The strapline on the Oasis Festival website reads “Dance Somewhere Different”. Once you find yourself raving the hours away to a killer line-up of the best in underground electronic music amid the heat and beauty of Marrakech, it’s hard to argue against it.
Set against the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains, on the outskirts of the city, the festival, which takes place at a luxury resort, The Source, is at first glance a contradiction in terms. The best in techno was once the preserve of gritty Berlin clubs and early-hour slots far from indie-stocked main festival stages. But don’t be fooled by the high-end location — this is still as techno as it comes. Oasis is resetting the rules by matching a sophisticated setting, complete with palm-bordered pool and artisan cocktail-laden terrace, with the highest-quality electronic music and a no-holds-barred party atmosphere.
The brainchild of Marjana Jaidi, it was conceived as a festival for grown-ups: the best bits of the culture minus the muddy toilets and pill-heads. “As you get older you might still enjoy this music but your needs have evolved — you might want somewhere to sit, you might want to be in a more civilised environment,” she said. “So I wanted to create an atmosphere people can enjoy at all ages, and feel like they’re on holiday.”
The arrival of Oasis feels like a tipping-point, establishing Morocco as a major player on the global festival scene. Longstanding events such as Fez, Gnaoua and Mawazine, the world’s second-biggest festival, cater to a pop, rock, jazz and world music audience while new additions are appearing all the time. Since Oasis’s inception in 2015, the scene has already expanded significantly, with what looks to be a growing trend of dance festivals following its lead. The Dutch offering, Atlas Festival, and French Moga launched in 2016, and Beyond Sahara is being planned for next month while other festivals in North Africa are flourishing, such as Egypt’s Sandbox.
According to Amine K, Morocco’s foremost electronic artist, it’s not just coincidence that electronic music has found a home here. “Repetitive and spiritual music is in our blood,” he says. “If you dig into our ancestors, you have this religious repetitive music, you have breakdowns, melodies and trippy vocals. That’s what Moroccan people used to listen to and that’s what they listen to still.”
A world ambassador for Moroccan electronica, launching and exporting his own music brand Moroko Loko, Amine has sought to revive the underground scene in the country and sees Oasis as an opportunity to bring that to the international community. “The crowd is just mind-blowing here — that’s why DJs love to come and play in Morocco,” he says. “It’s not part of the Middle East, it’s not part of Africa, it’s not part of Europe; it’s just a mix and a melting pot of all those cultures — that’s what makes it an exceptional place.”
For the likes of Charlotte de Witte, the effortlessly edgy Belgian queen of techno at just 25, the festival’s draw is clear: “People are always looking for a new experience and Oasis certainly offers that. I mean when you walk around it’s just beautiful: you have the nice weather; you have these little pathways with the lights; the sound is amazing; the line-up is great.”
The nature of the festival results in a dream performance environment free of “techno tourists” and first-time festival-goers, says de Witt: “People here are more mature, and they understand the music more. That’s what gives it a special atmosphere.”
Morocco - in pictures
But the festival, from 4pm to 6am every day, is also involving the local community, with a Moroccan Quarter serving up street food (including unexpectedly delicious snails), shisha pipes and daily yoga, plus all manner of cushioned nooks filled with the sweet aroma of herbs. The city centre itself is a half-hour drive away.
Read More
The upmarket experience doesn’t come cheap once travel, tickets and accommodation are factored in, plus London-priced booze. But this exotic, sun-soaked techno fest is a thrilling addition to the music calendar — and may just have paved the way for North Africa to become the next festival hub.
Details: Marrakech
Oasis Festival takes place from September 14-16. Weekend passes cost from €140. easyJet flies from Gatwick to Marrakech from £173 return. Festicket offers hotel and festival packages with accommodation from £50 a night, room only.