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.

Contact 2019: A Snapshot

By Ryan Hayes

In its eighth year Contact Winter Music Festival continued to evolve along with it's core demographic of die hard dance music fans. As Vancouver's only true EDM festival, Contact's success is integral to the strength of our cities electronic scene. Offering a little something for everyone, Contact endeavoured to find a balance between mainstream sounds and niche acts. Rather thank picking a traditional top five—because everyone has different musical tastes—I decided to focus on a slew of unique highlights that made 2019 stand out.

More clearly than in previous years Contact presented a thoughtfully curated lineup of acts and stages. On night one Said The Sky elevated the main stage with his unique blend of silky smooth vocal laden melodies, and sweeping emotional bass lines. His set was genuinely warm and welcoming and the absolute perfect sonic bridge for San Holo's signature sound. Extending Said The Sky's energy and building on the night's momentum San Holo effortlessly introduced his bouncy and uplifting original productions in to the pantheon of the night. His set melted away leaving the packed stadium feeling empowered and triumphant. It didn't matter if you knew all of the words to his countless hits—his quest for vibrant energy was genuine...and it was heard.

After Solo, Kaskade took the stage acting as the night's catalyst for change, by transitioning the energy towards Major Lazer's party centric atmosphere. Regardless of having just played Sunset Festival in August Kaskade's set was an undeniable pleasure. As one of the industries premiere veterans he knows exactly how to keep a crowd at attention. With an assist from some of his more redux slanted tracks Kaskade flawlessly edged the night away from melodic bass and towards a true bombastic spectacle—all while managing to feel fresh from his previous headlining slot.

On day two Destructo's signature g-house style brought swagger to main stage creating a stadium wide club atmosphere that expertly set up Fisher to take the reigns. Bringing his now iconic blend of house and tech to the largest dance music stage in Western Canada; Fisher's set transcended the standard categorical relevancy of a top of the fest list, and marked the first time Vancouvrites unanimously devoured house music as if it were big room circa 2011. It was just as important to behold, as it was enjoyable to experience.

Taking a detour to the FVDED stage—where bass ruled the weekend—a curated presence was just as responsible for the lineups success. Shout out to Nostalgix for bringing real talent, and fantastic Night Bass vibes, to her opening day one set; proving it pays to show up early and support local talent. On both nights the FVDED stage headliners catered to a more niche, and fervent, audience; showcasing just as much talent as the festivals main stage headlining acts. The biggest surprise of the festival was G Jones raw unbridled energy and authenticity. At this point it's rare for me to walk in to a set with limited knowledge of an artist and genuinely be blown away. His set was heavy, chaotic—at times relentless—but always artistically sound. Cutting through the breakneck BPMs and torrents of bass was an abstract...yet tangible...sense of groove, and musicality, that is rare within the modern landscape blinding bass. G Jones is not to be missed.

On day two Feed Me took the headlining FVDED slot presenting fans with the weekends biggest conflict by going head-to-head with Rezz. For the past decade Feed Me has proven to be a master of his craft. Defying genres—whether it be drum & bass, electro house, or dubstep; Feed Me's productions are always immaculate, and his set did not disappoint. While Feed Me was slaying the FVDED stage Rezz was laying waste to the main stage. As a Vancouver favourite I always fear that she runs the risk of over-saturating audiences with familiar sets, but that could not be further from the truth. Rezz hit Contact with a thunderous assault of slow moving bass. It was her heaviest set to date, it ended with a 2011 Skrillex throwback—and it was exactly what the now packed football stadium needed. The reactions she elicited from the audience were everything.

Any Contact recap would me amiss without mentioning the main stage mastery of Tiesto. Marking his first Blueprint billing in Vancouver the king of dance music took his rightful place atop the cities largest dance music stage and skilfully captured the attention of the stadiums roughly 17,000 festival-goers. At this point in time I think its fair to declare Tiesto the last remaining bastion of true main stage, big room, festival EDM. Tackling an hour and a half set—the rest of the day had standard sixty minute festival slots—Tiesto's closing performance seamlessly melted away. Not only were first-timers blown away; the crowd skewed noticeably older on day two as vintage Tiesto merch dotted the arena. There is something undefinable about a Tiesto set, a craft honed with decades of experience; and they have become a gold standard that cannot be measured against the competition. Honestly when Blueprint first announced Contact back in 2012 I thought Tiesto was a lock as the first iterations headliner and it was nice to finally see him take on BC Place eight years later.

Escapade to another level (Festival review)

By Dominic Wren (Photos by Simon Audette)

This wasn’t any ordinary music festival in the nation’s capital. Escapade music festival used their 10-year experience to pull of an event that will be remembered for years to come. I had a great time at the festival and it was probably one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had at a festival. DJ Snake and Tiësto both tore the roof off, but the lesser-known mixers also showed their worth at the beginning of each day. Another major detail that the EDM Canada team noticed was the festival’s capacity. Escapade was 100% sold out and we never felt over crowded with people while still feeling the massive crowd energy even in the main stage crowds at closing sets. This was truly special as it made the experience so much more enjoyable for everyone attending. Now that shows a festivals values; fan’s enjoyment over profits. Big ups for that Escapade MF.

