Last year I waxed lyrical about Southport Weekender’s debut event in the picturesque fishing village of Petrčane. For UpNorth’s second excursion, the line up was expanded to fill the week, transforming this corner of Croatia into a musical haven where the Southport family partied from sunrise to sunset with to inspirational soundtrack of spine-tingling, soul-drenched vibes.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Alex Lowes and Dave Gardner for once again creating that special atmosphere and curating an untouchable line up DJs and performers whose musical contributions continue to keep our scene so strong.

I’d also like to say thank you to Martina, Moose, Kim, Bonnie, Leena, Eddie, Gayle, Stipe, Giovanni and everybody else on site for keeping things running so smoothly. Your dedication and passion didn’t go unnoticed.

I’ve made a musical diary of the tunes that made my week so memorable. The YouTube playlist below will stream the selections continuously, and you can scroll through the tracks using the ‘next’ button on the player.

SuncéBeat 2 Musical Diary – click here to listen.

1. Jackson 5 – It’s Great To Be Here
Played by Martin Lodge.
Martin’s afternoon set on the terrace was a blessing; his soulful selections nursing many disco casualties back to health.

2. Earth, Wind & Fire – Beijo (Brazilian Rhyme)
Played by Ronnie Herel.
Every one of Ronnie’s sets caused a buzz throughout the festival site – he teased a quiet main stage to capacity before Quentin Harris’ headline slot, he rocked the final boat with Kev Beadle in a back-to-back special, and he closed the festival beautifully in Barbarella’s with a timely selection of well chosen classics. Ronnie is a pleasure to be around, his humbleness and warmth lighting up every gem in his box.

3. Earth, Wind & Fire – Runnin’
Played by Ashley Beedle.
In a moment of dance floor magic, Ashley diverted Barbarella’s from its dominant house beat with Danny Krivit’s subtle retouch of this Earth, Wind & Fire classic.

4. Red Astaire – Follow Me
Played by Gavin Kendrick.
I dropped this Latin rework of ‘Left & Right‘ a couple of times over the weekend, and it was always met with a glowing response. (I’m listening to a news snippet on Ronnie Herel’s blog as I type, and apparently D’Angelo’s third album is finally on the way!)

5. Blundetto feat. Shawn Lee – Nautilus
Played by Dean ‘Sunshine’ Smith.
One of my favourite sets of the week was spinning back-to-back with Garden resident Dean ‘Sunshine’ Smith on Thursday evening. From a handful of movers digging classic hip hop from Guru, Jaylib and Jeru, to a capacity dance floor embracing all the jazz-funk, house and garage we dropped, it was a gig I’ll never forget. In the aftermath of the week’s hedonism, Dean brought us back to reality with his well-honed sun-kissed terrace set. These comedown sessions were so well received last year, Dean was invited to join the SuncéBeat residents for our second adventure, and his tunes this year were as deep and dependable as ever.

6. Ray Baretto – Pastime Paradise
Played by Kev Beadle.
I woke up from a blissful afternoon siesta to hear Kev play one of my favourite sets of the week, opening up with this wonderful Latin gem. Kev’s programming and versatility was unmatched at the festival, dropping jazz, bruk and beats on the terrace, disco, boogie and jazz-funk on the boat, and rumbling deep house in the club before Osunlade stepped up to the booth.

7. Fela Kuti – Water Get No Enemy
Played by Phil Asher.
Phil’s diversity as a selector goes far beyond the soulful house flavour he’s most known for. This is one of my favourite Fela tracks, and it sounded heavier than ever in the Croatian afternoon heat. (If you dig this, be sure to check out the spectacular Fela musical at Sadler’s Wells that runs till the end of the month.)

8. Pushim – Like A Sunshine, My Memory
Played by Andy Ward.
Andy has kindly posted a link to his flawless final set of the week, where he also shares his thoughts on the SuncéBeat vibe. I haven’t heard this dreamy Pushim track for years, and it sounded surreal in the blistering heat of Barbarella’s. Andy’s positive energy is contagious – even after I told him we were staying in his apartment. Scousers eh?

9. Kenny Lattimore – Days Like This
Played by Quentin Harris, SoulDynamic and Gavin Kendrick.
In 2004, I visited Shelter in NYC, and Timmy Regisford played the NuYorical Soul version of this track as the final tune of the night. I’d never heard it before and it took me a good while to discover what it was. Eventually, Liverpool selector Mark Lyons gave me his promo copy of the 12″, and last week I recorded a digital version to bring with me to the festival. It’s a beautiful song with a strong personal significance, and I was delighted to hear it played throughout the weekend.

