Dancing amongst the tall, sweet smelling Pine Trees at UNUM is one of the most essential experiences anyone can have in dance music right now. It’s a mix of wonderful people, a stunning location, high quality music and a sound system that is second to none. This is the fourth year of the festival and once again it was an unforgettable one.

With another irresistible line-up of proper underground sounds, this year’s event ran from Thursday until the next Tuesday and on the Pine Stage the music never stops making it the only place in Europe where you can dance an endless marathon for six days. It goes down in a lush location on the Albanian Riviera, with mountainous views in the distance and pine forests in the background. Plenty of locals from the Albanian Riviera are always lively and happy and lucky Europeans also join in to this still cult and low key gathering.

As well as the Pine Stage there is a smaller Beach Stage and a Main Stage and all are baked in great hot sun which adds an extra special vibe to the world class soundtrack. It is delivered through a punchy system with booming low ends and perfect highs and the whole event is well run, super organised and hassle free in every regard.

On Friday we get down to the heady selections of Berlin based duo The Ghost and then the veteran Frenchman Dyed Soundorom. The groves flow freely with plenty of gems along the way and then they go back to back for an even more electric session at Pine Stage. Vitess offers a more direct and physical sound to get the crowd ready for what to come later on Saturday, which is a minimal masterclass from midnight until 10 am from the legendary Romanians Raresh, followed by Rhadoo, followed by Priku.

Just as they embark on their epic Pacha Ibiza residency, Bedouin found time to play the Main Stage and offer up their deep, cuddly, candle-lit house they are now so well known for, and Arodes on the Beach Stage on Saturday early evening is another head turning display that has made us firm fans.

Sonja Moonear is Sundays standout early on with her deep and tightly woven mix of minimal and house, then for many the best set of the whole event came from Franco Cinelli, his infectious grooves, smartly deployed drops and overall musical narrative really made a mark before the UNUM local favourite John Dimas took us through to sun up with a knowing hand and classy mixes. The big dog Marco Carola was also lapped up by all, his chunky and loopy house and techno funk a perfect tonic on the Main Stage with plenty of fun drops.

The music is of course the highlight at UNUM but so to the stunning sunsets which are super dramatic and draw your gaze every night. The sunrises, too, you are likely to see plenty of at this non stop dance off. All in all they are what elevate UNUM above the rest – it’s a cultured mix of different people, irresistible sounds and DJs bringing their a-game. See you next year!