The first edition of Kala showed promise for a new dance paradise

Marketed as a new festival in an undiscovered location, Kala’s exact coordinates were kept secret until months before its inauguration. While many festivals boast paradisiacal settings, the mystery of Kala’s whereabouts wasn’t a hyperbolic sell – it was the real deal. An island hidden away from the peripheries of dance music, a place where raves hadn’t been staged before.

In the past, Albania has been dogged by a negative reputation, with high crime rates scaring off would-be tourists. Now, following the fall of its communist structure, Albania – a country rich in history and natural beauty – is in flux. There was the sense that a festival, like Kala, could be hugely instrumental in cementing the country’s status as an area open to tourism and as a result, what we experienced was a place that was truly welcoming both to travellers and electronic music.

The outline of the festival was spread out across several beaches on a strip of the Albanian Riviera. When tracing the outline of the site by foot, there was the curious sheen of the new. Upon the second afternoon of the festival, with the majority of festival-goers still yet to arrive, locals were seen gently hosing down the dust of concrete roads that had – according to an early arriver – been paved overnight. Arrangements of vibrant flowers were stemmed in fresh compost, painting the site with bursts of tropical shades. The decor of the site felt neat, quaint and comfortably curated with the tourist in mind. Hotels lined the coast and the main stage, Empire, was where the first party began with Moodymann on the decks.

Though the festival sells itself on its location, the music programming was anything but an afterthought. Eris Drew – delivering one of her first few shows outside of the US – raced through a highly energetic set on the second night, later dropping a head-turning garage track in the last quarter. Jan Schulte kept ravers on their feet deep into the early hours with his unpredictable selections. As the sun rose, the Düsseldorf DJ dropped Spandau Ballet’s Gold, before leaping into the drum’n’bass classic Ni Ten Ichi Ryu by Photek.

As the majority of festival-goers filled the site over the course of the week, the main talking point was the festival’s open secret, Gjipe Island. Accessed by a choppy boat ride, this more remote part of the island had a different atmosphere to the carefully trimmed grass that made up so much of the festival. Hidden away just beyond the stage was a breathtaking canyon and onwards, a waterfall with a plunge pool. Balearic and disco sets shaped much of the sound of Gjipe, with the sunshine tones playing off the natural stone walls of the canyon. Soothing eastern melodies from Bjørn Torske were stunning in the tranquility of the setting, and sunny synth pop from Jan Schulte (Club Tropicana by Wham!) kept dancers on their feet.

Back at the Yacht Club, Danielle gave ravers a respite from the day’s mellowness with a set that saw her drop Spin Cycle by Syclops, Spaced Out in South London by Controlled Weirdness and Martyn’s 41W. The Pilotwings delivered tripped out vibes with 80s synth pop interspersed with spangly guitars, breakbeat and a disco version of Just As Long As I Got You. Cheers erupted from the crowd as further into the festival, Andy Blake dropped Goldfrapp’s Strict Machine deep into the night – his set comprised of surreal textures mixed with house, acid and mottled alien sounds.