This year's edition of Horst Arts & Music Festival almost happened somewhere else. After leaving the beautiful Kasteel van Horst last September, the team began searching for a new site. They found one they liked, a castle with ponds and gardens within a protected park, very similar to the original venue. But there were snags. A liquor license was proving difficult to obtain, and sound limits were set to a strict 95db. In the end, the team decided to pass.

The decision was made easier by the lure of Asiat, a former military site run by Belgium's Ministry Of Defence from 1946 through 2008. Old documents tell of tanks and large-scale engineering projects. Today, Asiat has been taken over by plantlife, giving it a leafy yet industrial feel. Two gigantic white cooling towers—think the nuclear power plant in The Simpsons—loom large over a sprawl of hangars and dusty paths. As festival locations go, it's right up there.

The Horst team, who pair cutting-edge electronic music with specially commissioned art and architecture projects, transformed Asiat into an adult's playground. Four stages, each unique in look and feel, hosted some serious talent across the three days, from upsammy and Josey Rebelle to SPFDJ and Gabber Eleganza. Art and music installations, including a particularly striking piece inside one of the cooling towers, were littered across the site, well attended by the young, rambunctious crowd. Never has electronic music, art and wonderful Belgian beer existed in such harmony.

Call Super and Objekt relaxing before their Friday evening back-to-back in 90*360, a large warehouse with wild lasers and an in-the-round booth designed by the Berlin-based architecture practice Brandlhuber+.

Mama Snake followed Call Super and Objekt in 90*360, mixing from their last tune ("There's A Moon Out Tonight" by The Capris) into a thumping trance banger.

Shanti Celeste was all smiles at The Opposite Of Lost, a simple yet powerful stage that sat in the shadow of the two cooling towers.

During the day, visitors queued up, beers in hand, to climb inside one of the cooling towers as part of a sound installation by the Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh.

Tucked away at the back of the site was Ceiling For A Crater, a sunken pit with a low-hanging roof and rocky dance floor. It was designed by Rotterdam's Atelier Tomas Dirrix.

The party in full swing at Feathers, an inviting open-air structure with no walls, made entirely of wood, designed by the Portuguese firm Fala. The booth sat at ground level, with ravers spread across several large steps facing the DJ.

Saturday's headliners included Mall Grab and SPFDJ, who rocked 90*360 and The Opposite Of Lost with house bangers and rave techno respectively.

On Saturday, Gabber Eleganza closed Ceiling For A Crater with "The Hakke Show," pummelling the packed pit with 175-BPM gabber while a team of dancers cut furious shapes onstage.

Art installations dotted the site. This one, by the French sculptor Caroline Mesquita, took over an abandoned engine room.

John Talabot and Orpheu The Wizard sharing a joke during their three-hour back-to-back on Sunday evening.

Peach played before Mark Du Mosch at Feathers on Sunday. She was also spotted belting out "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne at the toilet karaoke.

Giant Swan bringing the noise at Ceiling For A Crater. The Bristol duo played live before the stage's final act of the weekend: DJ Bus Replacement Service.