Though other events might claim to herald the start of the summer festival season, Taico Club is the first outdoor party of note that doesn't require revellers to wrap up like it's still winter – or at least, not until long after the sun has gone down. Held in the bucolic surrounds of the mountainside Kodama no Mori campsite in Nagano Prefecture, the fest is within relatively easy striking distance from Tokyo (albeit far more convenient by car than public transport). It's a compact affair, with two stages supplying a stream of electronica, techno and indie from Saturday afternoon until well into Sunday morning – and after a ho-hum selection in 2011, this year's lineup is looking pretty impressive so far. Influential indie magpies Animal Collective – currently at work on a follow-up to 2009's Merriweather Post Pavilion – and brain-altering ensemble Boredoms are due to headline, and there are some big-gun DJs on board, among them US rave veteran Josh Wink and minimal supremo Ricardo Villalobos (who still has to make amends for cancelling last year, natch). Here's the lineup so far...
Africa Hitech (NEW), Animal Collective, Boredoms, DadaD, Takkyu Ishino Jonti, King Krule, Kubota Takeshi, Lama, Machinedrum, Moodman, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Mouse on Mars, Rega, Schadaraparr, Sepalcure, Sly Mongoose, TR-101 (DJ Pete & Sleeparchive), Ricardo Villalobos, Josh Wink, Zainichi Funk...