Rewire

The Hague, Netherlands
April 4 - April 7

Home to labels like Bunker, Viewlexx and Crème Organization, The Hague is rich with electronic music heritage. Since 2011, the Dutch city has also been home to Rewire, one of Europe's finest experimental music festivals. Taking place across multiple venues–from concert halls to clubs and churches–the four-day event is renowned for its daring programming and unique, one-off commissions. Highlights for this year include performances from ambient-R&B newcomer Niecy Blues, Scottish smallpipe innovator Brìghde Chaimbeul and the masterful Oneohtrix Point Never.

RA Pick: Autechre are as intense and mind-melting as it gets.

Equation

Mai Chau, Vietnam
April 5 - April 7

Imagine hearing deep techno on a Funktion-One soundsystem in a 25 metre-high limestone cave. That's what the Equation experience is all about: immersive soundscapes, friendly faces and a one-of-a-kind subterranean setting. Run by the team behind Hanoi club Savage, Equation launched in 2017 and moved to Mỏ Luông Cave in 2022. Located in a mountain town about three hours north of the capital, the site has an outside garden stage and the cave for after dark. The lineup isn't centred around headliners, rather showcasing the best in pan-Asian talent alongside some international names. This year, crowds will be spoiled for choice, with the likes of Di Linh, BongBongQuayQuay, Khoi Mai, Joe Delon, Roza Terenzi, DJ Fart in the Club and ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U on the bill.

RA Pick: Monophonik, India's modular techno whiz, is steadily developing a cult following for his exquisite, mesmerising live sets.

Time Warp

Mannheim, Germany
April 5 - April 7

Celebrating a whopping 30 years in 2024, Time Warp will once again descend on Mannheim with almost 60 acts in tow. Over the years, the dance music behemoth has expanded to include events in São Paulo, New York and now Madrid, but its flagship edition at the Maimarkt exhibition centre remains the eye of the storm. Spread across nine dance floors boasting bespoke, cutting-edge production, this year's programme presents a who's who of techno on the Friday, including Fadi Mohem, Paula Temple, VTSS back-to-back Anetha and Dax J back-to-back SPFDJ. The Saturday is more broad, welcoming sets from the likes of Jayda G, DJ Holographic, Ricardo Villalobos, Sven Väth, Patrick Mason, Loco Dice and Chloé Caillet, who will go back-to-back with Desiree.

RA Pick: Laurent Garnier has been playing Time Warp since 1994, so it's only right he's a highlight for the big birthday party.

MUTEK.ES

Barcelona, Spain
April 9 - April 14

MUTEK's name, an amalgamation of "mutation" and "technology," points to the Montreal festival's insistence on evolution. After 24 years, the event has become a global institution, with spin-offs in Mexico, Japan, Argentina, the UAE and Chile. The only European offshoot, which is gearing up for its 15th edition, is in Barcelona. Across five days of programming, MUTEK.ES will host local and international artists operating at the intersections of music, technology and digital art to perform at galleries, concert halls, clubs and more. Highlights in 2024 include Actress, Hatis Noit, HiTech, Vegyn and Autechre.

RA Pick: Sofia Kourtesis's emotive, kaleidoscopic house.

Terminal V

Edinburgh, Scotland
April 13 - April 14

Over the past decade, Terminal V has grown into one of Scotland's biggest and most renowned festivals. Held at Royal Highland Centre, a sprawling exhibition space on the outskirts of Edinburgh, the two-day party is geared towards big-room, rave-ready club sounds. This comes through strongly in the 2024 lineup, which is packed with techno titans—Blawan, Dax J, Ellen Allien—as well as emerging local talent, like AISHA and Franck.

RA Pick: Responsible for some of the best techno crafted outside the Motor City, Stephen Brown is a must-see.

Rainbow Disco Club

Shizuoka, Japan
April 19 - April 21

Turning 15, Rainbow Disco Club is another legendary festival celebrating a key anniversary in 2024. Spanning three days at Higashi Izu Cross Country Course, the intimate, tree-lined gathering is famous for its family-friendly atmosphere and striking RDC stage, which looks like a miniature version of Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, complete with piercing laser beams. If it rains—which it can at this time of year—it only adds to the magic, as the lasers create a dazzling sky of glitter above the crowd. This year's lineup features Japanese heroes like Stones Taro, Kenji Takimi, Kuniyuki and DJ Nobu (who will go back-to-back with DJ Masda), while international guests include Peach, Shanti Celeste, Antal and the Hessle Audio trio.

RA Pick: Rising Japanese artist SAMO's sets run the gamut across high-energy club sounds.

Unts Unts Unts Festival

Puebla, Mexico
April 19 - April 20

The backdrop to Unts Unts Unts is Cholula, one of Mexico's historically rich cities and home to the colourful Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. The new, aptly named festival will take place at Villas Arqueológicas, a traditional and colourful hotel complex complete with terracotta walls, swimming pools and a tree-lined grassy area for dancing. Local artists such as Ursula Prawn, Zerena Morena and NAAFI's Lao will play alongside international guests like Objekt, Ikonika and Jubilee.

RA Pick: 2024 marks 20 years of Hyperdub, the label responsible for releasing Ikonika's first records more than a decade ago. Now's the time to see the London musician work her magic.

Gop Tun

São Paulo, Brazil
April 20

When Gop Tun, the long-time São Paulo label, party and collective launched a festival in 2022, Felipe Maia wrote about how baile funk soundtracked many moments across the 20-hour event. This year, expect plenty of other high-energy local sounds to capture the imagination. Taking place at event space Live Stage, Gop Tun 2024 will see Brazilian artists like Bárbara Boeing, Carlim, Ananda and Kontronatura rubbing shoulders with international guests such as Robert Hood, Surgeon and Marie Davidson. Eris Drew & Octo Octa will return to play back-to-back, after their ecstatic closing set in 2022 resulted in not one, not two, but three encores.

RA Pick: Combine Roza Terenzi's euphoric prog and ISAbella's self-proclaimed "lesbian house" and you've got a rapturous back-to-back on your hands.

Organik

Shimen District, Taiwan
April 26 - April 28

Since 2012, the founders of Organik have built the three-day festival into a highlight on the global dance music calendar. Born from wanting to firmly embed techno into the Taiwanese scene, its programming brings together sonically disparate artists who all share one thing in common: a singular approach to their craft. Taking place north of Taipei at a spot known as "Secret Beach," this year's festival will feature the likes of DJ TOOL, Lena Willikens and Sedef Adasï while also spotlighting the rich offerings of the local and regional scenes, with sets from Archiv founder OCCA, VENT Tokyo resident Toner and Pawnshop favourite Diskonnected.

RA Pick: Diskonnected's weightless techno.

Sónar Istanbul

Istanbul, Turkey
April 26 - April 28

Sónar Istanbul takes place in the historic district of Beşiktaş, a major transportation hub between the city's European and Asian sides. In many ways, the neighbourhood represents the spirit of the festival, given how it acts as a channel of cultural exchange between local and visiting artists, bringing together forward-thinking electronic music with disruptive audiovisual art. Spanning the avant-garde to more dance floor-oriented genres, the lineups feature veteran producers alongside buzzy newcomers to give audiences a holistic taste of the global electronic underground. Just as Beşiktaş, and Istanbul more broadly, are a melting pot of shared histories, the festival is ground zero for adventures in rhythm and groove.

RA Pick: Ryoji Ikeda infuses mathematical concepts into his music and installations for a heady, sensorial experience.