Held in Toulouse, Southern France since 2002, it usually begins on the last Wednesday or Thursday of June in the stifling heat of summer, as a sort of scaled back and easy festival with a 'siesta' ambience. This year, the ninth edition of Les Siestes Electroniques will take place from June 23 – 27, five days of great music, and not just electronica. The best part? Unlike other festivals, events don't take place at different venues at the same time ensuring that you don't have to miss out on anything, unless you want to of course. The even better part? It's free. That's right. Bar a few events, everything else is absolutely free. A rare, precious even, quality in the massive festival landscape in the world.

Contemporary and adventurous music; Les Siestes Electroniques mainly focuses on electronica musicians. Particularly dedicated to emerging artistes from the field of music and digital culture, it is a summer meeting point for an ambitious motley line up. Its artistic content dares, unashamedly, to bridge the gap between various genres, creating a unique crossover of periods and musical families. Les Siestes aims to please both a professional audience as well as the general public.

The Naps, the free open air gigs, in particular, take place on open ground. With no surrounding walls, the audience lounges upon spongy lawn right in the heart of public space in the centre of the city as renowned and favourite artistes play unique concerts that last right up until sunset.

With some of the best modern music playing out in an environment that is all about coziness and making friends, one of the main purposes of Les Siestes Electroniques is to stimulate, to intrigue, its sensible and curious audience.

But Les Siestes is not just about free open air musical performances. Once the sun goes down and you've taken a breather, there's organised club nights where revellers can party into the wee hours of the night (how can you not at an electronica festival?). There are also workshops and sometimes even exhibitions, and Toulouse is full of culture and sights for those who prefer a somewhat more off the beaten track approach.

DAY 1/ Wednesday

Theatre Garonne
For this evening of musical high wire activity, the festival will bring together cutting edge artistes from two genres: the legendary experimental guitar heroes from Japan, Keiji Haino and Kawabata Makoto, along with the avant garde of post psychedelism French music, Aquaserge.

Mystical pop and furious noise; unbridled rock, noisy and restless -- this night promises a thundering climax…

Also Les Siestes Party 01 at the Bar du Theatre Garonne from 8pm.

DAY 2/ Thursday

Theatre Garonne
Dedicated to refinement and elegance, day two's is an unusual and daring programme. The delicate folk/pop of Stanley Brinks (founder member of Herman Düne) will rub shoulders against the best of sensitive techno music as Pantha du Prince is slated to perform its superb audio video live set.

Soaring folk and emotional techno...

Also Les Siestes Party 02 at the Bar du Theatre Garonne from 8pm.

DAY 3/ Friday

A secret venue (a disused industrial building)
Uninhibited, free and wild, expect an evening of which sole engine is the pleasure of dance and the ecstasy of the festival to create a truly memorable night at a majestic industrial hall transformed into a dance floor ephemeral.

As you walk through the corridor that not so long ago echoed with the sound of machinery and walk onto the dance floor, expect the hall to be packed with revellers. Amidst the flickering neon lights, and with the Tigersushi Crew (Joakim, Jackson and His Computer Band, George Issakidis), one of the friskiest French labels in the past decade, at the controls... party on from eleven to seven in the (next) morning

DAY 4/ Saturday

Les Prairie des Filtres
Beside the river Garonne, whether with friends or family, whether music aficionados or newcomers, all will enjoy, in a calm atmosphere, an eclectic selection of original artistes. Inventive music then, from electronic to pop, from the most languorous tunes to the most sparkling dance music, inventive ambient grooves.

Expect Es (Sami Sänpäkkilä), the founder of Finnish Fonal Records whose music explains pretty much what most of Fonal Records’ music is about - experimenting with sounds, bound together by free-folk ambient and occasional huge drones, and New Zealanders The Ruby Suns. The Suns seem to have been followed around with Animal Collective comparisons since day one

Also, one of the highest profiled and in demand artistes over at Miami’s Merck imprint, Machine Drum. No wonder, given the impact of his awesome Now You Know album - strictly head nod and tons of vocal snippets.

And finally, last but not the least, hailing all the way from Xalapa in Mexico, Rebolledo.

Six straight hours of free music never sounded this good.

DAY 5/ Sunday

Les Prairie des Filtres
The final day, and how better to bid adieu to the ninth Les Siestes Electroniques than more free music from an ambitious and adventurous line up from evening to night. Marc Demereau, Chateau Marmont, Mount Kimbi, Junior Boys... on one stage promise nothing short of mind blowing entertainment.

Who knew laying on the grass under the sun on French soil could be so much fun?

ENTRY
All concerts at the Praires des Filtres are free, as are the parties at Bar du Theatre Garonne. Entrance to the Theatre Garonne events cost 15 Euros while that to the Friday night party costs 5 Euros. A full pass costs only 30 Euros. Tickets are on sale at www.digitick.com and www.fnac.com

ACCOMODATION
The official partner hotel is the Grand Hotel Raymond IV. However the Toulouse Tourist Office has on offer a number of a la carte short stay packages that includes stay in two to four star hotels for one to two nights, entry to the festival events, as well as discounts to a number of the city's museums, guided tours, shopping and even cruises on the river Garonne. And the card, issued to a single name, is valid for one whole year!

EXTRA
As culture is obviously not just about music, Les Siestes Electroniques also provides its beloved audience with workshops, scrumptious cuisine and an exciting daily radio show.

Les Siestes Pedagogiques are two creative workshops specifically designed for parents and children to be able to enjoy the musical experience together. And entrance is free.

Les Siestes Radiophoniques - From Saturday evening to Sunday night, Les Siestes Electroniques will broadcast real time live performances, interviews, exclusive mixes, audio archives and behind the stage gossip on 94 FM and stream on at www.campusfm.fr.

Les Siestes Pantagrueliques - Everybody knows that good music is best experienced with good beer and good food. At Les Siestes Electroniques 2010 expect high quality food at reasonable prices. This year, Japanese is also at the table: Teriyaki, Soba, Onigiri and so on, to add spice to the native cuisine.

So, want to experience Southern France's "art de vivre"? Sick of festivals that leave you crushed among 10,000 people in your attempt listen to your favourite music? Tired of having to choose between three of your favourite artistes? If you like to breathe the fresh air and taste gastronomical delights along with a pitcher of great beer (or sip some lovely wine) while relaxing to rich, vibrant music, then you got to head out to Les Siestes Electroniques.

What can I say? I'm saving up for this baby!