Tomorrowland's Wildly Successful Virtual Experiment

By Ryan Hayes

Last weekend Tomorrowland gambled big with dance music's first pay to attend virtual festival; Tomorrowland Around The World. While events like Room Service Festival previously featured over 100 artists for free, Tomorrowland showcased 60 high profile artists while attempting to create a truly immersive digital festival experience.

Website interface to get in between stages

In order to capture true to life movements Tomorrowland reportedly built four green screen studios around the world in: Boom Belgium, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, and Sydney. Each production space featured 38 digital cameras which jointly amassed over 300 terabytes of raw footage. The 60 artists were spread out over 8 themed stages each built from the ground up and housed in the digital wonderland dubbed Pāpiliōnem.

Upon entering the festival grounds it was immediately apparent that Tomorrowland Around The World was in a league of its own. Different stages opened at different times, there were set time conflicts, cheesy drink recipes, motivational interviews, and a slew of the regular nonsense you find at real life festivals designed to fill your musical downtown. Pāpiliōnem itself was beautiful, especially after nightfall when the island burst to life with hundreds of glowing multicoloured lights.

Day 1:

Oliver Heldens held down the festivals opening slot with an hour and a half long Day Break Session. The attention to detail was impressive, and the events theatrics progressed seamlessly mirroring true to life sequencing. Being the first act the digital crowd was dispersed for Heldens; the sun was high in the sky, there were no fireworks, and the visuals were toned way down. Unfortunately, so much work was put in to the main stage itself that the audience looked uncanny and low resolution. To a degree it broke the immersion. Nonetheless as the day progressed and the sun went down the focus shifted to the stage and its light show refocusing the viewer on what mattered. Helden's performance was great, he is one of the few artists who has effectively utilized the pandemic to raise his stature within the EDM community, and he deserves every ounce of light shown on his talent. 

Day one was ruled by the Freedom Stage and house music. David Guetta's Jack Back alias played an early morning set fulling legitimizing the artistic abilities of his side project. The set was easily a highlight of the day and proof that act should appear on more festival lineups. After Jack Back, Fedde Le Grand provided the only break from the Freedom Stage's programming. His set was at the Elixir Club; a secret stage housed within the Main Stage's compound. Fedde Le Grand doesn't play many North American festivals, so any set from the seasoned Dutch maestro is always welcome. 

Tiesto AKA VER:WEST

After that is was back to the Freedom Stage for a world premier performance from Tiesto's newly minted progressive house alias VER:WEST. The set was moody, atmospheric, and polished—for fans expecting anything resembling his old trance days...it would have been a disappointment. The set was good enough to leave me curious to see where to Tiesto takes VER:WEST from here; and his late addition to the lineup was the kind of massive get an all digital festival like Tomorrowland needs to sell tickets.

It was during VER:WEST's set that the Freedom Stage's visuals truly popped. The dark enclosure downplayed the audience and focused on the laser/light show which was beautifully synced with the music. Tomorrowland's team really outdid itself, I was doubtful, but the visuals really brought the experience home.

Eric Prydz [CELL.]

After VER:WEST Eric Prydz closed out the Freedom Stage with his new [CELL.] concept. It was immaculate. Tomorrowland's visuals may have exceeded my expectations, but the [CELL.] was in a league of its own. Prydz team painstakingly created the kind of genuinely unique journey that his fans have come to expect—it needs to be fully experienced to truly be appreciated. The [CELL.] didn't disappoint and was undoubtedly as good as it gets until we can all return to real life events.    

The only real time the main stage came to life on day one was during Afrojack and Armin van Buuren's sets. As soon as Afrojack hit the stage it became clear that an artists performance was just as important as the tracks they selected for their set. Filming a festival set in an empty studio is no easy task, but Afrojack brought the same energy he would to an Ultra set, and it really set him apart. During all of the sets at the Freedom Stage none of the artists uttered a single word, and while the music spoke for itself, it took the bombastic nature of the main stage and an artist like Afojack to fully complete the illusion of a live festival act.

Armin Van Buuren

Armin previously stated the importance of his Tomorrowland set in an interview leading up to the event. His hour was full of IDs fulfilling my hunch that Tomorrowland Around the World would replace Ultra as 2020's preeminent festival and the industries most importance testing ground. This was Armin's one quarantine live stream, and his chance to temporarily dominate a blog news cycle.

