(Review of Transistor Electronic Arts Festival)
Don’t even begin to think my weekend ended with Transistor! It was 12:00am and I still had another party to get to, Electric Daisy Festival at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds.
Being that I had the aforementioned engagement planned the same night, I missed several of the earlier acts at the carnival, but what I lost in enjoyment earlier I sure made up in dancing… and sweat.
My evening at EDC, starting at 1:00am-ish, began in the Cosmic Meadow (House of Om), with the lovely Colette spinning and singing on top of her own songs from her own albums. Upon completion of her set, she handed the decks over to none other than Mark Farina who rode the funky, deep house grooves all the way till 4:00am. I loves me some deep house and I loves the way they played it.
Meanwhile in the bassPod, breakbeat legends donned the stage, first Uberzone, then The Freestylers. Both sets, brash and over the top as they were, added yet another piece to my near electronic fulfillment. There was but one piece remaining. That was to be received in the Kinetic Field.
As I entered the Kinetic Field and heard the lovely sounds of the early part of Kaskade’s set, I began to brace my legs. Not only because I was almost literally on my last leg but because I knew a set like this would have me dancing till they closed the doors. And dance I did. As did the sweating, shirtless mob of glowstick wielding rave kids. Seriously, glowsticks and pacifiers? Still? Anyways, I can put our differences aside, we were there for the same reason, Kaskade. Rest assured, he gave us plenty of reasons.
Like any DJ set, I can’t tell you many tracks he played for certain, as DJ’s seem to have special rights to songs we will never lay our eyes or ears on. However, I do recall a few, having recently reviewed his new album, Strobelite Seduction. One being the instantly danceable, melody soaked “Move For Me.” If you had somehow avoided dancing by that point, you surely were moved off the wall with this Kaskade/Deadmau5 collaboration.
Though I didn’t recognize the tracks only available to the DJ elite, the important thing about a great DJ set is the feeling that said DJ creates. Kaskade was more than successful at harnessing his trademark “warmth,” using his own tracks and those of others to masterfully drive the crowd insane as only a quality DJ can do.
2008 marks the first year that Insomniac Events brings this huge electronic music event to Colorado and what a welcome breath of fresh air it was. It brought several seldom or ne’er seen acts to our fair state and according to the site, plans to do so next year as well. Make yourselves ready! And if you plan to attend the next Daisy fest in Los Angeles this coming weekend, ditto.
www.electricdaisycarnival.com
www.myspace.com/kaskademusic
