Energy (event)
| General information | |
| place | Hallenstadion , Maag Event Hall , Club OXA |
| genre | Electro, techno, trance, house, hardcore techno, hardstyle |
| Website | www.energyparty.ch |
| Visitor numbers | |
|---|---|
| approx. 20,000 visitors | |
The Energy is a techno event ( rave ) that takes place after the Zurich Street Parade . It is considered the largest indoor event in the field of electronic dance music in Switzerland and has up to 20,000 visitors each.
history
The Energy was held for the first time after the first Street Parade in 1992 in what was then Kugellager SRO, an industrial hall where the Messe car park is today. In 1992 the Energy was an illegal party, which only narrowly escaped closing on the night of the party. In addition, Energy provided the Street Parade with strong financial support in the early years and was able to determine the date depending on the availability of the Hallenstadion through a secret contract. Energy's advertising media at home and abroad also strongly promoted the then financially weak Street Parade. In the first few years, the Energy attracted more visitors than the Street Parade. This relationship only changed in 1994 with the breakthrough of the parade. From 1993 to 2003 it took place in the Zurich Hallenstadion .
The event, which was one of the first major techno events in continental Europe, regularly attracted thousands of visitors from abroad. In return, energy parties took place in Italy, France, Germany and Spain, mainly in large clubs. Since 2001, however, Energy has also included various other locations and clubs in Zurich, so visitors can visit various large events with an Energy ticket.
In 2003 the organizers of Energy and the French radio broadcaster Radio NRJ were in court because of their planned implementation of Radio NRJ / Energy in Zurich. However, the Energy Rave organizers prevailed in the summer of 2003 at the Zurich Higher Court , but agreed with the listed French group on a co-existence with the use of the existing synergies. Radio Energy in Zurich has been the event's official media partner since then.
Due to a one-year interruption due to the renovation of the Hallenstadion, it was relocated to Event Hall 550 ( ABB area Zurich Oerlikon ) in 2004. In 2006 and 2007 the organizer switched to the much smaller Maag area in Zurich's nightlife district Kreis 5 for economic reasons - the typical rave concept seemed to be slowly coming to an end. However, Energy 2008 managed the turnaround and was able to return to a sold-out indoor stadium with a new, fresher but also more commercial artist program. Since then, the event has taken place again regularly and secured by long-term contracts in the Hallenstadion Zurich.
From 2012 onwards, the Energy Party will be co-branding Energy 12 - Party-Arena in order to regain an independent identity in the medium term and to prevent possible mix-ups with Radio NRJ / Energy events.
The event is organized by Glamourama GmbH, based in Zurich, whose two owners have been involved in the event since 1992.
music
The predominant style of music at Energy was techno and house in the early 1990s . Since the beginning, practically all international DJs and live acts who have rank and name have performed at Energy, mostly as a Swiss premiere. Artists such as Aphex Twin , Carl Cox , Sven Väth , Laurent Garnier , Goldie , David Guetta , Tiësto , Cosmic Baby, Jeff Mills, DJ Hell and many others were on the Energy stage . For a long time from the mid-1990s to 2007, however, trance was the dominant style of music, which gained significantly in popularity thanks to Energy in Switzerland. Spread over other rooms (so-called floors), however, a wide range of electronic dance music was offered (including house, techno, hardcore techno ). Since the repositioning of the event in 2008, electro, techno and house sounds have shaped the program. Trance only plays a subordinate role.
Significance within the Swiss techno scene
The Energy was long regarded as one of the most important raves in Switzerland and had a significant influence on the popularization of the Swiss rave scene. Many well-known DJs such as the eponymous DJ Energy (1974–2011) made the leap into the professional DJ business in the early days of this event thanks to their appearance at Energy. After that, the Energy was long regarded by Swiss DJs as a highlight of every DJ career. Today the top of the Swiss DJ scene still appears regularly at the event.