As much as I want to dislike Carnage...who was playing at the same time as Armin...he remains a highlight. It is  impossible not to get swept up in the pure energetic madness that takes over when he graces the stage. It's delirium, it kills brain cells, and if you let it seep in to your bloodstream it provides a full body escape from reality. 

CORE stage

By the end of day one it was clear just how much work was put in to the design of each individual stage. While Freedom provided the best lighting effects. Core brought Shambhala forest party vibes (Anna's set was a highlight), and The Cave conjured a otherworldly shipwrecked fantasy—if Han Solo, Netsky, or NGHTMRE ever really play in a cave with floating boulders alight with the glow of hundreds of luminous sparks...sign me up.

Day 2:

An early day two highlight was EDX on the Elixer Stage. His pacing and energy was the perfect way to warm up and get back in the groove for another day of music. With the original festival time table made for European audiences a few of the sets came out of the gate a little too strong for 9 AM on a Sunday morning; in retrospect Marlo put on a fantastic show, albeit at the wrong time of day for Western hemisphere audiences.

Transitioning from house to trance, the Freedom stage once again pumped out solid sets throughout the day. NWYR was a lighthearted standout. Less bombastic than Armin van Buuren's main stage set—both artists played very different edits of Blah Blah Blah, exemplifying the varied approach trance artists took on each stage. It lent credence to the authenticity of Tomorrowland's thoughtful stage curation.  

The highlight of day two was the absolutely stacked main stage lineup culminating in the one-two-punch of Tiesto, David Guetta, and Martin Garrix. Tiesto put on a middle of the road, well constructed, traditional main stage set; tracks from his latest album play much better live than they do as a casual listen. Guetta took to the stage with his near perfect Future Rave intro edit of Titanium. His selection was a mixture of Future Rave, remixed Guetta classics, a token Jack Back offering, and a handful of IDs. Guetta's set was everything his Ultra closing slot was meant to be. It was the beginning of a new era in his career; he has entirely modernized his main stage persona in a way no other legacy artist has managed to accomplish. It's unique while still being wildly digestible and it will propel him back to the top of his game.

Martin Garrix

Garrix closed out the festival with the most believable performance of the weekend. The energy he put in to creating a realistic performance was unparalleled. Not to mention it has since been confirmed that he played 8 new STMPD RCRD IDs during his set. This was Garrix at his best.

Ultimately the entire event was a resounding success. A masterclass in digitizing and bottling a festival atmosphere. The stream inevitably would have been more fun with a room full of friends...or a field of like minded festival-goers—but that would negate the very reason the virtual experience exists. Tomorrowland Around the World legitimized a new way of consuming top-tier DJ sets that will only continue to gain prominence well past COVID's current stranglehold on the market. The event may not have made many waves in Western North America, due at least in part to the time difference, but it severed as proof of concept. A million people around the world tuned in, and the next iteration will only bring more eyes.

If you missed the festival the Relive platform is now up and running with every set on demand until August 14th for just over 12 Euros. That comes to roughly $18 for over 60 hours of music. Not bad.

Until next time  Pāpiliōnem.

Tomorrowland Vies For Digital Supremacy (Online Festival Preview - July 25th - 26th)

By Ryan Hayes

This Saturday and Sunday Tomorrowland is set to take over the digital landscape. Dubbed Tomorrowland Around The World—this year's iteration features over sixty artists spread over eight original 3D designed stages. The festival aims to set the new gold standard for online events.

Unlike other quarantine live stream events Tomorrowland will prominently feature hour long sets simultaneously broadcasting across all eight stages. Although it may result in some fans only catching partial segments of an artists sets the packed schedule will help create the illusion of real life festival. Regardless of your personal musical leanings Tomorrowland will offer something for every EDM for the entirety of its six hour daily stream.

View fullsize

Day one begins with an hour and a half daybreak session from Oliver Heldens on the Mainstage before the Freedom stage really steals the day. The big pull for day one is the world premier of Tiesto's new alias, Ver:West: a melodic house project with heavy trance influences. That same day David Guetta's Jack Back alias takes on the Freedom Stage, and Eric Prydz closes the night with a new audio visual experience known as the [CELL.]. Aside from the name details about Prydz's new immersive set are sparse...fans will have to tune in as his visuals never disappoint.

