The walls of BC Place vibrated as I entered the venue for the first day of Contact Music Festival. The much-anticipated annual electronic music festival was housed within the same stadium that encased parts of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
First to take the stage was Drezo. The Los Angeles native took the stage and pumped out his signature mixture of heavy bass and dark house vibes, capturing the attention of some of the most dedicated dancers in the venue. He prepared the crowd for the rest of the night with original tracks like Guap, and Heaven as well as some of the more popular reworks like his rendition of Drowning Pools Bodies.
As 24 year old, Mija took hold of the decks and she immediately started her set with Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas. From there she delved into her iconic mixture of trap and dubstep, creating a wave of dedicated headbangers. Included in her set was her original track with Vindata, KGB. She concluded her set with a mixture of drum and bass and happy hardcore reminiscent of legends such as Darren Styles and Gammer. One of the most impressive things about Mija’s performance is her ability to fluidly transition through genres and tempos without affecting the energy of her audience.
As dubstep legend Getter made his way on stage the crowd erupted with enthusiastic energy. He began his set with Yellowcard’s Ocean Avenue, before pumping bass heavy dubstep and bass house tracks through the extensive sound system. He shook the crowd with his hit tracks such as Head Splitter Rip n’ Dip, while expertly flowing between different tempos. A standout element of Getter’s performance is his ability to include nostalgic rock songs into his set, which was evident as he blasted Mr. Brightside by The Killers. On screen was his graffiti-like visuals you’ll find associated with his clothing line, Trippy Burger.
As the two Toronto natives known as Zeds Dead made their way on stage, the audience erupted with energy. They greeted the crowd with heavy basslines and distorted sound as they delved into their trademark dubstep, playing tracks off their newest album Northern Lights. Waves of headbangers ensued while the two DJ’s displayed some of the most cinematic visuals we would see all weekend. They continued to pump wicked basslines through the speakers with tracks like Where Are You Now, and Collapse. They ended their incredible set with their latest single, Blame.
Before he even entered the stage, the lights in the entire stadium dimmed. A sole, horizontal stream of white light across the DJ booth emerged and Flume entered. He began his set with Helix, an amazing start to his hypnotic performance. Throughout his set he danced along with his music, choreographed perfectly. As he transitioned throughout his songs, he fluidly had small episodes of mesmerizing synths and basslines before moving into his next track. As he ended his performance, thanking the crowd, he walked off stage with hundreds of brand new fans, and thousands of fans that re-established their love for his unique brand of electronic ambience.
