5 Acts Not To Be Missed At Meadows In The Mountains Festival 2017

Meadows In The Mountains, which takes place in the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria (June 9-11), is one of the latest — but lesser known — of the big festivals to crop up in eastern Europe. With Serbia's Exit and Croatia's Outlook, among others, all vying for your attention (and wallet), it's worth considering festivals like Meadows... 

At this point, with festival season well and truly under way, you've probably just about got your festival(s) booked and planned out. If you've already got your ticket sorted for this year's Meadows In The Mountains, or you fancy a last-minute mad dash to Bulgaria, we put together a quick list of the essential sets to catch this year. If you are planning this last minute, you're probably not massively into the whole "planning ahead" thing, but just in case you are, keep an eye out for these five unmissable acts. Eschewing arena-fillers for underground and up-and-coming artists, Meadows In The Mountains will be the place to catch the bleeding edge.

First on our must-see list is Bristol producer and DJ Shanti Celeste. Having been justifiably described by many as a "prime selector", Celeste's laid-back, ambient house is unique in its ability to inject energy and excitement into otherwise relaxed music. One of her latest drops, "Make Time", for example, pricks the warm chill-out synths with snippets of D&B breaks, and we can see that sound working perfectly under a setting sun. If she drops either "Thoughts" or "Make Time" we'll be very, very happy.

For thoughtful, playful and super fun dance music, seek out Belfast's Brian Not Brian. The mix below, for example, soars across disco, house, techno, funk and a bunch of sounds beyond description. If you're heading to Meadows In The Mountains next week, go watch Brian Not Brian for an energy boost.

Now a solo enterprise, Commix (George Levings) will be bringing his moody, mercurial liquid drum & bass with him to the Rhodope Mountains. With releases on UK institutions like Metalheadz, Hospital, Exit, Shogun Audio and more, Levings has more than earned his status in the top tier of drum & bass. 

Meadows In The Mountains has been carefully planned so that as the sun goes down, the various stages and tents on the site transition from rock, jazz and hip-hop into more late-night sounds like house, techno and D&B. Providing his share of primal techno beats is Yorkshire-raised producer Youandewan. Known for his UKG and bass-influenced house/techno, we predict Youandewan's well-informed selections (which will hopefully include some cuts from his last year's There Is No Right Time) will be one of many highlights at Meadows...

After United Vibrations had to sadly back out of the festival, London beatmaker and multi-instrumentalist Huw "Susso" Bennett, stepped in, and it could turn out to be a surprising bit of luck. Heavily influenced by the sounds of Mandinka Griots in The Gambia, with whom he stayed on a recent trip out there, Susso's sound is hard to pin down but flits between the worlds of jazz and funk with global influences that stretch even beyond The Gambia.