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THANK YOU! - LETTER TO RIO HOSTEL
Ah Rio Hostel… WHAT A PLACE.
Where do I even begin?
I want to thank the entire staff , from the kindness of the kitchen team to the openness and support from the owner.
I arrived here just before Bonanza Festival started (which, by the way, was absolutely incredible). And honestly… I wasn’t in the best moment of my life.
But from day one, I was welcomed into the team in such a warm and familiar way. It was exactly what I needed at that moment: genuine connections and a place where I could forget my problems for a while, focus on my projects, and heal after years that had knocked me down.
EQUILIBRIUM
People often ask me:
“How can you work in a place that’s so alive and full of distractions?”
And honestly… there are so many possibilities here that sometimes you don’t even know what to do first. Sports activities, crazy parties, amazing people, and a beautiful environment surrounded by nature (Definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.) But somehow, it was exactly here that I found the balance I needed to clear my mind and become productive again.
PURPOSE / BELONGING
I also found here a foundation doing truly beautiful work in the communities around the hostel, helping children who are often forgotten in places surrounded by social problems and conflict.
El Rio Foundation plays a genuinely humanitarian role by caring for lives that need attention, support, love, and opportunities to grow.
I’m deeply grateful and happy to be part of something that feeds my soul and reminds me that small gestures ; kindness, love, dedication, and care can truly change lives.
Grateful for everything I experienced here.
For every connection, every moment of generosity, reciprocity, and genuine human connection.
R
RECONNECT
I
INNER BALANCE
O
ONENESS
“Some places don’t just host you.
They rebuild you.”
Thanks for everything, Rio Hostel.
By: Lucas Cruz / Volunteer
FROM FABRIC LONDON TO THE JUNGLE: A CONVERSATION WITH ANNA WALL
The magic of Bonanza isn't just in the scenery; it’s in the stories and the people who return to the riverbanks year after year. Today, we sit down with one of our most beloved residents to talk about record collecting, the El Rio family, and, of course, the great Colombian chocolate debate.
Tell us a bit about how you first connected to the Rio and Bonanza festival.
I first heard the tales of El Rio from Jack Hitchcock, when we were at a party in London. I was so curious to learn more about this magical place, I wrote to Benny about coming to visit. My first trip was for Bonanza 2022 and it was the most incredible experience. Me and Benny connected over our mutual love of record collecting, particularly on finding dub techno with deep blue covers. I met so many lovely people that soon became friends, including ADI for the first time. I was very inspired by her selections.
After a brief hiatus, you’re back at Bonanza! Having played the festival multiple times now, how are you preparing for your 2026 appearance?
The dancefloor overlooking the river is so magical; I keep that in my mind when I’m thinking about the records I’d like to bring, imagining how they might sound in that scenario surrounded by nature. I’ve been buying a lot of records lately, for opportunities like this, so I’m excited to test them out.
As well as being an excellent peak time DJ you’re also an ambient aficionado. How do you go about curating and discovering music for this softer side to your sound?
Usually it’s a similar approach, but also I love discovering ambient b-sides on dance music records, or interesting intros and outros on LPs from different genres. I’ve also been sent some amazing unreleased music since I started my ambient label Dream Theory.
How has being a resident at fabric over the years shaped you as an artist?
Becoming a resident at fabric changed my life in so many ways. It’s an honour to be part of a club with such a rich London history, and having the opportunity to play alongside so many legendary artists that I admire. The freedom to try out new records and new ideas in three different rooms, and most of all feeling part of a family.
You’re one of our dear residents at Bonanza, as well as your more known London residency. How does being a resident affect your sets?
This is another true honour to be part of something so special. I believe it’s about learning and growing every time, understanding the sacred space, the landscape and the crowd. Adapting to the time of day or night, attuning to the energy, and keeping in mind the bigger picture, from the first set of the festival until the final moments.
Does cheese belong in a hot chocolate?
I’m looking forward to tasting this Colombian delicacy once again 🙂
From Punk Rock to the Dancefloor: Marco Repetto
Marco Repetto may well be your favourite DJ’s favourite producer. The Swiss / Italian artist has been quietly constructing elegant dance floor techno, house and trance, plus downtempo and broken musings under a plethora of aliases since the late ’80’s. It’s safe to say that at Bonanza HQ he is a firm favourite, so we were beyond delighted when he agreed to make the trip to Colombia for Bonanza 2026.
Marco plays most of his gigs in his home country of Switzerland, so it’s extra exciting to have him as part of the festival, playing two sets - one as his beloved Planet Love alias, the other as his wonkier Bigeneric nom de plume.
Ahead of his trip over, we asked him a few questions. Have a read!
