Dimensions is back! Celebrating its fifth year in Pula, the festival goes from strength to strength with exceptional line-ups year after year. Due to Dimensions Festival's strength in curation, you won't manage to catch everyone you want to see, however but we've managed to narrow down the acts that simply cannot be missed in the settings of the idyllic Fort Punta Christo and the accompanying Croatian sunshine. Check in below.
1. The Return of Larry Heard/Mr. Fingers (Friday night, The Clearing)
Laying dormant for 20 years, Chicago House veteran Larry Heard will return under his Mr. Fingers pseudonym to deliver a lesson in house, soul, and everything in between. In a set that will contain a plethora of classics and euphoric moments galore, expect Friday night's Clearing stage to be filled with emotional piano riffs and low-slung yet effervescent vibes from start to finish. To get you in the mood, Mr. Heard has put together an exclusive mix for the festival that you can wrap your ears round below.
2. Massive Attack at Pula's Roman Amphitheatre (Wednesday, Opening Concert)
This year's stellar opening concert headliners will set the tone for the rest of the festival. Alongside Moodymann and Kamasi Washington, Bristol duo Massive Attack will perform an expansive live set from the iconic settings of Pula's Roman amphitheatre on Wednesday. With fellow Bristolian Tricky likely in-tow (having teamed up with Massive Attack on January's Ritual Spirit EP and recent Hyde Park performance), the Mediterranean coast will be the perfect setting for some hazy trip-hop from an act that never fails to live up to the billing. Massive Attack are set to infuse their early-nineties roots with more modern productions in what's set to be an unforgettable and evocative showcase.
3. Mim Suleiman (Beach Stage, Friday)
Waking up in a tent that's likely to be as hot and dry as your tongue and an accompanying Adriatic heat already beating down on you, your best shout will be hauling yourself down to the beach, pasting yourself in sun cream, and taking in the delights of Mim Suleiman. The indomitable singer from Zanzibar will grace the beach stage with her infectious blend of Maurice Fulton-produced house beats, taraab-influenced lyrics and Swahili singing. No better way of grinding out that hangover with a powerful performance from one of the liveliest yet lesser-known acts on the Dimensions line-up.
4. Ben UFO (Moat, Friday)
Ben UFO, one of the best selectors in the scene and all round nice guy, will be back at it again in the Moat on Friday where expertly-chosen service will resume for the Hessle Audio honcho. One of the most cultured curators who has an ear for knowing exactly what a crowd wants, listen to his recent set from XOYO below, where he mixes Pearson Sound's "XLB" into Drake's "With You" into Boddika and Joy Orbison's "Severed Seven". That should amply whet your palette and allow you to get a taste of what's about to get laid down in the twilight hours up on the Moat.
5. Jeremy Underground (Thursday, The Beach)
This man has made Dimensions his own in recent years. Fusing the musical quality of a well-seasoned record hoarder and superb mixing of all things My Love Is Underground (his own label) to Parisian funk and soul, Jeremy Underground's sets burn up dancefloors across the globe but Dimensions seems to be the perfect symbiosis between understanding crowd and exceptional DJ for what will be one of the most memorable moments at the festival.
