ZoukOut came and went like a fiery lahar laden with thumping beats and trippy lights. But of course, the revelry wasn’t without controversy: Fake tickets (a pair went to a friend, unfortunately) were sold and bought; scalpers sold overpriced tickets online and off (another friend, astonishingly, bought one for $180). Nevertheless, this 10th installment was a sold out, successful affair.
DJB and Afrojack kickstarted the proceedings, and didn’t hesitate pulling out the heavy-hitters. Midnight came and went, and the Main Stage played host to the Latin-inspired sand-shuffling tech house of Laidback Luke, followed by the night’s main drawcard Tiësto. The trance master played a raving set, with sounds spanning from the more minimal to the hands-in-the-air peak-time euphoric sounds he’s become renowned for. The early hours featured Dennis Ferrer, David Guetta and Aldrin taking their respective crowds through to sunrise and beyond.
The music, light show and general atmosphere was nothing short of phenomenal and the club that has such loyal and dedicated fans was never going to disappoint. Its crowd may be more interested in reaching for the lasers than stroking their beards, but their youthful enthusiasm is something some other festivals simply can’t match.
