It’s that time of the year when the weather is warming up which means line ups for all the best music festivals are being released!
From being played in underground lofts to having huge arenas and parks cleared out for festivals, electronic dance music (EDM) has taken the world by storm and has successfully infiltrated into the mainstream music industry. Major producers and DJs such as Diplo, Skrillex, deadmau5, Dillon Francis, Tiesto, Hardwell and Kaskade have become headliners and trendsetters. Many pop artists have collaborated with producers to create new and distinctive sounds. Just this last year, Justin Bieber collaborated with Jack Ü (a side project and collaboration of Diplo and Skrillex) to produce the Grammy-winning record – Where Are Ü Now.
We live in a generation where anyone can create music simply using their laptop in the comfort of their own room. Madeon, an up and coming French music producer, gained popularity in 2011 by uploading a video of a mash up consisting of 40 songs using a Novaton Launchpad. The video went viral in a number of days and has been viewed 35 million times since.
The beauty of electronic music is that it is such an incredibly broad genre and encompasses many other subgenres such as chillwave, dubstep, downtempo, trap, synthpop, electro house, deep house, future beats and trance. So if one genre isn’t for you, there is surely something out there to suit your tastes. Porter Robinson’s debut album, Worlds, is the epitome of eccentric electronic music as it incorporates video game soundtracks and Japanese vocaloid voices to create something that is other worldly. Other producers such as Giraffage, Spazzkid and Slow Magic have similar dream pop vibes. I am a huge fan of most electronic genres and my favourites change all the time but I always seem to turn to chillwave or dream pop because I think it creates the perfect head noise.
However, the culture surrounding electronic music is heavily stigmatized by alcohol and drug abuse, escapism and has taken a different stance to sexualization. Even though drug usage does occur and is prominent, there are fans out there that simply enjoy the music and do not adhere to this generalization. Notably, Kaskade and DJ Snake, both very reknowned producers, do not drink alcohol, smoke or use drugs. This is a very stark contrast to the stereotypical DJ as many of them have scantily clad girls dancing provocatively alongside them and are often seen smoking and drinking with them during their sets.
Many people dress up in costumes when going to these raves/festivals, complete with masks, bejeweled brasseries, tutus, light gloves, fuzzy leg warmers and more.
The electronic rave community is known for being very welcoming and accepting. Many people wear “kandi” which are colourful bracelets that are often handmade and usually spell out a word or phrase. You can find many people giving out kandi to others as a friendly gesture.
Many elaborate music festivals are held around the world such as Tomorrowland and Ultra, which both focus on electronic music. Other festivals such as Coachella, Reading and Leeds, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Dour are more catered towards a mix of genres including rock, hip hop and indie.
Osheaga is a very popular Canadian music festival held in Montreal in early August but don’t fret if you can’t trek out there – there are tons of festivals in Southern Ontario too. Here are a few just to get you started!
If you plan to go to a festival this summer, remember to stay hydrated and to stick close to the people you are going with. Festivals are usually very crowded and stuffy and are quite hard to navigate once are you in the general area. If you have sensitive hearing, bringing a pair of earbuds would also be a good idea.
1. Digital Dreams
Date: July 2-3, 2016
Location: The Flats – Ontario Place in Toronto
Headliners: Above & Beyond, Armin Van Buuren, Bassnectar, Knife Party, 3Lau, Seven Lions
2. Veld
Date: July 30-31, 2016
Location: Downsview Park in Toronto
Headliners: Above & Beyond, DVBBS, Hardwell, Oliver Heldens
3. Bestival
Date: June 11-12, 2016
Location: Woodbine Park in Toronto
Headliners: The Cure, Tame Impala, ODESZA, Grimes, Porter Robinson, Madeon, Tchami
5. OVOFest
Date: Sometime in July 2016
Location: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto
Who could forget the best hip hop concert ever created by Drake?
6. Ever After
Date: June 4, 5
Location: BingeMans Fairgrounds in Kitchener, Ontario
Headliners: Adventure Club, RL Grime, Zedd, Flosstradamus, Dillon Francis
7. WayHome
Date: July 22, 23, 24
Location: Oro-Medonte in Ontario (around Barrie)
Headliners: The Killers, Arcade Fire, Major Lazer, M83, CHVRCHES, Future, Chet Faker, Arkells
Last year, Toronto had some bad luck with music festivals as a part of Veld and Digital Dreams were canceled but here’s to that not happening again this year. OVOFest was also hit hard by a rainstorm but luckily the show went on – rain or shine.
Music festivals and concerts are a great way to bring people together and to bond with one another. One of the best moments I had last year was when my best friend and I were front and center in front of our favourite electronic artist listening to all our favourite songs and dancing as if no one was watching. There is nothing better than to listen to amazingly euphoric music and to be surrounded by those you love.
Have an amazing summer!