The third day of the inaugural Balance Croatia would feature more grooves, breakbeats and relentless energy.
Day Three
The day (10 August) started on the Beach Stage with a different flavour. Budakid's groovy beats drifted over the crowd like the soundtrack to a beach club – cold cocktail in hand, bare feet tapping in the sand.DJing without shoes and with a crazy bum-bum wiggle, he delivered a set that built effortlessly, each track drawing the crowd in further. His style had people swaying and smiling, a perfect opening for the day for this hungover late comer.
A visit to the Olive Grove for Tara Brooks playing some jacking house brought welcome variety. Her energy was infectious, singing along to tracks and drawing the crowd into her rhythm.
The mood then shifted as Dom from Stanton Warriors stepped in with a breakbeat set packed with classics. The beats hit harder, the dancers expanded their moves, and the crowd embraced the change. Even the most devoted progressive house fans found themselves swept up in it.
Adam Freeland continued the breakbeat run, driving out the sound with authority, reminding everyone why he's considered one of the pioneers of the genre, his musical influence setting up one the great moments of the festival later that night.
Back to the Yard Stage and Hernán Cattáneo was in full control. His set was a masterclass in deep, rolling progressive house, driving forward with an unstoppable flow. The crowd was locked in, bodies moving as one. Behind the decks, friends and supporters gathered, adding to the sense of shared celebration.
Guy J closed Saturday with an unforgettable set. The energy of the performance was something you can only experience in person to truly understand; the joy of the crowd, the Garden Resort's Funktion-One sound system and unreleased tracks.
Set highlights included a powerful remix of Faithless' 'Insomnia', a beautiful breakbeat rework that left the audience in awe, and the epic remix of The Acid's 'Accidents' in the dawn light (Acid member Adam Freeland head nodding at the back of the DJ booth).
Even the most stoic chin-strokers were dancing uncontrollably; please Balance team release the live set for the world to enjoy.
Day Four
The fourth and final day (11 August) of Balance Croatia brought more fun, B2B2B madness and a host of classic moments. Even with the intensity of the three days before, the dusty souls filtered into the Garden Resort were all still up for the final push to the finish line.The day was sweltering, easily fixed by a refreshing dip in the ocean and a trip to the Oliver Grove stage where Forty Cats had a tech house groove going and the crowd dancing and growing with every track.
At the Beach Stage, Danny Howells began with smooth, floating sounds matching the crowd's energy to start the evening. His set just built and built and built, energising the weary legs; simply a master at work. It was the surprise set of the festival for me and even had the crowd throwing folded-up love notes onto the mixer.
Next stop was the Yard Stage where Roy Rosenfeld and Sebastien Leger B2B bought some fun. Sebastien challenged Budakid for best pound-for-pound DJ bum wiggle and Roy's remix of Guy Gerber's 'Rainchecks In Montreal' creating peak time, then back into groovy progressive house reminding all of the nuances of the genre.
Back to the Beach Stage with wind rustling through the feathers in the ceiling were solo sets from Quiver, David Seaman and Anthony Pappa, but true to the theme of the weekend of friends coming together to create, to perform, to love and to enjoy, the trio closed B2B2B.
How do you fit that much DJ capacity and music knowledge into one DJ booth! Tori Amos' 'Professional Widow', Kate Bush and Radiohead remixes, Mark Knight's 'Man With The Red Face' were highlights. Sets of quality and classics, dancing to exhaustion, the only way to close a festival.
Walking out in the morning sunlight, my only regret was I couldn't clone myself to attend more of the amazing sets and all of the legendary boat parties. Progressive house was always here, but Balance Croatia has given the genre an opportunity to shine its brightest and a platform to springboard to the next level.
The experience was unforgettable and I can't wait to return. I'd get your tickets for 2026 ASAP, as no doubt it will sell out in quick time.
- written by Daniel Holgate
