Tomorrowworld's BIG Announcement

TomorrowWorld, the American version of Belgium's TomorrowLand, has announced just this past week that they are expanding their festival to another weekend. A TWO weekend festival, just located right outside Georgia.

They seem to be following in the footsteps of Ultra Music Festival, down in Miami, FL, who decided to make their event a two weekend one as well. However, Ultra has decided to rake up their ticket prices once again this year, causing a lot of fans to ditch the event all together. I have a feeling TomorrowWorld planned this one out, and will see great success in doing so.

Riot Control at Dada Land

Last night, epic DJ duo "Dada Life" was set to play a sold out show (which they refer to as 'Dada Land') in Miami, alongside DJ's Tritonal and Henry Fong. Tritonal was just wrapping up his set before Fong and Dada performed, when Miami City police shut down the event completely. Apparently, the venue had been overbooked and ticket holding fans were being turned away at the door, due to the club being at capacity. This caused a group of fans to rush the gates, causing chaos. The police and SWAT team were called to the scene to help ease the situation, and ended up cancelling the event all together. Dada Life took to Twitter upon hearing the news, showing confusion and frustration just like the fans. They kept great communication throughout the entire process, however, promising their Twitter followers that the event would be rescheduled and everybody would get refunded. I was personally looking into going to this show, because Dada is one show I still have yet to see and have only heard great things about. I'm happy I missed out on this one, though, and hope they can successfully rebook another event with no problems whatsoever.

One Click Away

BIG news in the electronic dance music world these last few weeks. Our EDM world is about to make one giant step forward and launch www.edm.com, a website dedicated to multiple platforms and genres of the EDM community. "EDM.com is part of THE EDM NETWORK, a wide variety of music discovery platforms comprised of properties dedicated to each genre within Electronic Dance Music, and beyond", the website states. Now I know there are plenty of EDM blogs and websites out there already, but this one is a collaboration from all the big names behind EDM, creating a space for fans to connect with artists, and a website that brings truthful news and information to anyone who is involved with EDM. The EDM Network acquired all rights to the domain EDM.com, and it is the biggest move for our genre yet. The site already has the support from hundreds of EDM artists, and I think a lot more will join, knowing that we need a website like this. Artists love to connect with their fans, and right now their only way of doing so is on Twitter. Twitter is full of other spam and gives negative people a chance to chime in. Having a website that is 100% focused on the music, fans, and love is something that will be great for everyone in the community. 

EDC Orlando 2013

I feel like I talk a lot about festivals, but I honestly think it's something that everyone needs to experience. The music pumping through your body, the light production, meeting people from all over the place, and an all around happy atmosphere are always being provided at a festival. It is an experience that will change your life & the way that you look at others.

Just this past weekend, the festival known as Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC, paid a visit to Orlando. It is a traveling festival that has stops in Chicago, New York, and finally Las Vegas. It is a different type of festival, however, because it also includes carnival rides for everyone to enjoy. Also, it has a daisy and flower theme throughout the venue (who doesn't like flowers?)

This two-day journey will literally bring your inner child out, creating a playground for festival goers to enjoy. The rides go all day and all night, creating a skyline of LED lights once the sun goes down.

As I am writing this, I really wish I could have gone this past year. Two of my good friends actually got to play at the festival, PsoGnar & Corporate Slackrs (look them up!), and a bunch of my other friends got to attend as well.

The event planners, Insomniac, have a solid track record and are known to put on amazing shows. Each year they are said to have outdone themselves, making each show and festival bigger and better than it's ever been.

EDC is a festival made for everyone, both young and old, and is guaranteed to brighten up your life (literally).

3-D Isn't Only For Blockbusters, Anymore

Progressive House DJ Morgan Page made a stop in Orlando, FL this past week on his tour. It isn't just any tour, however, because Page is delivering an experience to fans that many have never seen happen before. He has made this tour a 3-D experience, using the same technology that big hit movies have used. Fans will wear glasses through the entire show, and the entire front to back of the venue will make them feel like they are in an IMAX movie. Page describes the experience as one that 'makes you feel like you're flying', with spaceships and special effects that take you on a 3-D ride throughout the show.

Morgan Page came to Firestone Live in Orlando, FL, an intimate venue that holds EDM events. Orlando is one of the main EDM cities in Florida for college kids, bringing big name DJ's on a daily basis and having the right venues for the shows.