Most of your performances of late have been close to your home in Switzerland. What made you want to take the trip to Colombia for Bonanza?
At first I was hesitant, especially because of the instrument transport I always have with me when I play live. But then the request was so loving and coherent that I decided to undertake this long journey.
I also didn't want to play a thin live set with a labtop, so I will come to the Bonanza Festival with all my instruments, with this equipment I can glide beautifully through soundscapes as I like.
It's also true that I love Colombia, the country, the people with their culture, and the breathtaking nature. We've already spent a month in Chachagüí near Pasto in southern Colombia. Colombia has a big place in my heart.
That's why I was particularly pleased with this request for the Bonanza Festival.
You'll be playing 2 sets at Bonanza, what can we expect from both slots, both of which are live sets?
My live sets are always different, that's exactly what fascinates me so much about playing live.
With my instruments, the sounds come directly from the sound generators.
I can determine at any time what happens next, of course everything merges with the current situation, it is a symbiosis with the audience and the energy moment of being.
One live set slot will be very techno oriented, as „Planet Love“ with melodic and abstract elements. Important components of my techno performance are a certain roughness and psychedelic sound situations, driven by warm rhythms and deep bass frequencies.
This techno live set is the basis of my upcoming Planet Love album, which is expected to be released in late 2026.
I always start all my work first as a live set, play it a lot, then I process these impressions into an album in my studio. This way of working is the most fun and meaningful for me.
The second live act slot will be a „Bigeneric“ Live performance. The Bigeneric Sound, is very melodic, melancholic and driven by broken rhythms with warm bass frequencies. Kind of downbeat experience...
Exciting sound samples enrich the sound journey. The Bigeneric Live Act at the Bonanza Festival, like the Planet Love performance, is the basis for the upcoming Bigeneric (2027?) album. This live set will be heard for the first time at the festival.
For those who may not be familiar with your music, how would you describe the Marco Repetto / Planet Love / Bigeneric sound?
For many years I have devoted myself to electronic music from the bottom of my heart.
I can't explain exactly what fascinates me so much. It all started in 1977 when I was a punk rocker from the very beginning and at that time I immediately fell in love with this new wild music and this love for music has remained unbroken.
I came to electronic music through punk rock; the song from "Fad Gadget - Back to Nature" (1979) was a key point in my career as an electronic musician.
At that time, I founded Grauzone (with the underground hit Eisbear) my New Wave Band with synthesizer, among other things.
My sound today ranges from ambient soundscapes to captivating techno, which is inspired by my punk-new wave past and techno from Detroit (USA) .
Always, psychedelic moments are an important part of my music. I like it when music just transports you away without you noticing anything.
They are good worlds that I work on with my sounds. At least I try to send good energy and subtle messages to everything and all who need it.
I'm sure there are a lot of us who can conjure up something quite beautiful and big, I'm just a small part of it. That's why I loved it when other people play music and I just enjoy it.
At the Bonanza Festival I will definitely enjoy a lot of music and the people there, I am especially happy to be a part of it!
You have made so much music under many different aliases over the years. How do you go about your production process? Do you have a certain idea in mind when making music aimed at a certain project, or just see what happens?
The "Bigeneric" project has now become my main project. The name comes from Greek (botanical) and means that the origin has 2 sources.
For me, these meanings had two sources, one was clearly techno and the other ambient chill out music. I adopted this name in 1994 for my first "Bigeneric - Myriades" album on Spacefrog's label Germany.
"Planet Love - Magic" was my first techno album on CD in 1993.
The fact that I'm working on a Planet Love album again today is because this project was rediscovered several years ago by my dutch friend Michiel Graafstal, who released three maxi singles with early, partly unreleased Planet Love recordings on his label "return_backspace“.
The fascination of that time for something lovely, for science fiction, synthesizer technology and detailed techno music IDM has definitely caught up with me again.
The project Random Fluctuations stands for everything else i want to do with electronic soundscapes, from rough techno to abstract ambient sounds.
In each different project, I am under a changing beam of light and energy to focus myself. To put it briefly, in all projects, I define myself in the composition work to the scope of the current project. Bigeneric is nature, Planet Love is off course Love and Random Fluctuations is futuristic sound research etc. etc.
What runs through all the projects is the fact that musically I put myself in an exciting environment without any claim to the comfort zone, where I quickly get bored.
Rio 018 - Gōdō
Veering away from the live recordings format, our friend Gōdō delivers the next instalment of our mix series with a trance-infused studio mix.
The Italian DJ has an affection for electro and more hypnotic rhythms which are on show in his Rio mix, which finds him in an ethereal and dreamy headspace.
A proper miniature trip, it’s a mix you’ll want to keep coming back to.