Stone Techno Festival 2023 by The Third Room | Review
Location:
The Third Room is known for organizing events in former industrial landmarks in western Germany. The Stone Techno Festival took place in one of their go-to locations: Zeche Zollverein
The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex […] is a large former industrial site in the city of Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The first coal mine on the premises was founded in 1847, and mining activities took place from 1851 until December 23, 1986. For decades, starting in the late 1950s, the two parts of the site, Zollverein Coal Mine and Zollverein Coking Plant […] ranked among the largest of their kinds in Europe […] and [are] considered an architectural and technical masterpiece, earning it a reputation as the “most beautiful coal mine in the world”. Because of its architecture and testimony to the development of heavy industry in Europe, the industrial complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List […] and is one of the anchor points of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. — Wikipedia
What more is there to say? The atmosphere is raw and perfect for techno! Parts of the area are used as an attraction (guided tours & museums), while in others you can see how nature is taking back what was once stolen from it. It is purely beautiful! In my opinion, this is one of the most unique and breathtaking locations I ever experienced.
From Essen central station it took approximately 15 minutes by bus to get to Zeche Zollverein and an additional 10 minutes by foot to reach the entrance. In the evening there were shuttle busses provided by the organizers for an easier way home (every 20–30 minutes).
There is one issue for which I will deduct 0.5 points. There was no after-party. And the closest possible option was to go to Tresor.West which is over 30 minutes away by car and over an hour by public transport. I am confident that the organizers tried their best, but unfortunately, there aren’t many options in that area (anymore). However, the location alone is a must-see and there are no obstacles to reaching it: 9.5/10
Sound-system:
Out of all the sections, the sound at Stone Techno has the worst rating. This fortunately doesn’t equate to it being bad, or ruining the experience. Overall it was solid. Only L-Accoustic was used with their all-stars like the SB28, SB218, KS28 (Subs), and the KARA II and ARCS (tops). Please excuse my laziness. But with 4 stages it is just too much for me to list and rate each system individually. I did that for 3 stages in my Tresor review and that already was quite the hassle. Additionally, I nearly spend no time at Werkschimmbad and Kokerei. 95% of the time I was at Eisbahn or Salzlager.
So how come my critique? Except for Eisbahn, all the stages have been 2-point setups without any delay speakers. Especially on the Salzlager stage which was quite elongated this was noticeable. It lies within the physical properties that after a few meters, the sound falls off, causing the crowd to press toward the DJ where the speakers are. It wasn’t too bad and probably not something many people noticed (or could pinpoint). Additionally, the sound was clear and loud, without hurting my ears. Still, wear earplugs!
The difference just immensely stood out compared to the Eisbahn stage which sounded excellent and very homogeneous in the dancefloor area. I liked that a lot and sound wise this was my highlight.
The way the subs have been set up in the back facing the DJ was at first a bit surprising to me, as I’ve never seen something like that at an open-air — but it worked fantastically!
Overall, for being outdoors the sound was good. For a better rating, however, I would definitely want some delay speakers at “Salzlager” and a 4-point system at “Werkschwimmbad”: 7.5/10
Lights and atmosphere:
The location makes the atmosphere! That’s all there really is to say. Additionally, it only got dark at ~ 22:30 so for the majority of the day the lights played a subordinate role.
Mostly classical lighting gear was used like strobes and moving heads. An eye-catcher have been multiple led screens that displayed “floaty colorful” visuals. Unfortunately, those haven’t really been in sync with the music or anything out of the ordinary. However, the concept with them was clearly implemented throughout all stages creating a clear aesthetic.
Another great aspect: the DJ booths on all stages haven’t been closed off. Personally, I am not big on dancing behind the DJ, and usually, the sound is better in the front. But it creates a great atmosphere not having this separation and all forming “one unity” with the DJ being (kind of) in the middle.
Was there a crazy lighting setup never seen before? No. Could there have been done more? Yes. But why take the focus off the beautiful scenery? I personally liked it the way it was and even would have preferred a more minimalistic approach without the screens. Just strobes, moving heads, and smoke in this old industrial sight. But everyone has a different taste and I heard from multiple people they liked the setup with the screens.
