CLOSER FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES EUROPEAN DEBUT IN BOSNIA WITH FIRST EDITION IN THE SHADOWS OF LIVNO’S KAMENSKO MOUNTAIN RANGE

Heavyweight techno lineup features the likes of Alarico, Daria Kolosova, Dax J, Yanamaste, Stef Mendesidis, BLANKA, Estella Boersma, SLAM and many more

Australia's cult CLOSER Festival is set to make its European debut this summer, as influential underground talent SPEZ brings the concept to Bosnia & Herzegovina for the first time with an inaugural edition in Livno taking place from 24th-26th July 2026. Next to world class music, this cultured escape offers a mix of natural beauty, wild horses, lake swimming and plenty more. 

Founded as an extension of SPEZ’s wider vision through Warg Records, CLOSER has previously established itself in Australia with legendary events across Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. The move into Europe marks a bold but natural next step for the project: Livno holds particular importance as SPEZ’s hometown, so ensures the festival is underpinned with a strong personal as well as cultural context.

Set against a striking natural backdrop beside one of Europe’s largest man-made lakes and beneath the Kamensko mountain range, the fully camping-based festival will welcome 5,000 attendees with multiple camping options available. The blissful site will feature swimming access, lakeside bars and restaurants with a dedicated wellness and social space called “Ritam Kahve” (or “The Rhythm of Coffee”), where traditional Bosnian coffee will be served each morning ahead of carefully curated musical programming.

Musically, CLOSER will present two immersive stages: a main stage hosting international artists, and a dedicated CLOSER stage focused on exciting emerging & underground talent, curated takeovers and label showcases. The featured hosts are Frazi.er's PLTFRM, Amsterdam’s techno crew Vault Sessions, and Manchester’s Clergy Records — Cleric’s renowned imprint known for its uncompromising contribution to techno culture.

The lineup reflects a full and essential spectrum of contemporary techno with influential artists including Colin Benders (Live), Cleric, Daria Kolosova, Dax J, SLAM, Estella Boersma, Ignez, Yanamaste & more alongside a strong selection of emerging names.

Beyond the music, the festival will incorporate rare, unmissable experiences tied to the local landscape including organised excursions to see Livno’s wild horses in the nearby Cincar mountain range.

Since its inception, CLOSER has hosted respected labels such as Clergy Records and Mutual Rytm and was also recognised by the Victorian Government in 2023 as a festival of cultural significance, and is one of the scene's most respected and discerning brands. 

With its first European edition taking place from 24th-26th July, CLOSER continues to build long-term infrastructure for techno culture through innovative international programming and a strong focus on local culture that allows the festival to stand apart in its own right.

LINE UP: 

ALARICO

ANNÉ

ASARRI

BIDOBEN

BLANKA

CAINE SINCLAIR

CANICHE

CLERIC

COLIN BENDERS (LIVE)

DARIA KOLOSOVA

DASHA RUSH

DAX J

DIZZY

DJ OGI

E.DN B2B REECE

ELISA BEE

ESTELLA BOERSMA

FRAZI.ER

GARY BECK

HYDEN B2B KABAY

IGNEZ

INSOLATE

JAMIE & LUCAS BERGEN

KIM SHE

LENA

LEXED B2B LOBSTER

MARCEL FENGLER B2B STEYA

MYTHON

PHIL BERG

REBECCA DELLA PIANE

RENE WISE

SERA J (LIVE)

SLAM

SONS OF HIDDEN (LIVE)

SPEZ

STEF MENDESIDIS (LIVE)

STEPHANIE SYKES

YANAMASTE

PRE SALE TICKETS: https://ra.co/pre/2446534

INNELLEA SHARES FULL EDC VEGAS 2026 PERFORMANCE ON YOUTUBE

From Heelys and live German vocals to unreleased IDs and hand-burned CDs, Innellea turned EDC’s Quantum Valley stage into something radically personal.

Internationally renowned German artist Innellea has officially released the full YouTube stream of his highly talked-about performance at EDC Las Vegas, offering fans a complete look at one of the weekend’s most distinctive and emotionally charged sets.

Performing on the iconic Quantum Valley stage, the set quickly became a standout moment of the festival; not just because of oversized spectacle, but because Innellea approached one of the world’s biggest electronic stages with something increasingly rare: personality, spontaneity and sincerity.

Before the music even began, Innellea rolled onto the stage wearing his now-trademark Heelys, immediately shifting the energy in the crowd and setting the tone for a characterful performance that refused to follow convention.