10. Goapele – Closer (DJ Spinna Remix)
Played by Sarah Favouritizm.
Sarah is a natural born party-starter, bursting with energy behind the decks. We had a ball on the final boat party, and she also played one of my favourite DJ Spinna remixes of all time. Her outstanding PR work helped attract an international crowd from thirty countries to the event – big up!

11. Leon Ware – On The Beach (Atjazz Love Soul Remix)
Played by Atjazz.
The quality and depth of an Atjazz production needs no hyperbole, and it was great to finally meet the man responsible for a clutch of my favourite UK house releases. On the decks, he held it down every time I heard him play, bringing his unmistakable bumping vibe to the floor. Coming straight out the back of a blissful Osunlade and Miss Dynamite collaboration, he dropped this ‘Love Soul Remix’ of a brand new Leon Ware track that set the boat party alight. Martin was also staying in the room next to me, and didn’t complain once about my room mate’s jazz fusion that was so out there it would have made Howard Moon shudder.

12. Lovebirds feat. Stee Downes – Want You In My Soul
Played by Steve Butler.
Steve Butler is a Weekender veteran who I have never been fortunate enough to meet until this weekend. His terrace set had me running back and forth to the booth for tune IDs, but it was this, his final track on the boat party, that had the dance floor – and Quentin Harris – in a tizz.

13. Moodymann – Amerika
Played by Theo Parrish.
Theo’s energy on the Beach Bar was relentless and he won a hoard of new fans. But it was his late night set in Barbarella’s that was the talk of the festival the following day. Opening up with an almost undanceable, industrial rhythm, he split the dance floor (and opinion) in two, clearing some space for those who persisted to lose their minds to his hypnotic, twisted soul. Using a spoken word sample from a live Gil Scott-Heron album, Moodymann’s rarely played ‘Amerika’ was an unexpected highlight of the week.

14. Nightlife Unlimited – Peaches & Prunes
Played by Marc Rowlands and Theo Parrish.
As soon as I heard this drop, I had to climb up to the booth to find out what it was. It worked a treat in Marc’s standout afternoon set, and had the terrace cheering when Theo dropped it again that night.

15. Mr. Fingers – Can You Feel It?
Played by Spen & Karizma.
Their wizardry on the CDJs has to be heard to be believed, dropping expertly timed loops and effects that lift their crowd-pleasing selections to new heights. I didn’t recognise this at first from the loop they mixed in, but when they let it ride as the last song of the night, the hairs on my neck stood on end.

16. The Detroit Experiment – Think Twice (Henrik Schwartz Remix)
Played by Henrik Schwartz.
There are so many tracks that incorporate elements from ‘Think Twice‘, the stone cold classic from Donald Byrd, either as a straight cover or a sample, and Henrik’s rework is the latest to give credit to the everlasting original. Kev Beadle tore Barbarella’s up with this, and I heard reports that Schwarz did the same during his evening set on the terrace.

17. Omar – There’s Nothing Like This
Played by Benji B.
When it comes to eclectic DJing, there a few who come close to Benji B. Moving effortlessly between genre, time and tempo, he brought our international crowd together with a set that seemed to end before it had even begun. And there was no better way to close the party than with Omar’s forgotten classic sparking a midnight sing-a-long under the stars.

18. Roni Size – Watching Windows (Masters At Work Remix)
Played by Osunlade.
Each day at SuncéBeat was filled with musical gems, forgotten, remembered and completely unknown, but there was one track that stood above all others in a ‘what on earth is this?’ moment. I’d missed Osunlade’s terrace set, and everybody I spoke to assured me it was a highlight of the week. Disappointed, I knew I couldn’t miss his session in Barbarella’s – and it was every bit as good as I’d hoped. It was the third time he’d played it at that week, and – on that blistering Barbarella’s system – Roni Size’s ‘Watching Windows’ sounded magnificent.

We hung out with the sound crew afterwards, and Osunlade settled my £1 bet that has been running for about seven years over the lyrics of ‘Mr President‘ from his Year Of The Monkey album. (If interested, the line in question, written during the Bush administration, is – as confirmed by the man himself – ‘And it’s no wonder that Cuba is the first to denounce your rule. The people may not have the American Dream, but the purity in their hearts will get them there without the obstacle in your path.’)

And it’s days like this that makes SuncéBeat so special: DJs, producers and performers taking the time to hang out with their fans – swapping mixes, tracks, and tales at this unique, intimate gathering. A shared love of music ran through every moment this week, calling kindred spirits together from every corner of the world.