Georgian Rave Fest in a 6th Century Fortress
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to dance to techno music in a centuries-old castle on a cliff? Now you can experience this thrilling feeling in a reality on Georgia’s coast.
The Georgian Rave (GR) Fest is an electronic music festival taking place in the open air at the ancient Petra Fortress on August 10. At the one-day festival, people will be able to listen and dance to quality underground music with an amazing view of the Black Sea. The contrast between the festival and its location has triggered heightened emotion among artists and public alike. The festival presents renowned artists of techno music and such big names as : NEWA, BOYD SCHIDT, FABRIZIO LAPIANA, GIORGI DEVADZE, KAVEL, ORIM, YANAMASTE, and ZAPA.
Petra Fortress is located in Tsikhisdziri, a town 20 kilometers from Batumi the coastal capital of Ajara region. The bastion, also coined as “Qajetis Tsikhe” in Georgian, meaning Devils’ Fortress, covers 7 hectares of land and contains the ruins of a citadel. The fortress was built in the 6th century by Justinian I, Byzantine Emperor in the western region of the present country. Petra became an important strategic and trade center on the eastern Black Sea coast. The naval and land routes that passed through Petra once connected west Georgia to Byzantium’s provinces, Armenia and Persia.
“Georgia is a country graced with ancient civilization and rich culture. Its uniqueness is most vividly expressed through centuries-old dances and polyphony songs, ” Tamaz Orashvili, organizer of the festival, told GEORGIA TODAY. “Along with traditional culture, the contemporary dance floor has started flourishing and reaching new heights, thanks to the Tbilisi clubs and the youth who took techno music as a tool of protest. This energy spread across Georgia’s urban environment and eventually resulted in the emergence of authentic clubbing locales. The idea behind GR Fest is reviving a historic place of Georgia and telling stories through music and dance. We selected Petra Fortress for this event since our festival, besides an entertaining function, also carries cultural and educational missions,” he said.
People behind the project are ravers and electronic music enthusiasts who are eager to create contemporary music spots in the regions of Georgia.
“The festival is being held for the first time and its primary mission is to develop cultural life in the regions and fully present the history of Georgia,” GR Fest reps told us. “We have a desire to establish this festival as an annual tradition. We are actively working to meet the expectations of our guests. The territory is being decorated and arranged at its best. Apart from good music and an exciting environment, the festival enables people to visit a historic place as well as see a 3D exhibition by young artists. Our team takes this project and its role in carrying out this festival with great responsibility. We, together with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency of Ajara, have put significant effort towards safety on the territory. The area is able to host 3000 people, so we are looking forward to welcoming music enthusiasts and ravers.”
GR Fest Lineup
NEWA- an outstanding representative of electronic music and an important figure of local clubbing scene, she is the first female to release her music on Ben Klock’s label Klockworks. NEWA has performed in the top clubs and festivals around the globe.
ZAPA’s music incorporates many genres, from house to techno. His tracks are characterized with deep house harmony and energetic techno-house sounds.
Kavel is a solo project by Nika Kavelashvili created in 2017. The artist started DJing five years ago and at present is already considered a respectable representative of Georgia’s dance scene.
Yanamste is a DJ who earned fame in a very short period. His set ‘Odium’ for the Hayes label brought him immense recognition. Matrixxman opened Dekmantel Festival with his set. He has performed side by side with DVS1, Psyk, Lucy and many others.
Boyd Schidt has been a local electronic music representative since 2000. He is most noted for his projects Greenbeam and Leon.
GIORGI DEVADZE is an independent artist and author of underground movement ‘Clime’. His DJ set mainly includes ambient and techno elements. His music was influenced by American musician Mike Parker.
FABRIZIO LAPIANA is a well-known fixture on the contemporary Italian techno scene. His musical career started in his hometown Rome where he began collecting vinyl and DJing in the early 90s. Lapiana’s latest achievement as a composer is his debut album ‘Intraverso’ released in February 2018. With this collection of nine songs, the artist departs from his previously dancefloor-focused work into something new and far more personal, unraveling light, darkness, happiness and sadness.
Online tickets are available at www.tkt.ge/Event/198829/gr-fest?fbclid=IwAR2UW9qH2UE8YHyu8-Y-7IyezFi3lhd5knZ2uFm1seneMSSv3PM5NxCu3E4.
By Lika Chigladze