Day two offers a big dose of trance and big room. W&W's trance focused side project NWYR follows fan favourite Dash Berlin on the Freedom stage. Elixir Club holds down heavy house vibes all day, and the Mainstage goes big with Don Diablo early in the day, before Martin Garrix closes out the festival.

Weekend passes are twenty Euros, while single day passes go for 12.50 Euros. Aside from music the festival is set to offer a range of interactive experiences, including; webinars, games and workshops on topics ranging from lifestyle/food, to fashion. Your weekend pass will also provide you with access to all the sets after the live festival stream ends from July 27 until August 2.

Will Tomorrowland Around The World re-define the digital festival landscape? Or will it come and go without notice? Regardless, the idea has peaked our interest...and we believe there are more than a few artists/sets that are worth checking out.

The Evolution of EDM: A Decade Of Skrillex

Source: Rukes

By Ryan Hayes

June marks the tenth anniversary of Sonny Moore's Skrillex project. On June 7th 2010 Sonny released his 'My Name Is Skrillex' EP as a free download on My Space. That same year Sonny signed to Deadmau5's Mau5trap label where he released the game changing 'Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites' EP, and subsequently went on tour with Deadmau5 as a special guest opener. The rest history...

'Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites' namesake track revolutionized, and reinvigorated, the modern dubstep scene in North America, popularizing the genre with an entirely new generation of impressionable minds looking for a fresh sound to connect with. Up to this point dubstep has been a largely underground sound in North America. The bass driven genre had already begun to rise in popularity in the UK in the early 2000's. Evolving out of the garage scene acts like Caspa, Rusko, Skream, & Sub Focus sparked a the genre's popularity within the British club scene. Despite it's rising influence overseas it took Skrillex' reinterpretation of the genre to catapult the sound on to a global stage. Overnight he became the poster boy for electronic music's newest craze; with media outlets placing the weight of the entire scene on his shoulders.

By the time Skrillex' 2011 Mothership Tour had begun his star power was undoubted, and he was attracting diverging fringe groups of music lovers unaccustomed to the world of electronic dance music. Skrillex united legions of fans in a unified state of bass ushering in an entire new wave of DJ focused popularity—playing a pivotal role in the scene's transition to the 'EDM era.' A unprecedented run where DJ's dominated the world's festival/club circuits for the better part of a decade.

During EDM's decade prominence Skrillex storied career has been anything but straightforward. Taking countless twists and turns Sonny has continually defied expectations and kept fans guessing. Now that we are at the ten year mark and eagerly awaiting—still—his next body of work, we thought it was the perfect time to take a look back at Sonny's journey through dance music's varied landscape. 

2010: Humble Beginnings

October 30th 2010 Skrillex, who at this point in time was very far down on the billing, played Meltdown festival in Dallas Texas. Only eight days after dropping 'Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites' his burgeoning dubstep sound was higher tempo, and bouncer—with clear electro/glitch influences.

2011 (January-July): Meteoric Rise

Shambhala 2011 took place August 5-8; it was Skrillex first year on the roster, and he was already holding down on the Pagoda stage. Less than a year after Meltdown Skrillex sound had evolved. Garnering more of a hard edge, his live sets dropped in BPM and cranked up the grinding bass he had become famous for.

2011 (August-December): The Mothership Takeover

By October of 2011 Skrillex had begun his first Mothership Tour. The show featured 'The Cell;' a massive stage that integrated 3D projection mapping and real-time motion capture. Travelling around the country Skrillex sold out massive crowds, and routinely added second nights in the same cities. For many of his more mainstream fans this was their entry point in to the world of electronic music. Torrents of bass swept over audiences opening them up to a whole new world and solidifying Skrillex' place in the pantheon of game changing producers—and all within a year of releasing his first EP.   

2012: Global Prominence

At Ultra 2012 Skrillex went back-to-back with veteran bass/dubstep producer 12th planet. The duo laid down a now iconic hard hitting dubstep set on, arguably, dance music's most important stage. Unrelenting, it was a headbangers paradise; and the set still holds up today playing like a greatest hits album of dubsteps heyday. 

2014: Established Industry Icon

By 2014 Skrillex was an established icon and bass music auteur, with an army of fans who expected nothing but the best from ever release. Although he had previously released  four EP's, March 14th  marked the release of Skrillex debut album 'Recess'. Packed with now classic beats—and brazen potshots at his haters, see All Is Fair in Love and Brostep—Skrillex cemented his legacy and seemed unstoppable. That June his Mothership tour held down two sold out night at Denver's renowned Red Rocks, and it was all captured in glorious HD.

