Photographs by Dakota Arsenault.
What’s better than folks dressed in rave gear celebrating Canada Day weekend in front of one of the biggest stages at one of the biggest electronic festivals in Canada? Little to none. Although it started out a little rocky, cancelling the first day due to heavy rain and high winds, they managed to make up for it the second day with four massive stages, vibrant visuals and thousands of electronic music fans filling up Ontario Place.
The first act I was excited to see was Showtek, a duo that I’ve been dying to see but have yet to have the chance. They did not disappoint, delving into their energetic hardstyle original tracks. Their visuals were basic, yet enticing, displaying their name on all three screens. It was a performance you just had to bounce to, with their bassline just drilling through the sound systems. All around me were dancers doing Melbourne shuffles, stomping their feet in time with the bass kick of each track. I only wish i knew how to dance along!
The next performance I saw was the one i was most excited for – Zomboy! If you’re not familiar with the dubstep legend, he is one of the most influential “Brostep” artists of the past 5 years. He started with a few original tracks such as “Here To Stay,” and a few tracks from Bar9 and Skism. The crowd erupted into an ocean of dancers, headbangers and moshpit enthusiasts. He matched that intensity by headbanging along with us and screaming, “Open up that fuckin’ pit!” He rocked the crowd with his modulated basslines with tracks like “Outbreak,” “Hoedown,” and “Nuclear.” I ended up unintentionally jumping in the mosh for a bit as well, I’m not usually one for that type of aggression but it was fun. One thing I have learned about the electronic community is that everyone generally respects eachothers space.
I made my way back to the main stage in time to see Adventure Club take the decks. These guys produced some of the first electronic songs i got into, including their amazing rendition of Flight Facilities “Crave you,” and Foxes “Youth.” They transitioned from traditional house music, to melodic dubstep. At one point they pulled a contest winner onstage to don a boxing robe and gloves, and everyone in the crowd chanted for…George. Even the screens read “In George We Trust.” So, congratulations George, I speak for every festival goer when I say I’m jealous.
Then I made my way back to the Bacardi Untameable stage for Flux Pavillion. It’s pretty tough not to like Flux; even people who don’t normally enjoy heavy electronic music tend to enjoy his style. He started off by hyping the crowd, screaming about how much he loves doing shows in Canada! He dove right into his set, with digital elements infused with traditional dubstep basslines. I was excited when I heard his original track “Do or Die” which features vocals by Childish Gambino, as well as his remix of DJ Fresh’s “Golddust.” His visuals were enticing, with mostly blue and green tones. For my first time seeing Flux, i was very impressed with his performance.
Lastly, Zedd took the main stage. For a young producer new on the scene, Zedd has a huge following, with the crowd stretching nearly as far back as the front gates. His house based style prompted everyone in the crowd to erupt with each drop, everyone’s arms in the air. He played his very popular original tracks, such as “Clarity,” “Stay the Night,” and Galantis’ popular track “Runaway.” His visuals may have been the best of the weekend, mesmerizing colours flying straight at you. He ended the show in the most spectacular way, with a massive fireworks show to close the night after several encore performances.
Despite being disappointed by the cancellation of Day 1, Day 2 restored our faith in Bud Light’s Digital Dreams, and we cannot wait for next year’s exciting lineup!
Thanks to Live Nation for media access.
