It unfortunatly seemed as dance music = techno. I would have wished for a broader definition concerning the DJ:s. But the bands playing at the big stage were a broader mix of different styles.
It was Andreas Tilliander who kicked off the festival. Sadly he did a pretty introvert and monotone gig. Not really what you need with a bad hangover since the night before. Me and a friend ended up in an old sofa under a tree with some distance from the stage, but still hearing the concert.
When Tilliander ended his set we noticed something going on inside a tent nearby. Someone was banging on drums quit enthusiasticly. We moved nearer and heard lo-fi synthsounds and saw four people wearing masks moving spastically. It soon turned out in energetic elektronic music with really cool singing and crazy dance moves. It was my first encounter with the band We are the world. A band from Los Angeles making theatrical art elektro. Really sweetl!
Next on the main stage were swedish band Maskinen. They play a mixture of rap and techno and they really got the younger part of the audience in a party frenzy. To me the songs seemed to much alike, and the speed rap and sawtooth techno started to hurt my head after a couple of songs. Seemed to me like music made for the ADHD-generation... yes I'm feeling a little old writing this.
Up next was Crystal Castles. The band that made me buy the ticket for the festival. A band I have wanted to hear live for a long time now. And the band delivered, despite really bad sound the first couple of songs. The sound cleared up and the energy from the music and front woman Alice was great through the whole show. I'm really into that mix of 8-bit sounds and heavy drums and bass.
There were more interesting acts coming up, like Trentemöller, but it was getting colder and the hard partying from yesterday was taking it's toll. We left the festival and made it home with a little helt from the energy of Crystal Castles and We are the world. Dans Dakar was a cool little festival, and if they just cut back a little on the techno DJ:s, I might give it another try next year.