 This festival review won’t look at the regular “top 5 shows” or “the best DJ.” There so many other elements that made the event and the sets special. The simple answer is that each set had a spark of it’s own. The long answer is basically listing each set in there own category. But let highlight a couple shall we?

The most exotic show: Keys n Krates

These Canadian artists have rightfully earned their names as true artists. Now they were probably my favorite act of the weekend in the most artistic way. They gave the biggest summer vibes, which was a breath of fresh air. They kept their original trap sound but often crossed over to some house/summer vibes that made their set really special. If you want to see a show that you can dance and enjoy with some exotic feels at the same time, these are the guys you want to see.

The craziest show: DJ Snake

DJ Snake has a way to take his sets to another level of intensity. His whole persona seems to be made to destroy his fans. Just his opening started off the last show of Day 1 took no prisoners. From mixing and dropping tracks like South Side, Propaganda, Pigalle, Gassed Up, and so many more. Although he slowed down his set for the last 20 minutes, he appealed to the hard core ravers and the chiller types of ravers. DJ Snake, there is a reason you’re on top of the world.

Best B2B: Zeds Dead B2B Jauz

This B2B was so diverse in their music that I couldn’t take them away from my top B2B list. They dropped some old school Zeds Dead with Jauz’s signature bass house sound, a sprinkle of hard bass music and a touch of house music while keeping the energy of the main stage at a perfect high.  This was an iconic B2B as these guys have had other shows together at Hard Music Festival and Holy Ship so this made an experienced team that adapted really well together.

The most authentic main stage set: Timmy Trumpet

Timmy Trumpet wasn’t in my top 5 shows I was looking for nor did I really pay attention to his sets and his music. I was low key listening to his set while walking through the event area until his charisma, trumpet skills, and mixing decisions really caught my ear so I ran to the main stage a catch a glimpse of his show and it was nothing less then impressive. His charisma on stage shows his true passion for what he does and his trumpet skills were incredibly unique to see up close and you don’t really realize that until you see it for yourself.

Best small crowd handling: Wax Motif

Wax Motif lived up to my expectations coming into the festival and while watching him live. He was playing a mid-day, side stage set so the crowd wasn’t at maximum capacity but his handle of the small crowd drew them in even closer to his show and really made a special up close and personal G-House set. Dropping his tracks such as Tokyo and Fly Kicks (Wax Motif Remix) made the crowd move like if they were twice the size.

 Escapade Music Festival was truly unique this year. From the event area never being over crowed, to chilling spots with incredible views, to great music and great artists, this is a festival that should be on most people’s “to do” list for next summer. It is definitely one of my favourite event’s of the yer, I really hope to see you there next year!

CARAS announces the 2019 Nominees for the JUNO Awards

By Sinejan Ozaydemir 

The nominees for the 2019 JUNO Awards were announced today in Toronto. 

We at EDM Canada have been eagerly waiting for the nominations, particularly in the Dance Recording of the Year and the Electronic Album of the Year categories. 

And here they are: 

Dance Recording of the Year

• Gotasoul AZARI - Get Physical - *Independent/Zebralution

• Jackie Chan (ft. Preme & Post Malone) - Dzeko & Tiësto - Universal

• Avatar Beach - Jacques Greene - Arts & Crafts*Universal

• CURA - Keys N Krates - Keys N Krates*Dim Mak

• Body - Loud Luxury - Armada Music B.V*Sony

Electronic Album of the Year

• Crystal Eyes - Ekali - OWSLA/Atlantic*Warner

• Next Season- Felix Cartal - Physical Presents*Fontana North/Universal

• Give It a Rest - iamhill - Independent

• Deception Bay - Milk & Bone - Bonsound*Sony

• Certain Kind of Magic - REZZ - mau5trap*Kobalt

REZZ, who won the JUNO for Electronic Album of the Year at the 2018 JUNO Awards, is nominated again this year in the same category for her album 'Certain Kind of Magic'. Felix Cartal, who was nominated for the Dance Recording of the Year last year for his song 'Get What You Give' is now nominated for his album 'Next Season' in the Electronic Album of the Year category. First time nominees Loud Luxury are the EDM artists nominated for the greatest number of JUNOs this year with 4 nominations in the JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Breakthrough Group of the Year and Dance Recording of the Year categories. 

This year’s JUNO Awards and JUNO week will be hosted in London Ontario. The awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, March 17th on CBC worldwide at cbcmusic.ca/junos. 

For the full list of nominees in all categories visit : https://junoawards.ca/2019-juno-award-nominees/

Congratulations to all the nominees! We are excited to see who will win at the 48th Annual JUNO Awards!  

Watch Tiesto's epic EDC Las Vegas set

Tiesto treated the Las Vegas crowd to a special set filled with his hits like "Boom", remixes of summer anthems like "Rockstar" and "God's Plan", and a special Avicii tribute that included a live performance by Aloe Blacc. The Dutch legend has been around for well over 2 decades and judging by his Las Vegas set, he still has it. Check it out now: