Sonus Festival: interview with organiser Robin Ebinger

Sonus festival has a rep for boundary-pushing, dance-music innovation, and has successfully earned it's place on the calendar of any self-respecting bass-music buff. Robin Ebinger, from Cosmopop, helped to launch this seminal festival back in 2013. He chats to Time Out about the inspiration, bringing in local talent, and what the future holds for Sonus.

Why Croatia?

For a long while we had planned to extend our festival roster to southern Europe, so started visiting locations in Croatia back in 2009. We always rated Croatia as an interesting market for festivals due to the beautiful landscape and immediate proximity to the sea.

In January 2013, a friend contacted us with the idea to host a festival. He already had a venue and had done small shows there in 2012. We really liked the venues and the idea, so this was when Sonus was born back in 2013. Since then the Sonus community has grown and grown. We are proud to be a part of today’s strong Croatian festival scene.

What were your thoughts before you went?

I was familiar with several other festivals in Croatia before. But I had never felt the vibe down there. We knew that by combining beautiful weather, beaches and top-quality music, there was a chance we would have a successful festival.

What are the pros and cons of holding a festival in Croatia?

Since we can’t control the weather, outdoor events are always risky. That’s why we chose August, when sunshine is reliable. Our stunning beach spot is easily accessible from Zadar, Split and Zagreb airports.

So could you call it a scene – and how do the festivals interact?

We have close ties and exchange ideas and information with some promoters. Also, we help each other with marketing and adjust the programming when possible. I think what helps is respect, sympathy and professionalism. 

Tell us about your audience – and what they can look forward to in 2015

The international vibe is what marks Sonus. We offer lots of local talent a platform, with many artists from Croatia and other ex-Yugoslav countries. I’ll be looking forward to the perfect combination of music and nature: golden beaches, on-site clubs and beautiful waves for the boat parties.