Steffen Bennemann

Few European festivals can stake a claim to a fanbase as loyal as Nachtdigital’s. In the two-plus decades the festival has existed it has grown steadily in repute (although barely in size), attracting an increasingly international crowd to the Saxony countryside 40 or so miles east of Leipzig.

The close-knit party is soundtracked by a line-up that seems to get progressively more bonkers year-on-year – standouts from this edition include special ambient sets from Ben UFO, Kassem Mosse and Mix Mup, and a showcase-come-10th-birthday-party for Leipzig label KANN with plenty more to boot.

Steffen Bennemann is Nachtdigital’s head booker, responsible for the majority of the festival’s programming as well as its long-term direction. Bennemann has been a mainstay of the Nachtdigi team since its early years, and as such it’s fair to say his sets embody the event’s freewheeling spirit better than anyone. Clocking in at just over an hour, his Crack Mix segues through hazy ambient cuts from DJ Metatron, chuggy machine funk from Gunnar Haslam, and even a curveball Zomby track. Precious little info was submitted along with the mix, other than a set of ideal listening conditions: “loud system, minimal lights, room to dance.” We agree.

Steffen Bennemann plays at Nachtdigital, Olganitz on August 3- 5