Thru The Bushes is a renowned audiovisual open-air festival celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. This year’s fusion of dance, music, and visual arts will once again take place on one of the most magical beaches on the island of Krk – Kutak za Mutak (Jablanova beach). Along with the main event “A Decade of Thru The Bushes”, the organisers promoted the festival and organised four additional events in Rijeka, Zagreb and Pula.
The celebration of the 10th anniversary of the festival began on July 20 with “Thru The Bushes | Retrospective” event in Rijeka. Klub Palach hosted three local DJs: j.popowitch, Božo Devčić and Samo Tako and a retrospective exhibition of graphics and photos of the past 10 years of the festival.
Yesterday, the exhibition moved to the “Sea of Zagreb“- to the terrace of the Aquarius Club. “Solmotion meets Thru The Bushes” was the second warmup party in a row, on which producer Koolade hosted Ana Antonova, the resident and booking manager of the festival.
After the presentation to the Zagreb audience, on August 2, “Thru The Bushes | Showcase” moves to Pula Art Park. Banja Luka DJ Tijana ILLMN, young Istrian DJ Kell Klesinger and Ana Antonova, booking manager and festival resident, are in charge of the music while the rest of the Thru The Bushes team is setting up a pop-up exhibition in the Rojc courtyard.
Going back to the beginning, Thru The Bushes returns to Rijeka. “Thru The Bushes – Origins” is the last in a series of events that will take place just one week before the main festival event. Thru The Bushes originally started as a festival dedicated to drum ‘n’ bass music and that’s exactly why Raul B, Boogie and Mecena will shake the floor with garage, bass, and dubstep sounds on August 9th in Club Nemo.
„In the past 10 years, over 50 Croatian, regional and international DJs have performed at Thru The Bushes. Every year, we scan the situation on the scene and try to choose those who have left a mark with their efforts or we think that their time is yet to come. With the establishment of the Elector award, which is a clear indicator of effort and work in our electronic music scene, that job is even easier, because once a year we get a cross-section of the state of the scene“, said Ana Antonova, festival resident who also holds the Elector’s title of “DJ of the Year 2022”.
Starry Sky and Hidden Beach
Kutak Za Mutak, officially Jablanova Beach, is the location where this musical story began in 2014. Ten years later, perhaps the last in this form “A Decade of Thru The Bushes” starts with a music program from 10 p.m.
Thru The Bushes 2024 is proud three local heroes awarded with the Elector award, a new hope and a great enthusiast from the Istrian peninsula, and a legend of the Italian house scene with more than 30 years of international career.
„This year we chose 3 laureates from this area, Sven Nalis, Korak and myself. Kell Klesinger belongs to that group of DJs whose time is yet to come, while Paolo Barbato was chosen because of his extremely rich and long-lasting career on the Italian, Slovenian and Croatian coasts. As an extremely well-known and respected DJ from this locality. This year’s lineup is the sum of great effort, commitment and hard work, a combination of experience and young, upcoming energy“, Ana explained.
If we are talking about house music and the artists who defined the scene of the northern Adriatic, it is impossible not to mention Paolo Barbato, DJ, producer, owner of a very important record store “Dance All Day” for this area, which was one of the main sources of music for generations of DJs and fans of electronic music in the 90s. The almost strategic position and influence of Paolo Barbato on the border between Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, and Austria, left an indelible mark. Today, Barbato is the owner of a renowned house label “Stereophonic“, and his musical experience is longer than a quarter of a century. Except that he left a big mark in the Italian history of electronic music, many partygoers from our area remember him, among other things, as a resident of the legendary Ambasada Gavioli.
Paolo is joined by Ana Antonova, a DJ and producer with numerous releases on labels such as Get Physical, Dallas Records, Dobar House, THANQ, Form & Terra, Dubøka Records… She is the owner of the DISTRIKT051 label and label manager of THANQ Music. Antonova performed on the stages of renowned regional festivals, from ULTRA Europe and EXIT Festivals to more intimate ones such as Sea Star, Love International, Velvet Festival, Porto Etno, and Wake The Lake. Her performances were deeply etched in the memory of the audience, creating a vivid connection through the power of music, and this year as well, she will close the tenth edition of Thru The Bushes Festival with her set.
Another Elector-awarded artist from the lineup is Sven Nalis, an experienced producer from Rijeka and DJ with a Berlin address. He has been active on the scene for more than two decades and is one of the founders of the legendary Masa:Kru, who from 2003 to 2011 built the foundations of the Rijeka scene of broken beats. He performed at various parties and festivals and shared the stage with many famous names such as Martyn, Coldcut, Bailey, Bad Company UK, Pendulum, Chase & Status, Danny Wheeler, DJ Food & DK, Grooverider, and many more. Sven is the owner of the label Balkan Kolektiv and last year he received the Elector Award for Bass Single of the Year.
Korak is a DJ and producer from Požega. Such a combination of skill, energy, and innovative tendencies in creativity does not always go unnoticed, as Korak was recognized as the “new (s)elector of the year” in 2023, and his track “Watch Your Step” was nominated for bass single of the year.
Kell Klesinger is a dynamic and versatile DJ who started his career in 2020. In the beginning, he mostly played techno, tech house and house genres, but lately, he has shown interest in reggae/dub, R’n’B, disco, and organic house. In these four years, he played in various clubs such as Crkva in Rijeka, Steel in Rovinj, Depo in Zagreb, Fort Bourgignon in Pula, Pogon Kulture in Rijeka, etc.
An indispensable part of this festival is the visual atmosphere. Damjan Šporčić aka OBLIK 3, an artist who uses video projections to visualize music on Thru The Bushes from the foundation of the festival, will be in charge of video mapping and light attractions. Since 2008, Damjan has been preparing and performing light and video installations for around three hundred different companies’ events: festivals, parties, concerts, etc. He was a part of many multimedia projects, stage performances, VJ-ing, and other contemporary media expressions.
„As during previous years, we expect a full floor of 400-500 people, as much as the location can accommodate. Fantastic fun and atmosphere, which doesn’t happen anywhere but at this location. That good old P.L.U.R. which is somewhat missing from the floors and events, smiling and satisfied faces that are more and more noticeable with the first rays of the sun. We are sure that this final edition of the festival will provide inspiration and battery charging for some new ideas“, Ana Antonova concluded.
This festival is a great example of local talents promoting each other. Artists from all over Croatia who have already been awarded and noticed in the industry will perform at Thru The Bushes, so this final edition of the festival on the beautiful and hidden beach on Krk Island is a perfect opportunity to dive into the local scene. Tickets are still available via Core events website.