Morgan Page made a big step by introducing this new technology to his shows. So far, I've only heard good feedback about it. Maybe other DJ's will follow his footsteps and revolutionize their live show? A fan can only dream.

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"A close up of the Dutch Dj Afrojack",

This image was originally posted to Flickr by Michael Grech athttp://flickr.com/photos/60737252@N04/6159652159. It was reviewed on 5 July 2012 by the FlickreviewR robot and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

Afrojack, also known as Nick van de Wall, is known for his upbeat house music that makes the crowd go crazy. Just this past week, it was announced that Afrojack, along with Robin Thicke and Imagine Dragons, is going to perform at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. This is big news for the EDM world, because DJ's like him don't always get the chance to perform at any major music award ceremony. Afrojack deserves it, however, due to his heart for not only music, but fans as well. On Twitter, you can find Afrojack tweeting inspirational messages to his fans, telling them to stay true to their goals and never give up no matter what obstacles may reach them. Tweets like that from famous DJ's are important, now a days, as thousands of fans look up to people like him. It's those little messages that can turn lives around.

This image is from Ultra Music Festival 2012, during Afrojack's set. It was the first day of my first music festival, and I tried to capture the craziness in an image. As that is nearly impossible, I was pretty proud of the outcome. To this day, whenever I look at this image the song 'No Beef' by Steve Aoki and Afrojack starts playing in my head.

Afrojack UMF 2012 by Megan Hudack is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Double Trouble

Happening right now in Miami, FL is a two-day festival that is going down in history. Two very popular EDM DJ's are teaming up and playing back-to-back, lighting up Bayfront Park (venue of Ultra Music Festival) and rocking the surrounding city. Bassnectar and Pretty Lights, both very unique in their electronic style, brought this festival known as Basslights to the south for the first time ever. The show is open to all ages and features other artists such as Run the Jewels, Koan Sound, and Panty Raid.  This show has a little something for everyone, combining two of the biggest names for an unforgettable experience.

Bassnectar, who formerly goes by the name of Lorin Ashton, has been producing and DJing for over a decade now, is known for his freeform electronic music, and ultimately for his pumping bass. He definitely lives up to his name, making your chest pound to the music when he's on stage. Not only is he a devout music lover but also a community engager, openly advocating for numerous causes and non-profit societies. At the end of each show, Bassnectar takes a "family photo" with the crowd, facing the rear of the stage to ensure he can fit himself and the audience into the shot. He appreciates his fans dedication, giving back to them at each show he plays.

Derek Vincent Smith, also known as Pretty Lights, started his musical interest in high school producing and writing hip hop. As he's developed as an artist, so has his music, fitting under multiple genres including electronica, jazz, hip hop, and dubstep. If you've ever attended a Pretty Lights show you would understand why he chose that stage name, bringing an immense and personalized light show with him on stage. He literally illuminates the crowd, picking special effects and colors that dance with the music. A Pretty Lights show is something everybody should experience in their lifetime, and I can guarantee after seeing one show you will never want to miss another one.

With the combination of Bassnectar's bass and Pretty Lights lighting, Basslights is a show that is going to go down in history. Playing at an outside amphitheater, the entire night is sure to light up downtown Miami like no other. The two DJ's will definitely leave their mark in Miami, not only in the city itself but also in the hearts and minds of their fans.

World War III in the Music Scene

Just this past weekend, DJ Michael Woods, known for his progressive house style music, was playing in a club in South Korea. He was not alone, however, sharing the room with Justin Bieber. Justin was just there having a good time, but decided to jump into the booth and request Michael to play hip-hop. DJ's don't comply well with music requests during their sets, especially when it's a request to shift genre's COMPLETELY, and Michael denied (quite harshly, i might add, using minor profanity and telling shirtless Bieber to put a shirt on). Bieber must have been shocked that he got denied, and impulsively took a swing at Michael's tour manager.

