Put your hands up for Belgium: the techno fans’ pandemonium

In the words of Eminem, “Nobody listens to techno.”

Oh, how I love an opportunity to prove a white rapper wrong. In this case it wasn’t hard to do - as I think all of the 35,000 people who danced all night to techno at the I Love Techno festival in Ghent, Belgium proved.

For 13 hours straight, the world’s biggest DJs entertained the masses at this self proclaimed leading international dance event. Imagine… a giant hall, only one of six halls in the venue, packed with sweaty, half-naked people, where the DJ was literally walking on the crowd prompting them to shout “fuck this shit” until the bass kicked in with a vengeance and the rave began.

This highlight came close to another where everyone in the room got down on the floor until the build-up of a song ended in an ear-splitting explosion of a chorus, and we all jumped up as one, fists in the air.

All that day, whether in Brussels city or out in the town of Ghent, there was this buzz in the air; an excitement you could almost see. The build-up on the journey out to the venue had a palpable nervous energy, with guys banging on the ceilings of the train, terrifying the few innocent civilians who had so naively tried to use public transport that evening. Getting taken aside in the station by police to be searched by drug dogs was a personal highlight. I’ll take it as a compliment that I apparently look so dodgy….

The atmosphere culminates when you enter the Ghent expo. After you discard yourself of tickets and jackets, you are free to roam around the cavernous rooms, choosing between A-Trak or Sinden; Boys Noize or Crookers; Tiga or Fake Blood or Simian Mobile Disco, with a spectacular light show in each room only adding to the atmosphere.

Making new friends is only too easy, especially if you have an Irish flag and a friend who keeps flashing her I Love Techno underwear that she bought there last year.

Dancing for over 13 hours, thanks to daylight saving, you barely feel the need for basics such as food, water, or a bathroom break. Everyone there is joined by their love for music and dance, with the atmosphere so electric you can’t help but feel the happiness off those around you. Unless you were that girl being carried out from the arena on a stretcher.

Seriously though, I Love Techno could be one of the best nights of your life when it’s back next year for its 15th anniversary.

Trust me.