THE EDM EXPERIENCE

THE EDM EXPERIENCE
July 5, 2012 · by Rishi Bhatnagar · in Music
Retrieved from: http://www.therighthemisphere.org/?p=67

About a month ago I attended an event that was supposed to be an epic culmination of nine solid months of concert-going debauchery. It was supposed to be a life changing experience and an attack on all my senses; however, I came out of the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) with mixed feelings.

Over the past year, my close buddies and I have gotten sucked into the electric dance music (EDM) scene, attending concerts in San Francisco and even going as far as Sacramento (still don’t know why it’s California’s capitol) to see our favorite DJ’s. We’ve literally seen everyone, R3HAB, Hardwell, Axwell, Kaskade, David Guetta, Morgan Page, you name it and we were there. It’s not so much the rave culture that we’re attracted to but the layering of drum beats under catchy melodies, synthesized sounds and instrumentals, not to mention it makes for some pretty sick running music. The result is a rich textured, energetic and vibrant sound that can’t be fully appreciated through headphones. Conceptually it utilizes the same theory as the Modern orchestra, just speed up the adagio to an allegro and add sequencers and synthesizers. Dare I say it’s this generation’s classical music? In the end EDM elicits almost every emotion without using lyrics.

If you attend an EDM event live and press your chest you can feel the bass vibrating your entire body. The experience is amplified when you’re surrounded by 1000’s of screaming people whose fists’ pump in unison as the beat drops and laser lights blind your eyes. So when we went to EDC, the largest EDM event in the United States we had no idea what to expect.

Day one, are excitement was due more to the anticipation of not knowing what to expect. We chugged gallons of water (Vegas is unforgiving when it comes to heat), bought matching bright neon t-shirts, and prepped for our departure from The Strip, twenty-five miles north to the motor speedway where over 100,000 people would converge. Immediately upon entering the first thing I noticed was the vast majority of people in attendance were teenagers. Despite the strict security checkpoints and heavy police presence, many of their eyes were glazed over…

We headed over to Kinetic Field, the largest stage area, which was packed close to 50,000 people watching Hardwell, who was barely visible on stage. About 100 search lights criss-crossed above us synchronized to the beat and at one point parachuters attached to sparklers gliding down from a helicopter. From a musical standpoint there was nothing that we hadn’t already heard so we explored the other stages. That night we saw Kasakade and Above & Beyond, however the one set that blew us off our feet was at the Basspod stage by a young DJ out of San Antonio, Texas named Crizzly. Literally this 17 year old created a new genre of music called crunkstep which essentially takes heavy dubstep drum patterns and throws them into a blender with hip-hop. We coined him “disgustingly good” because the only word that came to mind while hearing his set was disgusting. We ended up leaving the speed way around 3:30 AM and not surprisingly there was a line of cars waiting to enter.

The last two nights were pretty uneventful. The second night was cut short due to high winds that threatened to blow down some of the stages, yet I think we were more thankful for the excuse it gave us to go home early as the fatigue was finally settling in. The highlight of the third night was the eight dollar chicken burrito at one of the food tents because we could barely keep our eyes open and David Guetta refused to play anything that wasn’t on the Billboard Top 40 list.

Overall, EDC left me asking the unavoidable, is EDM just a phase that’s run its course through the US? Some say it maxed out and the moment it went mainstream was the beginning of its downfall. Whether or not EDM survives depends on artists like Crizzly who push the envelope and bring the new subgenres to light. Double click the video of Crizzly below.

An Overview of Insomniac Company

Based on the concept of creating experiential events, Insomniac has been in operation since 1993. They are the leaders in the entertainment industry and they specialize in festivals, events and electronic dance. Since their inception, they have gained lot of followership from many music lovers from across the globe. One of the unique things about the company is that it has transformed the interactive art with the introduction of the unique mobile theatre by use of the latest product concepts. The company was founded by the visionary Pasquale Rotella and his creative stance has exposed the hidden potential in the industry. Their online presence through their official website at http://insomniac.com/ can attest to their growth and the various products and services on offer. Most of Insomniac festival brand have distinctive themes and focused on engaging their fans. The most popular themed products include the White Wonderland New Years Eve, Nocturnal Wonderland, Beyond Wonderland and Escape from Wonderland among others. Fans can connect with all these and much more online or by attending the festivals. On the other hand the festivals are graced by renowned artists, musicians and bingo players each year and the list id dependent on location of the festival. The selection is done meticulously to keep the audience entertained for the annual two-day event.

The company success is based on the vision of creating entertainment for all; this has only been achieved through effective management for over 20 years. The company is based on sound visionary leadership and congruence.  This is clear in their marketing strategies and communication channels. The organization thrives on integrated, creativity and innovation which is focused on the fan needs. Their market penetration through social media, online platforms and digital assets in a responsible manner exhibits the qualities of a transparent organization which upholds the philosophy of individual growth for its employees. The interactive nature of the company products and their fans is based on the team innovativeness and focus on delivering magical products and services. On the other hand the interactive theoretical, interactive circuses and performances benefit their charitable giving initiatives as part of their corporate responsibility. This way, they benefit the communities they perform in especially in the education of children and the support of the participating artists.  By supporting these communities and the artists, Insomniac exhibits its focus on the future by developing people who are socially responsible and visionary as well.

The major events which fans anticipate each year are the White Wonderland New Years Eve, Nocturnal Wonderland, Beyond Wonderland and Escape from Wonderland These are all structured and tickets usually sell out months before the actual set dates. Some of the benefits that the company derives from the events to generate revenues. On the other hand, a percentage of these profits are used in their corporate activities to benefit the local community and the participating artists. The events also create an interactive forum for the fans both on the ground and online. Fans get the opportunity to meet their favorite artists which is seen as a way of the company developing existing and upcoming talent. The hosting of Insomniac events in various locations is a way of helping to grow the economies of the local communities and authorities given that their fan base travels to these events and shows while benefiting in the generation of revenues that benefits the local economies. These revenues are generated through hotel accommodation, food, transport, retail purchases and gaming as well.

Definitely Pasquale Rotella is one of my favorites ravers.
:D