In mid-June, we told you in this article about LOST (Labyrinth Original Sound Track), the art and electronic music festival set in the extraordinary spaces of Franco Maria Ricci's Labirinto della Masone. Now, two weeks after the third edition of the festival came to an end and we said goodbye to this spectacular project held in the world's largest plant labyrinth, it’s time to share what has most caught our attention, and how we’ve experienced this unique event in which more than thirty artists from Japan, United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Denmark, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and the United States among others have met.
After living the LOST experience in the first person, we can confirm there is nothing like this currently happening around. Its first distinguishing factor is its location, an enclave in Parma, Italy, which is transformed into an experimental music centre for three days, bringing together people who want to forget their worries for a few hours while being and expressing themselves to the fullest. The labyrinth leaves you speechless as you explore it, discovering performances and artists on the different stages along the route.
The LOST (Labyrinth Original Sound Track) Music Festival wants you to flow, letting yourself be carried away by the sounds you listen to as you walk through the labyrinth, always in contact with nature. It has nothing to do with the music festivals we are used to, where tens of thousands of people wait in long lines to see their favourite bands, and in which going back home in the middle of the night is almost impossible because of the lack of transportation. This project is different; it’s a boutique festival in which everything is taken care of in detail. For this reason, it continues to attract audiences from all over the world in search of a different experience.
Forty hours of music, thirty-four acts including DJ sets, live performances, as well as site-specific sound installations and performances set in the giant bamboo maze of the labyrinth have made this third edition a turning point for the art and electronic music festival, welcoming more than 2500 people who arrived from all over Italy, other European countries (France, Germany, UK, Austria, Spain, among others), Australia, Japan, and the United States.
“The festival exists, is now recognised and acknowledged. We chose to reduce the number of admissions in order to improve services with a free campsite that saw more than double the number of attendees compared to last year and the flows within the festival, inserting some fundamental improvements," says Mattia Amarù, creator and project manager of the event, when asked about this latest edition which has consolidated the strengths of the project with enhancements such as the dedicated app, and to the implementation of the food area with an ever-increasing offer, starting with the fruit point that was particularly appreciated.
The musical offer of the Masone-branded project, which represents a unicum on the Italian scene, was very varied. Among the artists who have participated in this edition, we cannot fail to mention the always fantastic Yousuke Yukimatsu, who closed Friday night with an unstoppable ride among disco, electro and techno. The energy that the Japanese irradiates in his sets is incredible, and the audience enjoyed the finishing touch of this first day of the festival.
On the second day, we had the chance of seeing Egyptian music producer and sound designer Abadir live, who starred in one of the greatest moments of this latest edition. His performance in the middle of the labyrinth brought plenty of people who danced to the rhythm of his experimental music with a strong rhythmic component, in a marvellous exercise in body language. We should also mention the incredible two-hour performance by Reptilian Expo and the highly attended live shows by Swiss artist Aïsha Devi, Belgian Alto Fuero (making their absolute debut in Italy), and the explosive Indonesian duo Gabber Modus Operandi, closing magically at dawn on Sunday with the concert by French producer Malibu accompanied by birdsong.
The volcanic set of German producer Objekt and the exciting performance of Sant3 Molest3 along the corridors of the Labirinto were two of the greatest gigs of the third (and last) day of the festival, in which there were also moments to relax, connect with oneself and meditate. Necessary breaks between the sets in which contact with nature, silence and rest became protagonists, achieving a balanced experience that helps you rediscover your inner self and get out of your daily routine for three days.
"This year was an authentic edition 0," adds Luca Giudici, LOST Artistic Director, "which fully brought out the deep identity of the project. The goal was by no means taken for granted: to gather around a research line-up, representing a radical, different proposal, an attentive and participating audience, to give life to a collective rite of ‘perdition’ that, beyond exquisitely musical data, managed to unite for three days and nights the artists, the audience and all of us in an authentic tribe, overcoming any distinction and barrier. All artists took part in the ritual with great generosity and a deep sense of respect. The road is open, but the journey has just begun."
