Rural 2014

'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 deep techno master Claudio PRC, NYC minimal pioneers Ike Yard and British producer extraordinaire Regis, along with domestic powers like Aoki Takamasa, Kohei and Gonno. The full lineup can be found here.