I’ve been around a long time (age not forthcoming for vanity reasons) but aside from life experience changing me, I don’t feel mentally older than I was in my twenties. For instance, I had many years ago enjoyed underground UK house and techno. But it wasn’t as accessible like today’s music is and was rarely played on the radio. Then kids came along and it was left behind for children’s and mainstream music. Fast forward to the last few years. While my music taste is wide, my love for electronic music is stronger than ever. And I will specify for the purists; I enjoy both underground and EDM, particularly enjoying artists that run that bridge, pulling from both. I think the reason electronic “speaks to me” is my love of dancing and my general inability to stand still. Dancing in the kitchen to Boris Brejcha, Deadmau5 or anything with a good beat is not uncommon for me. But the highlight is always the fun of attending electronic music festivals. Essentially, your feet are only still when you’re sleeping. My type of place!
A couple of summers ago boyfriend then, husband now and I went on a long mostly Eastern European trip. It culminated with a festival called Dimensions near Pula, Croatia. The whole trip had been extremely hot, Vienna being almost 100 degrees every day. But Dimensions was the first full week of September and it seemed like summer had abruptly spent itself, allowing fall to sneak in. Yet despite the weather, it was amazing.
Our tiny little hut/cabin was not heated and any clothing worn that week was dutifully mud strewn. We were one with the mud! Thankfully the showers had heat, which wasn’t available to all, like the tent area folks. When I had booked the cabin I had only thought about sleeping on a cot instead of in a sleeping bag on the ground. I hadn’t realized how grateful I’d be for the heated showers!
Rain or shine, music is transformative and spirit lifting. Particularly when you feel the beat in your bones and the crowd around you is electrified. It’s instantly contagious.
We got lucky that the boat party we had booked was on a sunny day. It was exactly what you’d think. Lots of alcohol, lots of dancing and many smiles! I saw a couple shoes accidentally make it into the water, but aside from that – all folks managed to stay on the boat as requested by the event coordinators.
Performances by Grace Jones (who I’m not really a fan of but her live set was thoroughly entertaining) and Moderat kicked off the opening ceremony in Pula’s amphitheatre, the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have all four sides.
Since then we’ve stayed in the US for a couple festivals and many solo performances. One is on the horizon in San Diego. A friend who is moving up in the Underground House ranks is DJing there. Too, looking forward to seeing Purple Disco Machine, one of the headliners.
I think of these events, large and small, as interactive concerts. Which makes it kinesthetic and truly memorable.
This last summer we went to see concerts by Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters. Classic music performed by legendary musicians. They were both epic! However, the Foo Fighter’s concert was better, not because the songs themselves were better but because the floor tickets we had gave us room to dance. For the Pearl Jam concert, we had reserved seats along the side. Good views in both cases. But floor tickets, similar to electronic music concerts, allowed us to find space to groove, shuffle, and shake! Foo Fighters, for that reason, was one of my favorites of the summer.
Music is certainly ageless. But so is my inability to stand still! My groove goes on…
Thoughts of a Nerdy Writer 