Rural 2015

'Rural', indeed. Since starting life in the mountains of Yamanashi Prefecture in 2009, this self-styled underground dance party has emerged as a pint-sized progeny of the more established Labyrinth festival. Much like its most obvious spiritual forebear, Rural offers an alternative to Japan's major dance fests. There's only place for 1,500 eager fans, and the lineup is an eclectic mix of artsy electronic music, including names like Brooklyn techno innovator Shawn O’Sullivan, experimental dance rebel Helena Hauff, Munich 'sound architect' Cio D'Or and master of mind-numbing bass Pearson Sound, along with domestic powers like electro genius Wata Igarashi, Aoki Takamasa and Koyas, plus our local favourite, minimal-dance talent Sapphire Slows.