This feud could have easily been forgotten about, however Michael Woods took to his Twitter page and tweeted the entire situation. He explained what had just happened to his 162,000 followers, getting the support from his fans and fellow DJ's, such as DeadMau5 and Laidback Luke (DJ's are in their own kind of music family, always there to back each other up..especially when it comes to Twitter). That might not have been Michael Woods' smartest move, however, due to the fact that Justin Bieber has 45 million followers (80% of them being teenage girls). Michael Woods woke up the next morning with his Twitter inbox FULL of 'Beliebers' bashing him about the incident, pointing fingers and calling him every name in the book. Bieber didn't even tweet anything about the situation, and Michael Woods had hundreds of Bieber's fans attacking him, blaming him for the entire situation and calling him 'talentless' and 'immature'.

This just shows the power of social media in the midst of a situation, whether it be big or small. Anything you post on Twitter or Facebook is accessible to anyone, and Michael Woods had to learn that the hard way. Twitter is a platform that is easily changing not only the social aspect of life, but also music, business, art, and many other aspects.

Bottom line: don't tag Justin Bieber in a tweet that the Beliebers won't like.

Atmosphere Tour in Full Effect

DJ Kaskade's Atmosphere tour is in full swing after his two first shows went down with a bang. The first show, taking place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, was everything Kaskade and his fans could ever dream of. He showed his love and appreciation of fan support via Twitter, thanking everybody for giving him a night he would never forget. He hypes each show up on social media individually, ensuring each fan that they will have an experience like no other. With lights, bass, music, his own production, and a few surprises, both the Miami and New York shows have been anything but ordinary.

Catering to the fans, Kaskade added a post-show after party at a local New York club. Arriving at the club around 2 am, coming straight from his show, he played a set for his fans until 8 am. Having the energy and dedication to DJ for your fans for almost 11 hours is why I consider Kaskade to be the most respected DJ in the game. He shows his appreciation in ways that other DJs would never do, putting his heart and soul into every single show and changing lives one song at a time.
Even if you can not make it to a show, following him on Twitter gives you a behind the scenes look into each event. He retweets fans, posts pictures, gives thanks, and is always excited for the next show, never missing a beat.

It's safe to say Kaskade has never let any of his fans down. He is just as loyal to us as we are to them, and other artists should take notes.

Tomorrow is a Mystery

For the past eight years, festival-goers and EDM lovers have gathered in the heart of Belgium to experience a weekend full of fantasy, costumes, and camping. TomorrowLand, a weekend long music festival, has caused people from all over the world to join each other in song and dance. With storybook themed stages and enchanted characters running free, it is a festival in which you can escape reality and enter an 'Alice in Wonderland' type world. For the first time ever, the creators of TomorrowLand made a BIG move- literally and figuratively. TomorrowWorld, the American version of the Belgium festival, took place just this weekend in the Chattahoochee Hills of Georgia, right outside of Atlanta. With over 50,000 people in attendance each day, the festival was a huge hit. Hundreds of the top EDM DJ's from all around the world reunited in the hills and created history together.

Artists such as Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, and Porter Robinson (my personal heart throb) all took the stages this weekend in front of thousands of people. With multiple stages and plenty of room to roam, TomorrowWorld did not disappoint with the capacity of performance. Each stage created a different reality for everyone to discover, like the Super You & Me stage, which was superhero themed and caused DJs to wear their favorite superhero attire.

Not only does a new festival like this bring in plenty of revenue, it also gives us Americans a chance to discover what we've been missing out on. Although we have hundreds of huge EDM festivals each year, this one created a completely different experience and was a treat for all who attended. I can only hope we will see TomorrowWorld come back to Chattahoochee each year, and give everybody a chance to release their inner child.

Kaskade: The Father of EDM

My first blog post is dedicated to my favorite EDM DJ, Kaskade. Kaskade, also known as Ryan Raddon, has been in the DJ industry for well over 10 years now, and his successes show that. He is mostly known to be a "house" or "electronic" DJ, however his new album 'Atmosphere' took a complete opposite route. With its jazz influenced and mellow tunes, it is an album that allowed Kaskade to be creative with and have a little fun with. It is nothing like the albums you'll hear from other upcoming DJ's, however its musical intelligence and playful melodies will get you hooked.

In this interview, Kaskade starts to explain how Twitter has changed the game for him and how it's so easy to reach out to his fans. He is known to hold contests on  Twitter and tweet back at his fans, taking full advantage of today's technologies and showing how much he cares for his fans. And for that reason alone, I have full respect for him and everything he does. He still gives us all faith that musicians are out there for the right reasons.