In cooperation with T-Mobile’s Electronic Beats, deep house master Ian Pooley takes on Croatia with his impressive Sweat tour, and sweat we did!

Dubrovnik is Croatia’s most well known coastline city, which seems to get more popular by the year. Just a decade ago this absolutely gorgeous town was in a terrible war, from which the marks are still visible today. Abandoned 5-star hotels along the coast - some with even the bullet holes still in it – give you a creepy feeling, whereas the warmth of the people makes it a very impressive area to explore.

For this occasion Ian Pooley, in cooperation with T-Mobile’s Electronic Beats, turned the old, magnificent hotel Belvedere into an oozing house-arena. This used to be a place where the Croatian jet-set held their holidays, but now it occasionally gets turned into a club with about 4 layers (terraces), an old abandoned house, some small stairs and magnificent view over the sea and old town of Dubrovnik.

Not having heard Pooley for about 10 years I must say I was impressed by his set! Pumping deep house mixed with classics, breaks and vocals which totally fitted the venue, vibe and surroundings. Somewhere around 03:00 the place got really packed and cheers arose from the crowd with every mix, this is the kind of enthusiasm which makes house parties so appealing and memorable!

All in all this was a party to remember; the location, music, crowd and overall vibe where just amazing! Although Dubrovnik is very expensive, our guess is this city will be in the same “party league” as cities like Barcelona, London and Berlin within a few years. It still has that laid back, artistic, Mediterranean vibe, unspoiled and undiscovered locations and a lot of creativity. If you’re looking for a perfect weekend trip to combine partying with relaxing, this is without a doubt the place to be!

A short word with Toni Kappesz from Electronic Beats

- What exactly is Electronic Beats?
electronic beats is an on-going music and lifestyle program from T-Mobile that reaches out to fans of electronic music and the lifestyle that goes along with it. We have 4 main areas to the program: electronic beats media (magazine, DVD ‘Slices’ and website); electronic beats festivals; electronic beats culture (soirees, lifestyle collection) and electronic beats live specials (club tours, club events). Our goal is to show another side to T-Mobile other than the mainstream sponsorship activities we run. Electronic beats enables us to reach a very targeted audience at the heart of their interests and lifestyles.

- Why did you choose both Ian Pooley and Croatia for this tour?
Ian Pooley is a great fit for the electronic beats SWEAT Club Tour because he is well known for his unique style and getting everyone moving on the dance floor.

- What has been your personal favourite (city/location) during the Sweat tour so far?
Dubrovnik is my personal favourite so far although each stop on the tour has been special. In Dubrovnik, the Hotel Belvedere provided such an outstanding setting for the event and the crowd’s reaction and enthusiasm was really exciting. This is what electronic beats is all about.

- Any more (club) tours planned for the future?
We are working on plans for later this year but are not sure of locations or timings at this point. Checking the electronic beats website (www.electronicbeats.net) is the best way to stay informed about what will be happening.

- EB is also responsible for the forward-thinking DVD magazine "Slices". What are your plans with that?
In the next few months we will be releasing the first ‘Slices – Pioneers of Electronic Music’ which will be a special edition series celebrating the life and work of prominent artists or ‘pioneers’ in the global electronic music scene. This will be the first time that ‘Slices’ will be distributed internationally including the US so we are very excited about the release in October. We will have a special premiere event in Berlin on September 22nd.

- What will EB be doing in Holland in the near future?
The electronic beats program has a great audience in Holland. Last year we had an overwhelming response to our electronic beats Festival in Amsterdam. We hope to have another festival there again and perhaps other live music events. Keep checking the electronic beats website for more information!

Beatfreax would like to thank Toni for this interview, and Electronic Beats for this unforgettable event!

See the photos of this event!

More info: www.electronicbeats.net