More about: Melt Festival

There can be few more suitable places for a hulking great techno festival than Ferropolis – literally ‘city of iron’ – situated around 150km south-west of Berlin and perched on a peninsula that extends into the middle of Lake Gremmin. For the rest of the year, as well as hosting otature.

Melt was kicked off in more modest style in 1997 by the owners of Berlin record shop Melting Point, and 20 years later has grown to the point where its programming encompasses not only dance music veterans Richie Hawtin, Fatboy Slim, MK and Modeselektor, and the well-established likes of Daniel Avery, Bicep, John Hopkins amid the newer faces, but also rock, pop and hip-hop titans – M.I.A, Phoenix, The Kills - and even a little jazz.

But the festival stays true to its roots in clubbing, with non-stop DJ-ing from the Ellen Allien, Agents of Time, Monoloc and many more on the aptly named Sleepless Floor stage from the Thursday evening pre-party to the following Monday at noon.

Who To Get Excited About:

Die Antwoord

The South African group, fronted by Ninja and Yolandi Visser, have claimed to be bringing down the curtain on their loopy art-pop project this year with the release of one last album, so now’s the time to catch them.

Marie Davidson

In another era, Canadian producer (and one half of Essaie Pas) Davidson might have been bracketed with Electroclash but she’s tended to be more about the fraught interior than glam-parodic surfaces. Still, most recent album ‘Adieux Au Dancefloor’ is her least schizoid and, despite the title, her most dancefloor friendly.

Red Axes

Originating in Tel Aviv, the duo have a sugary crunch that pulls on their past as a post-punk act as well as disco and buoyant house. It should be just the ticket in the 30 degrees-plus heat. ‘Sun My Sweet Sun’, as one of their tunes would have it.

Dengue Dengue Dengue

Another ace duo, this time from Peru, DDD deliver fucked and fried takes on cumbia, Cuban rhythms and more, and specialise in humid, mid-paced grooves and an incremental build-up of fever.

Ellen Allien

You’re going to want some Berlin-style action while you’re here so why not plump for one of the best, BPitch Control founder Allien. Her albums have veered from weird pop to exploring more esoteric influences but as a DJ she has almost unparalleled experience in shaping and building dancefloor energy.

Kiddy Smile

The nouvelle vague of voguing is encapsulated by Paris face Kiddy Smile. He’s a renowned DJ but will be performing live and unleashing anthems like last year’s ‘Let A B!tch Know’.

Kamasi Washington

With ‘The Epic’, The cosmic jazzer of the moment created an album that was big enough to be seen from space, but also for the saxophonist and producer to register outside jazz circles, and as more than a first-class sidekick. This could provide a little healing for the Melt’s frazzled multitude.

More about: Melt Festival