FESTIVALS 2014 - EUROPE

Nine events, five days and numerous venues, Emerging Ibiza is a series of parties programmed in Ibiza especially to promote upcoming DJ talent. Handpicked by a panel of experts that includes Audiofly, Ben Turner, Danny Whittle, Nick Curly, Steve Lawler and Renato Ratier among others, the series will launch at Sands, before visiting Space Ibiza, Zoo Project, Amnesia and Sankeys, among others, during the week. Tom Flynn, Patrick Topping, The Mekanism and Mind Against are just some of the DJ names involved.

Always take the weather with you, is how the song goes. Something that particularly applies to festivals. Hence, the title Weather Festival might seem churlish, especially if it's attended by loads of Brits. Regardless, you can rest assured the music at this techno event — made up of a multi-stage main arena and a bunch of spin-off parties at local clubs like Rex, Concrete and Machine du Moulin Rouge — is going to be spot-on despite the weather. 

Barcelona's day and night programme of cutting-edge dance reaches 21 years this June. Also in Reykjavik, Stockholm, Tokyo, Cape Town and Mexico these days, the Catalan capital is still the daddy. Name a left-of-centre dance act worth seeing and they're bound to be here somewhere, either outdoor at Fira Montjuïc or inside the enormous hangars of Fira Gran Via L'Hospitalet after dark.

Prefer daytime partying? Look no further! Secret Solstice is the new three-day dance fest in the Arctic Circle where ravers won't have to worry about the sun going down. Why? Because it won't. Located in the stunning volcanic, hot-water spring surroundings of Iceland at the height of summer, this event won't stay secret for long. The music ain't bad either.  

Set upon various stages — inside and out — within the quaint seaside town of Sete, Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Festival is the pick of the bunch for those whose tastes stray into the outer realms of the dance spectrum. From Afrobeat to funk and soul, all with a futuristic edge, there's plenty here to get you dancing. It's not just the gorgeous sunsets that keep its loyal, word-of-mouth following flooding back every year.

Serbia's Exit is more than just a festival. Originally offering an escape after years of an oppressive war, this coming together in the Petrovaradin Fortress also has political meaning. But more than anything it's about getting completely lost to an intense soundtrack. Everything from EDM to underground sounds are catered for here, and this year a host of b2b one-off DJ pairings will take this family affair to a whole new level.

For a nation defined by its electronic scene, it's only natural its flagship festival is heavy on the house and techno, but that's not to say they've forgotten the bands. Don't expect a line-up to revival V Festival though, the likes of Portishead, Whomadewho and Little Dragon play live and the only metal is at Ferropolis, the impressive open-air steel museum the festival is found within.

How much EDM/dance music can you fit into one day? It's a mystery! Or it is until you have experienced Mysteryland, 12 hours of non-stop carnage across more stages than Gandalf can shake a wand at. Aside from the definitive line-up covering big room monoliths and underground stars, it's Mysteryland's production that really takes the biscuit. A trippy wonderland of hidden trails, psychedelic main stage murals and flame-throwing pyrotechnics, this festival — now also in the US and Chile — is another world entirely.

If you go into the woods today, you'll find only the most respected underground DJ talent on a shit-hot soundsystem. Probably Amsterdam's coolest promoters, Dekmantel — also a label — really proved their worth with their first-ever festival last year. Even with the rain, it was a massive success. 

Since when did Poland get so bloody cool!? First Unsound, now this. Entering its ninth year in 2014, Tauron Nowa Muzyka is a four-day showcase of avant garde electronic sounds set in the industrial realms of a Katowice coal mine. Calling upon a 10 years of Hyperdub showcase and DJs like Ben UFO and Dixon, it'll have even Dalston's most tweed-suited and brogue-booted booking an Easyjet flight.