Johnny Scratchley was a 21-year-old student in Leeds when he and fellow club promoter Noah Ball were approached to set up a festival in Croatia in May 2008.
After just four months of promotion, they managed to get 1,500 people to a small village near Zadar, on the Balkan country’s Dalmatian coast.
Nine years on and creative director Scratchley is gearing up to organise the 10th Outlook Festival in the seafront city of Pula – which has been home to the event since 2010.
A celebration of sound system culture, the finest artists from the world of dub, reggae, hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass, garage, grime, dubstep, house, techno and electronica come together for five days in early September to mark the festival’s 10th birthday.
Dizzee Rascal, Loyle Carner, Princess Nokia, Wiley, Roots Manuva and dozens of other artists will perform for 15,000 revellers – the majority of whom will be British – with some acts given the chance to grace the stage of a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre that sits inside the city.
With just a month to go before the gates open at Outlook 2017, Scratchley tells us everything we need to know about the festival’s 10th celebration.
You’re celebrating 10 years of Outlook, how did you launch it and how has it changed?
“It was off the back of that 2008 event where everything really got started and then we slowly developed things from there.”
How’s preparation going for this year?
Is it hard to retain that wholesome, grassroots feel?
You started from almost nothing with Outlook, what did you make of the high-profile disaster that was Fyre Festival earlier this summer?
This amphitheatre sounds incredible, tell us about it
“Every time we walked past, it was difficult not to think about putting something on there. Then in 2014, due to our positive relationship with the local authorities, they said if you want to use the space, you can put on an event there for the festival. So we put it on the Wednesday so it’s a slightly more smart-casual version of what happens at the weekend.”
What’s it like to perform in?
“But from Lauryn Hill to Damian Marley to Bonobo to Neil Spragg, I’ve spoken to them all and it’s been either their favourite venue or one of their favourite performances.
“When you’re in that space, every five minutes or so, your hairs just stand up and you look up and see a blanket of stars and the moon beating down and then this fully circular ring of this ancient structure around you, and you cannot help but be excited about that.”
Tell us what punters can expect from this year’s festival?
Over the past 10 years, what is your one real highlight?
“So the girls stepped up and Rebel grabbed a mic and they did an a capella version of Notorious by Turbulence. Man, there were, perhaps, 1,200 people left and the sun had risen and every single person was just singing along to this close harmony version.
“I’m a hippy at heart and I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was such an emotional moment, it really was beautiful.”
And finally, where do you see Outlook in another 10 years?
“We’re very, very confident that dub will still fit in the heart of what we do and there will be a version of rap and electronic music. But I have no idea what it will look like in 10 years, I couldn’t tell you what it will look like in three years.”
Outlook Festival runs in Fort Punta Christo near Pula, Croatia, from September 6 to September 10. Tickets are on sale now.
