcyde and Pharaohe Monch unleash their respective mixed bags of classic material, with the notable being peak being Big Pharaohe inviting Mos Def on stage to pay tribute to the late Nate Dogg with a live rendition of the classic Oh No. That really was something to behold, ask anyone who saw that set. We bet they tell you it was the highlight of their adventure.

Sunday was a far more chilled affair. We spent the best part of the day hanging around in A+E due to a team member requiring medical attention (a fractured limb, could be worse), but that didn’t stop anyone else from drinking stupid amounts of luminous cocktails deep into Monday morning. We walked, ran, stumbled, rock climbed, swam and danced until our ankles and brains hurt. That is what the Outlook festival is all about; going bonkers and unintentionally getting beat up in the process. We love it.

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Words: Thomas Hakwins

Photo: Dan Medhurst