Again, the rating is heavily biased toward the unique location … but it just fitted so well: 9/10
(Why not 10/10 you’re asking? Because a 10/10 for is something that takes my breath away, like the laser show at Possession or Rave Rebels)
Organization:
The basics were very well organized. Nothing to complain about! There have been more than enough toilets such that neither I nor my friends ever had to wait a significant amount of time. Those also provided enough access to drinking water there, additionally to multiple well-positioned bars. So our human needs have been satisfied. In the last section of this review, I mention other people's comments who had a worse experience at the bars than I had. But I also didn’t spend much time at them because I am currently not drinking.
Fortunately, there was also a wardrobe, which although a bit pricey (3€) is not something to take for granted with 30 degrees outside. Having it was extremely beneficial because … drumroll … there was a swimming pool! How awesome is that? A quick jump into cold water in the summer heat (lifeguards present) immediately makes you sober and fresh again. Showers were on site as well.
What was cool to see were some educational tents to teach you about coal and the whole Ruhr area. Always a plus to provide some awareness about the history, climate change, and future prospects. Speaking of awareness there was also an awareness team on sight and a medical tent directly at the main entrance. I only rarely saw awareness personnel walking around, but maybe that was also because there weren’t super visible. But there was a special phone number shared beforehand that you could get on-site help at all times and during the whole festival I never saw people collapsing, behaving rudely, or acting out. I think that speaks for itself!
There are two criticisms I have. One is that they utilize a weird system for drinks: a drinking card. Which has an amount of money on it that then gets crossed off. In my experience attending Third Room events multiple times, you will get ripped off! I am never sure if it is on purpose or if the bartenders just get too fucked up and can't do basic calculus anymore. I for my part (given my profession) am always quite fine with that and had multiple situations where I had to explain my calculations to the bar staff. And once money is crossed off there is no coming back. No matter if you’re in the right. Why they don’t just utilize tokens as most other festivals is beyond me and would make it much easier (not the biggest fan of tokens either — please just use cash or card only!).
Second criticism as soon as it got really dark I sometimes had the feeling that there wasn’t enough (safety) lighting to walk through the sight. Especially at Salzlager, there are blocks in the ground of the stage. During the day it is already easy to trip over them and during the night they are basically invisible. Also walking between stages was sometimes pretty dim. A few extra spotlights would go a long way.
To sum it up. You feel that those are experienced organizers! I don't understand drink cards are still used (-0.75) and some extra lighting for the walking paths would have been good (-0.25). The educational tents and the swimming pool are top-notch additions and round this up to a strong: 9/10
Music:
My personal favorite was Ahmet Sisman b2b Vnnn. I really enjoyed their groovy set and it glued me to the dancefloor. It helped for sure that they played on the Eisbahn stage with the best sound. The set was recorded by the European public service channel Arte and should soon be available to watch online. Otherwise, DJ Gigola was fun and I had a great time raging there with some friends, but in the aftermath, I am not sure what to think about her playing David Guetta's Sexy Chick. I mean … after that straight techno was played again, but it was a bit of a stretch tbh. From others, I heard good things about Nur Jaber, but haven’t checked her out myself — unfortunately.
To be honest, I was often times quite distracted, which luckily shouldn’t be an issue this time because some sets will be available on youtube like last year. It is understandable that there are some who disliked being filmed, but it was announced beforehand and there were always stages without a camera crew.
Overall the lineup provided was great! It was really cool that on Saturday one stage was given to the Vault Sessions Collective and on Sunday one to Eerste Communie. For my taste, it would have been nice if there would have been a bit more distinction. E.g. Rodhad and Freddy K closing at the same time are already quite similar. Same thing for D.Dan, Fadi Mohem, and Nur Jaber playing in parallel. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t say those artists play identically, just that the general direction of industrial/classic techno is similar.
Salzlager with the Hard House and new Trance was a good contrast and probably the reason why we’ve spent a lot of time there. A stage dedicated to House or G-Hose would have been cool for sure. Artists that come to my mind are Partiboi69, Mall Grab, Kettama, Bashkka, and THC. To be fair I also have the feeling that on Sunday this was more balanced with artists like CAIVA, Hyperaktivist, and Dasha Rush playing. As always, no rating in this category!
Pricing:
I was early on with my ticket. Really early! I bought a blind (student) ticket when no line-up and not even the date was announced. It cost 15€ per day. 15 €! Let that sink in! 30€ for the whole weekend! I think it would’ve been even cheaper if I didn’t buy them individually. My roommate spontaneously joined and managed to buy a student ticket on ticketswap on the Saturday the festival happened for 27€. This is an insane price for what you are getting!
