Verknipt Croatia: how hard techno is conquering the Balkan region

Once an entirely underground genre, hard techno is now increasingly prominent at festivals and major parties worldwide, having largely taken over the role of the mega-popular EDM in popularity. This shift is evident not only in musical trends but also in the fashion, style, and image with which young ravers identify.

The rise of hard techno is further highlighted by the arrival of the world's largest organizations and festivals in the balkan region, such as the debut edition of Verknipt Croatia, which will be held from June 30 to July 4 at Zrće. Additionally, DJs and producers are set to perform on the main stages of some of the largest festivals in the region, including Exit in Novi Sad and the Sea Star festival in Umag. For the first time, the dance arena at Exit will feature a representative of the genre, OGUZ, while Verknipt has announced over 60 artists for its first edition in Croatia. Alongside well-known names, the largest Dutch organizer will also present young talents who will grow along with the increasing number of fans of hard techno, industrial, and other hardstyle and rave music genres. Cities like Zagreb, Ljubljana, and Belgrade are already creating events, programs, and nurturing new talents in this genre.

In April, Cvetličarna in Ljubljana introduced the Hardbeats festival, hosting names like 6EJOU, Carv, OGUZ, and Gumja for the first time in the region. Meanwhile, club Depo in Zagreb is heavily involved with harder styles, booking and supporting regional performers of the "harder" sound. Parties, events, and festivals across Europe focused on this music style are breaking attendance records and selling tickets at unprecedented rates. For instance, within just 24 hours, the largest hard techno event ever, taking place this July in Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff Arena, sold out. Forty thousand tickets were gone in an instant, similar to the last Amsterdam Dance Event, where all hard techno parties were sold out in advance. This year’s Tomorrowland is featuring hard sound on its main stages, making the style so prominent that it has grown into a movement, one that has taken over. While hard techno isn't a new genre, the influence of social media has expanded its reach from the underground to a broader audience of ravers, creating a new generation of producers and DJs who emerged from other genres.

Scene enthusiasts debate whether hard techno belongs more to hardstyle or techno, with the older generation saying that today's hard techno reminds them of '90s rave, hardcore, and gabber. The TikTok generation, who consume everything faster, harder, instantly, and intensely, will say that hard techno is the techno of the new generation. Emerging from dark warehouses and halls, hard techno is stepping into the spotlight and reaching our shores.

The world’s leading organization for hard techno events, the Dutch Verknipt, is bringing the Verknipt Croatia Holiday Festival to the popular party destination Pag, with beach, club, and party boat events at Zrće from June 30 to July 4. They will feature artists such as Creeds, Basswell, OGUZ, Kntrlvrlst, Carv, OMAKS, KØZLØV, DIØN, Cristobal Pesce, Franky-B, Nikolina, Xenia, and other leading figures in this rapidly growing and increasingly popular genre of electronic music.

For information on festival and day tickets, packages including accommodation in apartments or villas with a pool, and the complete lineup and program, you can visit the official festival website HERE: https://verkniptcroatia.org/

On September 21, we will return to Hemkade, for another edition of Verknipt All Day Long! We can’t wait to share our love for hard music with our DIE HARD fans again! Are you ready to rave ALL DAY LONG?

We know there were a lot of people who were not able to purchase a ticket for Fantasm’s All Night Long on September 14th, and NOW is your chance to score a ticket and experience his SPECIAL 3-HOUR SET!

With 16 artists, 2 stages and the amazing laser show that Verknipt is known for, we’re going to make Hemkade shake once again. You can’t miss out this time.

Tickets are sold out. Don’t miss out the next time, join our Whatsapp Broadcast Channel here!