How Time Warp has achieved 30 years of hard-hitting techno and next-level stage productions
“The festival has to be on the bucket list for anyone serious about electronic music”
Time Warp. Image: Marko Obradovic Edge
“30 years, 30 hours, you made it! Thank you very much for coming and dancing with us”, says festival director Robin Ebinger, praising the thousands-strong audience of Time Warp ravers still dancing at 2 pm on Sunday as techno pioneer Richie Hawtin brings his mammoth four-hour set to a close.
Ebinger’s rare moment on the mic concludes Time Warp’s 30th-anniversary event, whose expansive line-up of legendary and rising names is a who’s who of techno’s past, present and future. In fact, many of the names on this year’s programme have long been considered regulars: Richie Hawtin has played for 24 years, Ricardo Villalobos 23, Adam Beyer 23 and Sven Väth a mammoth 29 years in a row, having been a Time Warp stalwart since the mid-90s.
The brainchild of business partners and lifelong friends Steffen Charles and Michael Hock, the pair initially wanted to organise an event with the artists that were important to them. When it came to planning the debut edition of Time Warp in 1994, this meant giving a platform to innovators like Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier, Speedy J and John Acquaviva.
From humble beginnings of a small crowd of 1,500, Time Warp has grown to attract 20,000 electronic music enthusiasts globally to each edition in Mannheim, Germany.
“People from all over the world travel to attend Time Warp. It’s a truly international event,” says Robin, who stood on the dancefloor at the first edition and is now a key team member. “I believe there is not a country from which we have not welcomed a guest since we started,” he claims, citing that some attendees have travelled from as far as Australia, Canada, Brazil and Japan.
Time Warp has also evolved in scale and scope over the decades. While the line-up has diversified to feature established electronic music artists and emerging talents from various subgenres, the festival has become revered for its innovative stage designs and production values. It’s also no longer a local affair, with events now hosted in the USA, Czech Republic, Austria, Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland and Argentina.
“Our goal was to spread the Time Warp spirit and create unforgettable experiences for attendees around the world,” Robin reflects.
Nonetheless, the flagship edition remains the festival’s beating heart, with many artists returning year on year. And, with almost half of the 30,000 guests flying in from different corners of the world for 2024’s 30th-anniversary edition (many proudly holding their country’s flag up in the crowd while hoisted on friend’s shoulders), the festival’s status as an underground institution remains unmatched.
Running later than most club nights worldwide, Friday’s 9 pm to 8.30 am warm-up eases you into the marathon main event, which kicks off at 7.30 pm on Saturday and runs until mid-afternoon on Sunday. Despite the endurance test, the Mannheim exhibition centre is packed from the kickoff with sweating bodies of all ages and nationalities (including an abundance of bare chests and leather harnesses at this particularly sweltering edition).
Curating the line-up for Time Warp’s 30th anniversary was, says Robin, a “meticulous process aimed at celebrating the diversity of techno music while honouring the genre’s roots and evolution over the past three decades.” The goal, he adds, was to “create a programme that not only showcased established legends but also highlighted emerging talent, representing the past, present, and future of techno.”
Majoritively, thunderously hard and fast floor-shaking beats are the driving force of the 30th-anniversary party, as scene-leaders Paula Temple, 999999999, Kobosil and relative newcomers DJ Gigola, Clara Cuvé and Lee Ann Roberts really test the towering speakers. Meanwhile, a handful of back-to-back pairings (Marcel Dettmann B2B Solomun, which is like Pacha v Berghain, and Dax J B2B SPFDJ) add to the occasion.
Among the 2024 highlights are Indira Paganotto’s apocalyptically-heavy, eerie-vocal-led psy-techno, which conjures the feeling of being in an infernal ritual (in the best way possible), and Texan DJ/producer Sara Landry, who conducts the crowd effortlessly thanks to her mesmerising stage presence… and plenty of incendiary hardcore and eruptive techno.
Often, the infectious energy displayed by those behind the decks matches the relentless intensity of the beats being unleashed, particularly I Hate Models and Patrick Mason, the latter who showcases his incredible vogueing and body-bending skills by jumping onto a platform in front of the decks to give the dance performance of his life.