The final price was 50€ (35€ student) per day or 90€ (58€ student) for the weekend pass. Given the artists booked, the huge location, and the 4 stages playing music till 23:59 even this is a fair price. But if you managed to plan ahead a bit there were multiple ticket stages offering vastly discounted options. The blind ticket I mentioned was just the pinnacle of it.
But my worshipping the entry price doesn’t stop here. The festival ticket included entrance to the currently ongoing NEW NOW exhibition at the Zollverein, which in itself already costs 10€ (for non-students). If you combine music and art you win my heart, and doing it in such an affordable way is simply amazing. By the way, the exhibition was great. I and my roommate really enjoyed this cultural stop before stepping on the dancefloor!
As for the rest, the prices have been more than fair. Mostly a bit cheaper compared to PollerWiesen in terms of drinks. Meaning that it was absolutely appropriate for the area. I just managed to snap a picture from one of the food trucks which offered fries and sausages. But there were more options (e.g. Asian noodles) — sorry I missed taking a picture of their pricing. However, 3.5€ for a good portion of fries at a festival is a great deal.
The fair pricing for food and drinks combined with the entry which is (even in the final price) appropriate for the lineup provided in itself would result in a high rating. But given the even better prices for early-stage buyers + student discount + entry to the museum makes this an absolute deal! A lot of other organizers could learn from their pricing and I hope it stays that way: 10/10
Conclusion:
Now, one last time, for the conclusion: THE LOCATION IS A MUST-SEE. It is perfect for raw, industrial techno. But all of it would not have been worth it if the technical setup would have been bad. Luckily The Third Room showed that they have multiple years of experience behind them to host that many people really well. There were only some minor issues, which, overall, makes this one of the best (big) raves I ever attended — for an incredible price! Some additional perks like the New Now exhibition and the swimming pool just underlined that the organizers have been willing to go some steps further, making this truly exceptional. A well-deserved 9.25/10
Some other opinions have been made vocal on Instagram (especially about Sunday when I wasn’t present). To get a comprehensive picture, please take a few minutes and read the next section.
My state of mind:
Those regularly reading my reviews probably noticed that this one was shorter and less detailed than usual. The reason simply is that I’ve met a bunch of friends there and was mostly occupied catching up with them. Especially since there were different groups involved some of whom I haven't seen for years. I loved every moment of it! So while I still tried to pay a lot of attention to put a solid review together it leans more towards an experience summary this time.
Some words regarding the future. Especially the value-for-money aspect was great and hit the nail on the head. It would be a shame if The Third Room would follow many other promoters and maximize profits. Especially because I in general have the feeling that this area of Germany is party-wise above-average expensive (especially Cologne). Sure, certain aspects just get more expensive due to inflation, but if that is the case I personally would be absolutely fine seeing less (expensive) headliners and more local artists. A lot of people I know are regulars and come for the great organization and location. Often locally popular artists (like MRD and Julian Mueller) attracted more people than far bigger industry names.
While writing this The Third Room started the sale of 2024 blind tickets. Luckily the final ticket price for Saturday & Sunday stayed the same at 90€. Unfortunately, student tickets (blind 50€/ final 70€) and blind tickets (non-student 70€) got more expensive, with no option to buy a single-day ticket. Additionally, there is a new full weekend ticket which also adds a third day: Friday (+20€). So even though the price was raised it stays within limits and in my opinion is still a very good value proposition. Kudos to the organizers.
I personally only visited the festival on Saturday! But I need to mention Sunday. During that day there have been massive storm warnings in that area. To the point where even the Awakenings festival (same weekend) canceled the whole Sunday. Massive rain and wind were the problem. Luckily for all the ravers, this only resulted in a few hour's break instead of a whole shutdown, and at 18:30 the festival restarted. The evacuation however seemed to have caused some turbulences as mentioned on Reddit:
I won't comment further on it as I haven't experienced it. Different users (and my friends as well) have different experiences. It is understandable that such a situation is very difficult to manage for organizers. However, safety is the highest priority and hopefully, there is a learning. I also want to add some Instagram comments to shed a different perspective. Those don’t necessarily reflect my experience. I also needed to leave an hour before the end so I didn’t have issues with the shuttle. Those comments are just important for me to keep it objective. Make what you want out of them. You can find more in the posts on Instagram — at least it's a major plus they don’t silence criticism and delete those!