Throughout the set, Innellea delivered his own live vocals over his own music in German, bringing a raw, punk-driven intensity rarely seen in a festival environment of that scale in the US. Built entirely around his own material and unreleased IDs, there were no featured guests or pre-packaged moments, just Innellea performing in real time, fully immersed in his own world.

In one of the night’s most unexpected moments, Innellea threw self-burned “Slave to the Hype” CD-ROMs into the crowd – a physical, DIY gesture dropped into the middle of modern festival culture. Equal parts artifact, statement and souvenir, the moment quickly became emblematic of the set’s anti-formula spirit.

As the performance came to a close, Innellea paused to speak directly to the audience, reflecting on how meaningful and surreal the experience felt. Without theatrics or scripted fanfare, the closing message landed as one of the most human moments of the weekend. Now available in full on YouTube, the set captures an artist choosing connection over convention, transforming the scale of EDC Las Vegas into something intimate, emotional, and unmistakably his own.

Beyond the release of his EDC Vegas performance, Innellea now continues a major international run of live shows across Europe and North America, including two standout belonging label showcases at Fabric London and Knockdown Center NYC. The forthcoming dates arrive as momentum around Innellea’s live concept continues to grow, with recent performances increasingly defined by unreleased music, live vocals, and unpredictable crowd moments that blur the line between club set and live show.

Upcoming Innellea Tour Dates here:

May 22: Skenderija Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
May 23: Extrema Outdoor Belgium, Kelchterhoef, Belgium
May 30: belonging at Fabric, London, United Kingdom
May 31: RBC Echo Beach Amphitheatre, Toronto, Canada
June 6: Free Your Mind Festival, Arnhem, Netherlands
June 13: Upperground, Warsaw, Poland
June 13: Saint Whoo, Rorschacherberg, Switzerland
June 15: UNVRS Ibiza, Spain
June 19: belonging at Knockdown Center NYC, United States

BLANCHE RETURNS TO IBIZA FOR A THIRD SEASON, MOVES TO CHINOIS THREE EXCLUSIVE TUESDAYS - JUNE 2ND, 9TH, 16TH

tickets at https://chinois.com/
June 2nd Line Up - Afshin Momadi, Arodes, Enza, Marten Lou, Mont Rouge 

London-based electronic music community and event series Blanche announces its 2026 Ibiza residency. Following two consecutive summer seasons on the island, Blanche moves to Chinois Ibiza for three exclusive Tuesdays in June: 2nd, 9th and 16th. June 2nd line up has been unveiled, with Afshin Momadi, Arodes, Enza, Marten Lou, Mont Rouge kicking off this hattrick of special events.

The island has been part of Blanche's story for three summers now. The first two gave the brand its foundation in Ibiza, a community of regulars, and an understanding of what kind of room it wanted to be in next. Chinois Ibiza is the answer.

The shift in format is deliberate. Where the previous two seasons spanned the full Ibiza calendar, the move to Chinois trades scale for focus. Three nights, each programmed in its own right, in a room recognised across the island for putting the dancefloor first.

Founded in London in 2017, Blanche has produced over 200 shows across the UK and Ibiza, with a recurring presence at Alexandra Palace, KOKO, Troxy, HERE and all other major London venues. Its programming sits in a deep, stripped-back house and forward-thinking indie dance, a sound the brand has built consistently across nearly a decade. Past guests include Black Coffee, Marco Carola, Sven Väth, Damian Lazarus, and East End Dubs alongside emerging artists from London's music scene.

2026 will also see the launch of the Blanche record label, a natural extension of the community the brand has built around its events, and a further emphasis on the artists it works with.

The full 2026 Chinois lineup will be announced in stages over the coming weeks, artists that reflect what Blanche has always been about: international names alongside the names shaping London's electronic scene right now, with a sound that runs from deep house through to the more forward-looking corners of the genre.

“This will be our third summer on the island. The first two seasons were at Lío, where Tuesday nights became a fixture from May through September. Those two years gave us our foundation in Ibiza and taught us what kind of room we actually wanted to be in. For 2026, we're at Chinois. And we're changing the format entirely.

The decision to move from a full season to three nights is deliberate. Chinois is a music-first room, the kind of space where the dancefloor is the focus and the audience is there for the music itself. Three nights gives us room to curate each one properly. To bring artists we genuinely want to share a room with. To give each Tuesday its own identity.”

It's a different kind of residency. Shorter. Sharper. Built around the room, not the calendar.

The full lineup will be announced in stages over the coming weeks. Three Tuesdays. One island. The next chapter.