The handful of live sets over the weekend prove equally memorable, too: as well as NTO and Boston 186, Reinier Zonnaveld’s set-up — which includes a Roland TR-909, Native Instruments Maschine and Roland SH-101 — is an analogue lover’s dream. Elsewhere, Octave One’s expansive table of hardware features a mixing desk, Moog Sub37, Akai MPC Live and modular rig.
Several artists also spin vinyl sets, including the enchantingly eclectic digger Ricardo Villalobos, plus Anfisa Letyago and Hector Oaks who, thriving off each other’s energy, make for a perfect pairing. Laurent Garnier’s set in the legendary, greenhouse-like dome, which has its own disco ball, is an unforgettable session too: eyes closed and really feeling the music, he’s undoubtedly a master of the craft.
It’s not all techno, however, as two rooms cater for fans of more melodic, Tulum-style sounds (courtesy of ARTBAT and Mochakk), pumping tech-house (Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler) and grooving house (Jayda G, Honey Dijon); noticeably, the contrasting vibe results in different attire, including white tees and neon bracelets.
The music is just one part of Time Warp, however, as the festival’s visual aspect has always been equally important.
“Each year, the festival strives to push the boundaries of creativity and technology, offering attendees a visually stunning and immersive experience,” Ebinger says.
“From the festival’s inception, we’ve prioritised integrating lights and video elements into our stage designs and production,” he adds. “As technology has advanced and costs have become more manageable across multiple events, we’ve had the opportunity to develop increasingly intricate and elaborate stage designs.”
For the 30th anniversary, each floor was crafted with a specific concept in mind. Led by technical director, Anatol Fried, interdisciplinary teams from around the world came together to create immersive spatial designs using cutting-edge lighting, video technology, and a variety of materials.
“Behind each design lies a unique idea, ensuring that every room design and dancefloor has a unique character, tailored to the size and musical direction,” says Robin. The goal, he adds, “is to captivate by transforming the halls into immersive experience zones, where every element — from the lighting to the materials used — contributes to a blend of light, colour, and form. For our attendees, the result is a mesmerising experience.”
He’s not wrong: the ceilings above the different dance floors transform into three-dimensional spectacles, appearing both fluid and dynamic. Massive cell structures come to life, morphing over the heads of the crowd, while lightning dances, meteors move through the space, and colossal balloon-like structures arch overhead in vibrant crimson hues.
“At its core, Time Warp is about enriching the experience of electronic music by creating a symphony of artistry, music, video, light, technology, fabrics, and structure, Robin summarises. “With every moment being a testament to the transformative power of electronic music and visual artistry, each component plays a crucial role in immersing attendees in a world of sensory delight.”
And that’s exactly what it feels like to be at Time Warp. “It’s a unique experience and you have to be there to feel it,” says Mark Gwinnett, who runs electronic music website The Night Bazaar and has been coming to Time Warp every year for the past decade. “For over 30 years, they have stuck to their original principles. And, while the festival has grown into the ultimate example of what an electronic music celebration should be, they have never compromised on their original core values when it comes to presenting cutting-edge dance music to the world.
“Built by ravers for ravers, Time Warp has been very important in the global evolution of electronic music, setting a standard that so far has not been matched anywhere else,” he adds, citing everything from the production and soundsystems to the line-ups and the “impeccable” attention to detail.
“I thought I had seen it all over two decades of raving until I first came to Time Warp 10 years ago; it changed everything for me and continues to inspire each year. The festival has to be on the bucket list for anyone serious about electronic music.”
Another Time Warp lifer, Grego O’Halloran, who experienced the festival for the first time in 2007 and has missed very few since, feels the same.
“Honestly, in all the years I’ve been going, one of the most stand-out things is how little things change: they nailed the whole concept from the outset, so why change a winning formula?” While he says production is kept up to date and the line-up always has new names each year, “when it comes to big raves in massive rooms with the biggest names in house and techno, it’s an unbeatable experience.”
With all this in mind, Grego goes on to describe Time Warp as “an annual pilgrimage for so many people where traditions die hard.” Reflecting over the many editions he has attended, he says “particularly for me, Laurent Garnier’s sunrise sets and Richie Hawtin’s closing techno assault are some of the most iconic experiences in the whole of electronic music. It should be a rite of passage for any clubber worth their salt to be part of moments like these.”
Here’s to another 30 years.