2015: Pushing The Mainstream Boundaries With Diplo

Later that same year Skrillex and Diplo released their debut single as Jack Ü’s Take U There featuring Kiesza was released on September 17th 2014 and went on to become a mainstream radio hit. Throughout the year Skrillex and Diplo tested out their new material at various secret sets, including eight at Burning Man. By February of the next year they were ready. The duo celebrated the release of their debut album with a twenty four hour live stream...unfortunately the stream got shut down by local authorities eighteen hours in, only increasing the hype for duo's future performances.  Jack Ü closed Ultra 2015 with special performances from the likes of Kiesza, P. Diddy K-Pop star CL, and Justin Bieber. It was, and remains, peak Ultra.

2012-Present: The Freedom Of A House Alias

Jumping back in time, Skrillex formed Dog blood with prestigious house music producer Boys Noize in 2012. The alias allowed Skrillex to branch out from his more traditional heavier style and explore new sonic inspirations. Their debut EP featured two tracks Next Order and Middle Finger. In 2019 Skrillex and Boys Noize revived Dog Blood for the release of a new four track EP, and a string of rare live appearances. One such performance took place during last year's Miami Music Week at the Brownies & Lemonade showcase. The night included a string of unique back-to-back sets, but Dog Blood stole the show.

2019: Reclusive Powerhouse Legacy Act

By 2019 the world of EDM was presented with a very different Skrillex. His days of electro/glitch influenced dubstep were far behind him, and his game changing, slow grinding, Nice Sprites era brostep production style was sequestered mainly to the 'classic' segments of his sets. Since the 2016 release of his debut album Skrillex has released a handful of high profile remixes and collaborations; and his sets have evolved to include heavy trap/rap influences—however, much of what modern Skrillex would/could be remains a mystery. Live sets have become a rarity for the artist who once played hundreds of shows a year, and his often rumoured sophomore album is nowhere to be seen. EDC Mexico 2019 is one of the last high resolution sets we have from Skrillex...and who knows when we will get the next.

Here's to hoping the now dual album rumours are true. And the hype that has been building since a new project was first teased in mid 2018 can finally be proven, and was worth the wait. 

Rezz, Loud Luxury and Felix Cartal were all big winners at this year's JUNO Awards

By Ryan Hayes

This year's 49th Juno's celebration took place under an unprecedented set of circumstances. On June 29th the Juno's were held as a virtual broadcast through CBC Gem. It was a big night for Canada's talented electronic music scene. Nominees included; Frank Walker, Sultan + Shepard, Bob Moses, Keys N Krates, Electric Youth, Jacques Greene, & Ralph. Taking home honours in three categories, this year's winners continue to represent Canada on the international EDM stage by innovating and elevating their craft.

Dance Recording Of The Year:

Source: Twitter

Felix Cartal & Lights took home the top honour for their collaborative effort Love Me. Recently Lights has delved fully in to the realm of EDM. Along with her Cartal collaboration she toured with Deadmau5 throughout 2019, released a four track EP entitled 'AM 444' with i_o, and recently finished an instrumental synthwave record entitled 'How To Sleep When You're On Fire' with all proceeds being donated to Black Lives Matter Vancouver. This is Lights sixth Juno; past awards include New Arist, & Pop Album Of The Year. After thirteen years in the industry this was Felix Cartal's first Juno award. His first nomination was in 2013, and his last album, 'Next Season', was nominated for Electronic Album Of The Year. Cartal celebrated with Lights in Vancouver before heading out for a celebratory mint Oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Electronic Album Of The Year:

Source: REZZ FB

This year's top honour went to Rezz and her latest album 'Beyond The Senses.' She also won for her debut album 'Mass Manipulation.' Ever since catapulting in to the scene with her distinct sound Rezz has been a fixture in the EDM scene. She shares the honours of album of the year with past winner including; Grimes,Ryan Hemsworth, and Kaytranada.

Group Of The Year:

Source: Twitter

Twenty Eight legendary groups have garnered the title of Group Of The Year—and this year Loud Luxury held down the crown. Now in the company of Arcade Fire, Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good Band, The Tragically Hip, & Rush—among others—Loud Luxury represent a big breakthrough in a category that traditionally does not represent electronic music artists. Last year the duo won Dance Recording Of The Year for their breakthrough single Body. With a digital only event Loud Luxury's members, Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace, jokingly celebrated with a homemade Juno to commemorate the occasion.

