On Thursday 12th July the charismatic Beth Ditto will return to Novi Sad with the Gossip for an opening night to remember. Combing soul, punk and Beth’s incredible vocals, the Gossip have gained an army of fans worldwide with their infectious brand of powerful and seductive post-punk rock music. Their third album "Standing in the Way of Control" brought them international critical acclaim, from which “Music for Men" was the follow up release in 2009 and their first with a major label. With hits such as "Heavy Cross" and "Long Distance Love", the Gossip will once again turn the Main Stage into an electrifying dance cauldron with their extraordinary energy.
Australian band Wolfmother will perform on Sunday 15th July with their exhilarating brand of no nonsense rock. Having been famously described as “what you’d get when Mars Volta, Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin and White Stripes collided in space” their performance will not to disappoint. In their relatively short career the band have won with a plethora of international awards, including a Grammy for their hit single “Woman” taken from the band’s 2005 debut self-titled album. Rapidly becoming a mainstay on modern-rock radio stations around the world, EXIT is excited to welcome such a globally acclaimed band to the main stage.
The mighty Dance Arena line up is also hotting up with some of the biggest and coolest names in the electronic music scene including Richie Hawtin, Miss Kitten, Art Department and Maceo Plex.
Richie Hawtin needs no introduction as one of the world’s top DJ’s and producers who is a leading exponent of the minimal techno scene and an influential player in second wave of Detroit Techno. Also known for his abstract, minimal works under the alias Plastikman and head honcho of the Minus label, Richie is always an artist to push the boundaries and he makes a welcome return to the EXIT Dance Arena onSaturday 14th July with his new and exciting LED show with visuals by Ali Demirel.
Joining Hawtin on the 14th July will be the devine Miss Kitten, who will perform at EXIT for the first time. Having honed her skills and progressed her sound into the more leftfield, electro and electronic realm, Miss Kitten has an uncanny and intuitive sense of selection that not only flows but also maintains that primary sense of the party. As a producer with her long time partner the Hacker she produced tracks such as "Frank Sinatra" and "1982" which launched her to the electronic elite, and collaborations with the liked of Felix Da Housecat and Sven Väth strengthened her newly established status. This year, Miss Kittin is preparing her third solo album, so we can expect exclusive premieres at Dance Arena.
Crosstown Rebels sensation Art Department will make their first ever performance on the Dance Arena on Sunday 15th July. The duo consisting of Canadian techno/house star Kenny Glasgow and the biggest Canadian rising star Jonny White. Kenny’s career goes back to the 80s, when he released for Narcotic, Jinxx, Turbo as well as his own Method 11/11 label, and White’s label, No. 19, which has a discography growing at ultra-speed, currently stands at the leading place of the international scene. Separately, they have a great number of critically acclaimed releases, and currently they are recognized as the most advanced underground producers of North America.
Also confirmed for the 15th July is Maceo Plex, one of the many rising starts of the Crosstown Rebels label. After many years of prolific works on such labels as Treibostoff, Dumb Unit, Audiomatique, to name a few Maceo aka Maetrik travelled the word playing in some of the best clubs such as Rex, Cocoon, Fabric, Womb etc. Since then Maceo has begun to strip back his robotic Armor to expose a more musical and groove based side with his music shining brighter than the star Sirius and his set at EXIT will be one of galactic proportions.
The Dance Arena is renowned for its incredible energy and set within a moat of the fortress walls. From techno to electro to dirty house to house with a disco twist, the Dance Arena covers all tastes and will keep you dancing all night long. Pushing cutting edge new talent and tipping its hat to the old school, the music in the arena never disappoints and the experience of dancing with 20,000 people as the sun rises over the fortress walls is truly mind blowing! 2012 is set to be another year of unadulterated electronic music of the highest calibre and these names are a taster of what’s to come.
LINE UP SO FAR:
New Order, Wolfmother, Gossip, Buraka Som Sistema, Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Miss Kitten, Reboot live, Art Department, Maceo Plex, Kenny Larkin, Robert Dietz and Maayan Nidam.