If you've ever driven through the states of Iowa and Nebraska on Highway 80, you can visualize the corn fields that seem to go endlessly in all directions. You can't help but be blown away by the immensity of it all. Driving through the general camping at a large outdoor music festival like Electric Forest has a similarly profound impact. The difference is that after five minutes of being awestruck by the amount of corn, you're bored as heck; whereas the scenery on a drive through EFF couldn't be more entertaining. Landscapes like these fill you with wonder about what the view is like from above. Lucky for those curious minds at Electric Forest, there is a super fun way to find out.
The Ferris Wheel towering above the main entrance is one carnival ride you'll never forget. The saying goes that 'A picture is worth a thousand words' which may be true, but it doesn't fully convey the powerful feelings that are experienced firsthand. You may enjoy, be impressed by, and even learn from the photos I've taken below but trust me, it's nothing like actually being there.
These photos are daytime views but sunset and night views are equally stunning. Keep in mind that they were taken on the first day - before ALL of the festival attendees had even arrived! If you weren't able to ride it this year, I would HIGHLY recommend you do it next year. The mass of organized chaos is a breathtaking sight and it's 100% worth it!
How to find friends in a crowd of tens of thousands??? In my last blog post I wrote about the mysterious force that amazingly draws you to your friends and helps you find them without even really trying. As neat as that is, you may not wish to leave finding your friends entirely in the hands of fate. In that case, groups of friends create totems, flags, signs, or markers to help them locate the rest of their clan in the massive sea of people. These crafty creations bring a whole new meaning to the phrase let your freak flag fly!
There are so many benefits to having these such as:
No Need to Use Your Cell Phone - conserves your cell battery (so you can take more pictures/video), often you can't hear your phone or feel it vibrate in that environment, or it may already be dead.
No Need to Strain Your Voice - either by calling out your friends names in the crowd or yelling into your cell phone - save your voice for letting the DJ know how you're feeling :)
Become an Icon and Make New Friends - outsiders can appreciate your art and come over to chat with you about it.
Make a Statement - Show your Chicago Blackhawks pride for their recent Stanley Cup win, express your undying love for Steve Carell, or simply prove how creative you are!
Help Others - Festival-goers will use your totem as a way to find their friends to by saying something like, "I'm up to the right side of the stage, near that wicked foam dragon totem!"
So before you head off to your next outdoor music festival, consider getting together with your friends and creating your very own group totem. It will be a really fun, rewarding time in and of itself and will add so much to the festival experience overall. You'll be glad you did!
There were a lot of marvelous totems at Electric Forest Festival this year. I'm sure many factors were considered in the planning process like height, weight, cost, power supply, carrying method, etc. It was obvious that their creators devoted much time, energy, and money into making them and I give major props to these artists. They add so much character, color, and enchantment to the vast, crowded landscape. Well done and keep it up!
Morgan Page is one of my favorite house/trance DJs on the top 100 charts today. His progressive style is captivating and when you listen to his tracks, you can't help but move and humm along with them. He's been nominated for a Grammy Award a couple of times as well as five different International Dance Music Awards including Best American DJ (2012). He's also a real inspiration to me personally because he's the same age (we were born within a few weeks of each other). I was super pumped up when the second phase of artists performing at EFF was announced and I saw that Morgan Page was headlining this amazing event.
So after quickly setting up camp and hastily preparing my camera equipment and supply backpack, I headed into the Forest. I must admit it was difficult to focus on my mission of getting to the Ranch Arena stage with all of the distracting eye candy along the way; but as I said before, Morgan Page's only set wasn't something I was willing to miss. I attempted my best tunnel vision possible and let my ears guide me to the place I needed to be.
His set was nothing short of fantastic. It was everything that's expected of a first-class DJ and more. It started raining about halfway through his performance but that didn't stop people from dancing. In fact, I think it really added another element (besides literally) in that these true die-hard fans weren't going to let anything stand in their way of having a great time and enjoying the music. When lightning suddenly flashed across the sky in the distance and the thunder roared, the crowd immediately answered back by cheering and roaring loudly at this incredible natural display that added to the ambiance of the Electric Forest.
So thanks to Morgan Page for bringing down the house and setting the stage for an epic festival. I made many new friends over the next few days and he was one of the most talked about DJ's at EFF, loved by fans both old and new!
June 27th, 2013 - the moment was finally upon me, the one I'd been waiting for ALL year long. I had arrived at Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury, Michigan. The rush of pure adrenaline came over me like a tidal wave. I literally screamed out a "WOO HOO!" and a "HELL YA!!!" and probably a "F@#K YA!!!" too as I made my way to the entrance of the 'back 40' of the Double JJ Ranch/Resort. It probably seemed funny from an outside perspective as I was driving alone, practically jumping out of my driver's seat. It was way too difficult to contain my excitement. After all, I knew what last year's experience was like and I could only imagine what surprises awaited me in the Forest this time.
After picking up my media passes and getting through security, I set out to find a campsite, the perfect spot I would happily call home for the next four days. Considering I had arrived in the afternoon on the first day, I assumed it wouldn't be very hard; I couldn't have been more wrong. The place was packed!Driving through the sea of colorful people, cars, and tents was super entertaining though, and I finally found my spot at the far end of the campgrounds. It was quite a hike to the main entrance, but at least it was a straight shot from there, and I really liked the names of the cross streets - I was at the corner of Forest Lane & Jam St. The energy all around was amazing as everyone wandered to and from getting set up and preparing for the evening ahead.
Setting up my base camp was quite easy as I've had a lot of experience doing it. I clicked, snapped, tied, and secured everything together as quickly as possible because I was in a hurry to see one of my current favorite DJs perform - Morgan Page. He was only going to play one set at EFF, and I was NOT going to miss it!
Welcome to my new blog: EDM Scene - In the Mix With DJ unit-E.
First, please allow me to introduce myself. I am a DJ and my stage name is unit-E (pronounced 'unity') and that's what I'm really all about - bringing people together both on the dance floor and through mutual love of Electronic Dance Music. Though I'm not on the world's radar yet, I certainly aspire to be, and hope you will join me as I pursue this career. EDM, the industry, the fans, and everything related are my real passion.
I have had the pleasure of experiencing many of the world's top DJs playing in the world's most incredible superclubs and outdoor music festivals and throwing down the most epic sets ever. Though it can be difficult to find the words to describe these largely indescribable experiences, that's exactly what my mission is in this blog. I'm not worried about finding too many words though, as my pictures, videos, and music sharing will do most of the talking.
This blog is dedicated to you, the reader, wherever you fall in the spectrum of passion, appreciation, knowledge, or understanding of Electronic Dance Music. It is intended to be a resource as fun, enlightening, spirit-growing, mind-blowing, body-moving and exciting as EDM truly is. I hope you will enjoy reading this blog as much as I will making it.
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