The Evolution of EDM: The Three Sides of Armin

Source: Armin’s FB page

By Ryan Hayes

With the global entertainment industry coming to a grinding stand still and millions around the world undergoing self-quarantine it seemed like the perfect time to reflect on dance music's evolution. More specifically the musical journey of some of the scene's most important icons. From humble beginnings to main stages around the world and legions of fans; each retrospective will fill your ears with hours of live sets spanning decades, continents, and genre changes.

After taking a momentary break to focus on a few must listen quarantine streams—we are back! This time to focus on the storied career of trance deity, and ASOT curator, Armin van Buuren. Over the year's Armin has split his focus between genres, capturing the imagination of a diverse range of dance music lovers around the world in the process.

For this reason we are exploring the evolution of three distinct veins of Armin's persona. First we have Armin Only; the unique live experience that focuses solely on Armin's original productions. For this reason Armin Only is the most direct line to how he has evolved as an artist over the years. Next we have the lesser known, but equally beloved among die-hard fans, Warm-up sets. During ASOT celebrations Armin regularly opens the festivities with a more down tempo set, focusing on the deeper, more progressive, sounds of the day. Warm-up sets allow Armin to stray away from more traditional trance sounds while still skirting around more commercial productions. Finally, mainstream/main-stage Armin—taking on the biggest festivals around the world, this is where Armin really branches out.

Armin Only

The Next Level

The Next Level took place on November 12th 2005. It was a stand alone event, and the inaugural Armin Only. The show was held in a convention centre—Ahoy' Rotterdam—and managed to sell out its 12,000 capacity. Armin's set lasted nine and a half hours presenting fans with a unique atmosphere and upgraded production compared to standard events of the time period. Next Level was such a success that a follow up took place at the same venue a year later.

Imagine

Three years later Armin one-upped Next Level with a set of six shows dedicated to the release of his third studio album, Imagine—this was at the pinnacle of what fans now refer to as the 'classic' trance era. Each set was nine hours long; and much of it was performed with Armin shrouded by a large white stage cover. The event was meant to stimulate all five senses and create an intricate escape back in to ones own imagination. The video below is from the performances DVD release and features just over a quarter of the most theatrical sections of the overall experience.

Intense

Skipping past Armin Only Mirage and straight to his Intense era; here you can truly see the modern rebirth of both Armin's production style, and his live show. Armin Only Intense spanned twenty eight global dates each clocking in at over four hours. This particular iteration of Armin Only was unique because it introduced both a theatre and creative director. The concept had evolved...the touring team expanded...this was an entirely new level of experience for a modern era of dance music.

The Best Of

As of the thirteenth of May 2017, The Best Of Armin Only was Armin's largest show to date. The event was meant to showcase his historic twenty year career with a three hour set spanning two decades of original productions. It was his first time playing ArenA in Amsterdam.

Warm Up Sets

A staple of his ASOT celebrations, Armin has taken to handling the opening ceremonies himself with warm up sets. Showcasing the deeper side of his sonic breadth. These sets start slow/deep, and methodically build gradually drawing attendees in to the ASOT landscape.

ASOT 500 Den Bosch April 9th 2011

ASOT 650 Utrecht February 15th 2014

ASOT 750 Toronto January 30th 2016

ASOT 850 Utrecht February 17th 2018

ASOT 950 Utrecht February 21st 2020

Main Stage Headlining Sets

For well over a decade Armin has been commanding the main stage at the world's biggest festivals. Although his sound has evolved over the years, his presence remains as influential as ever. While trance continues to remain the influence/back-bone of these sets...this is where Armin strays the furthest from his puritanical roots.

Ultra Miami 2012

Tomorrowland 2014 (weekend 2)

EDC Vegas 2017

Electric Zoo New York 2019

EDC Mexico 2020

BONUS (GAIA):

The ever silent GAIA is the pure trance alias of Armin van Buuren and his long time co-producer Benno de Goeji. Ultra 2014 's ASOT 650 celebration was GAIA's first headlining main stage offering. As the hooded duo took the stage and church bells rang out over a packed house classic trance took centre stage. No microphone, no big room interludes...just trance. Pure and simple.