On Saturday, September 5, Elektronik Zoo returns to its private natural setting in Kortenaken, Belgium, for its final gathering of the 2026 season. Known for its intimate atmosphere, carefully curated line-ups and close connection between artists and crowd, the open-air festival brings together techno pioneers, established names and emerging talent across its two stages, Wild Fauna and Water Fauna.
The closing edition features Ellen Allien, DJ Rolando, The Advent, Marco Bailey, Laure Croft, Sigvard LIVE and Milo Raad, alongside Petar Dundov, Axel Haube and Mathadis, with a special house set from Marco Bailey.
Ahead of the closing edition, we spoke with Elektronik Zoo founder and host Marco Bailey about the festival’s unique setting, musical identity and the idea behind its final summer gathering.
What makes Elektronik Zoo’s setting so special?
Elektronik Zoo is very different from a traditional festival setting. It takes place in a private garden surrounded by exceptional nature in the Belgian countryside, which immediately gives it a very intimate feeling and a different mindset.
You don’t have the feeling of entering a huge festival site. It feels more like discovering a hidden little world for one day. We keep the capacity limited on purpose because we want people to feel connected — to the music, the artists, the surroundings and each other.
That combination of nature, intimacy and proper sound is really the heart of Elektronik Zoo.
This closing edition brings together techno pioneers, established artists and emerging talent. What connects these different generations, and what makes an artist right for Elektronik Zoo?
For us, it has never been about booking artists just because they are currently hyped. We look for artists with identity, personality and a real connection to the music.
That’s why you can see pioneers like our own host Marco Bailey, The Advent, DJ Rolando and Ellen Allien alongside a new generation of artists like Laure Croft and Milo Raad, as well as a live performance from Sigvard.
On our second stage, Water Fauna, we have sound-design master Petar Dundov alongside Axel Haube and Mathadis.
What connects them all is authenticity. They have their own sound and each bring something different to the dance floor. We love the idea that someone can discover a younger artist early in the day and later hear an artist who has helped shape electronic music for decades.
That mix of generations is very important to us.
The festival’s setting in a private natural location is central to its identity. How does the environment influence the way you curate the music, design the stages and shape the audience experience?
The location influences almost everything we do. We don’t want to build something that fights against the surroundings — we try to make the festival feel like it belongs there.
The stages are intimate and integrated into the garden and nature, and because the capacity is limited, you are always quite close to the DJ. There is much less distance between artist and crowd.
Musically, the two stages also have their own personalities. Wild Fauna is our main techno stage, while Water Fauna gives us more freedom to explore deeper, house and more melodic sounds.
We want people to move around, discover different music and also have moments where they can breathe, meet people and enjoy the surroundings. It should feel like an experience rather than simply moving from one big stage to another.
Marco, you’re playing both a techno set and a special house set across the two stages. What do these two sides of your musical identity reveal about you as an artist?
Techno will always be a huge part of who I am, but my musical background is much wider than only one genre.
I’ve been collecting and playing music for almost 35 years now — puhhh, that’s a long time! 🙂 — and many different genres have always been part of that journey.
Techno, of course, but also electro. I’ve done several releases that were purely electro, and I also love house, so this time I’m going to play a house set as well!
Elektronik Zoo gives me the freedom to show another side of myself that people might not hear as often in my usual club and festival sets.
On Wild Fauna I can play the energetic techno people know me for, while the house set on Water Fauna is more about groove, emotion and having fun with records I love.
For me, both sides come from the same place: the love of music and the dance floor.
How do you build the perfect line-up?
There is no formula, and we actually don’t want one.
We start with artists we genuinely love and then look at how the whole day will flow. A line-up should tell a story. It needs different energies, surprises and moments of discovery.
We also try not to follow trends too much. Of course we pay attention to what is happening, but Elektronik Zoo should always reflect our own musical taste and identity.
Sometimes the artist playing earlier in the day can create one of the most memorable moments of the entire festival. That is why every position on the line-up matters to us.
The perfect line-up is when every artist makes sense individually, but together they create something bigger.
What’s next for Elektronik Zoo?
We definitely want Elektronik Zoo to keep evolving, but without losing what makes it special.
For us, growth doesn’t automatically mean becoming bigger. We would rather improve the experience, develop the concept, discover new artists and keep surprising people.
There are already ideas for what comes next, but the most important thing is to protect the intimate atmosphere and independence of Elektronik Zoo.
We want people to leave after each edition already curious about what the next chapter will be.
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