Five of the Best: elrow Friends & Family festival

Image: elrow Credit: Ruben 242

elrow's journey to clubland domination has been a tremendous feat. From a regular party at its spiritual home in Barcelona (read our review of the  Halloween elrow event there) to stints in Ibiza and festivals across the globe, it's been a rip-roaring few years that will go down in history as the rise of one of the dance music industry's most popular clubbing concepts.

Now elevating things up another level, the team behind the confetti-fuelled house and techno haven have announced their first ever festival, which will see a host of brand favourites play at a beachfront location one hour from Barcelona on 15th July and we've handpicked five of the acts on the huge bill to help you plan your day. You can check out the full elrow Friends & Family festival 2017 line up here.

Bastian Bux

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elrow's inexorable rise has primarily been down to the festival's unrivalled sense of fun and showmanship, but closely following it has been the army of residents building a musical platform form with which the litany of guests routinely deliver.

Names like De la Swing, Toni Varga and Marc Maya have all been part of this, but for us Bastian Bux retains a special place in our hearts. Behind a blistering live mix for us (check above) and the star of the show at the aforementioned bonanza in Barcelona, his command of rolling grooves and blistering funk epitomises the brand's frenetic hedonism.

Jimmy Coultas

Jackmaster

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Known to many as one of the scene's greatest party starters, Glaswegian DJ Jackmaster has captured the hearts of many and moved the feet of even more when he's been conquering stages around the globe, including ones curated by elrow. From dancefloor anthems to harder-edged house and techno gems, there's few acts who can deliver a festival set as fun as this guy. 

Becca Frankland

Adam Beyer

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If you're after a hearty accompaniment of techno to go with your ridiculous elrow merriment, a set from the Drumcode boss will no doubt tick all your boxes. A far cry from a typical dark warehouse environment, expect thunderous techno and a whole load of mind-bending production as one of the genre's true greats gets to grips with an elrow rave. 

Becca Frankland

Loco Dice

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Few acts have a command of the dancefloor like the Tunisian DJ and producer. While his roots are firmly in hip hop having played opening slots for the likes of Snoop Dogg, Usher and R Kelly, Loco Dice can also turn his hand to house and techno just as comfortably and this gifted him huge residences at some of Ibiza's biggest clubs. He can also deliver as a producer too, dropping Underground Sound Suicide in 2015 which featured mighty hook ups with Giggs, Just Blaze and Chris Liebing.

Henry Lewis

Richie Hawtin

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While a surprising inclusion in the eyes of some people, this makes Richie Hawtin's rare appearance at one of Elrow's fabled parties that bit more exciting. The techno titan is an absolute world beater, and along with an immense discography, is renowned for his unbelievable stage productions. Add this to Elrow's penchant for the weird and wonderful and the Canadian's set in Salou looks like a match made in heaven. 

HL