Marc's Public Blog - Clubbing and Trance


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Ok, so I like electronic dance music, more specifically Trance. When I started in the 1990's, the US was a bit behind in that department.
Still, with San Francisco and San Jose nearby, I've had some opportunities to see some great EDM/Trance DJs. Back in the early 2000's, they sadly played club music in the US that was nowhere close to the hits they had composed and were known for, but over the years, as Trance started becoming more popular, those DJs finally started playing their good tunes in the US too, and maybe from 2004 on, it's only been getting better.
Popsicle Halloween 2004 was really the beginning of great music parties in the San Francisco Area, and thankfully things have gotten even better since then

As a matter of fact, after another 10 years (2015 and beyond) the good news is that Trance has grown quite a following in the US, and places like the SF Bay Area, and while Trance has been declared dead a few times in the last 10 years, it's still going strong here.
Trance Family SF is definitely strong in the area, we've been getting more big trance parties every year, including many top DJs that come visit us what feels like every other week now (as of 2018-2019), and through those events, I made many friends in Trance Family SF. Thanks to you all.

Over those years, I got the chance to meet a few of my favourite DJs, including Armin more than once, and my last hobby has been to work on lights for my shirt and pants (version 3) and (version 4)



You can find all the pictures here

Table of Content for clubbing:

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If you enjoy random EDM events and festival pictures and/or want to connect: And if you are curious about my LED outfit, you can read more about it on my led peacock engineer medium post and if you'd like to read all my festivals or dreamstate, or clubbing posts, please click on the links higher on the page to get taken to those categories.

π 2025-05-21 01:01 in Clubbing, Festivals
Welcome to Euphoria, aaargh, the sun, it burns :) (thankfully it ran until 02:00 to 04:00 almost every night):


With less than a day to pack/unpack after EDC Vegas, and fix my new LED outfit which has plusses, but it's unfortunately more fragile and needs more maintenance, I barely made it to a plane to Frankfurt and then Malta to arrive half way through Day 0 of Euphoria Malta's 6 days of Trance! I can't say I was super awake, or that I stayed until the end that first night, but I was glad I at least made it this year :)

How is Euphoria different? It's actually a small festival in size, and purposely so. It's meant to be affordable, and to focus on trance music and fun. There is no VIP, no backstage, and DJs, when not on the decks, are part of the crowd and the party. What else can you ask for? This is the lumi from 10 years ago, before it got too big, and that I never got to attend before it was too late and become what is is now. While I don't have a time machine, and I did ask Craig Conelly :) to go back and experience these nice and small lumis, I don't need one anymore, because Euphoria is where it's at, except with much more lovely people running it.
Now, the DJs are DJs that don't play the big stages every day, they probably don't get paid loads, which in turn allows keeping the event affordable without big crowds, which honestly made for a great experience. I've even got to meet some I had listened to for years, but never seen in person, that was just plain awesome.
And because it was basically a big family party, there is no ridiculous bar fight bouncer security like the place you know, although if you wanted to get your genitals groped at the entrance, I'm so sorry, but Euphoria will not be the place for you :) All the clubs were super nice, and the security folks there to make sure everything went well, not to harass customers. Best case scenario.

So, like I mentioned last year after going to Rong and then Captured Malta, I took a chance a wrote a comparison of all 3 festivals, even if I hadn't been able to go to Euphoria. You can go here for that malta trance festival comparison and I am happy to see that my review of Euphoria was actually pretty on point before even having had the chance to go. You can go visit the page, but the relevant bit, I'll paste here:
"Euphoria Festival Malta is indeed the cheapest and most grass roots of the 3, if it weren't just a few days after EDC and I could have attended, I'm pretty sure it's similar to Anomaly Summer of Trance in feel, just without the 4 stages from ASOL: smaller festival feel, more chance to chat with and meet the DJs, and so forth. The DJs will be less mainstage big festival DJs, but that's also a good thing in many ways, and I really mean this: I've attended lots of big festivals with the big name DJs, I do absolutely enjoy them, but it's really a nice and a breath of fresh air to enjoy smaller festivals that simply have more of a family and friends feel and where you're going to get real trance (more techno and hardstyle in the bigger trance festivals this year). I hope I didn't screw this description since indeed I wanted to attend, but just couldn't"
The one thing I missed is how many hours of lovely trance Euphoria actually had. 68!!! That is a winner right then, and as I properly guessed, no techno or hardstyle being pushed everywhere, sooo nice.

Day #0 Preparty, Zion Bar

After landing and unpacking, took a bolt to the south side of the island, to Zion Bar

this is why we come :)
this is why we come :)



PLUR, the European way :)
PLUR, the European way :)

Day #1, Beachaven

After much needed sleep, made it to Beachaven, day 1. Nice bar with view and indoor night club:






Day 1 Video Summary:

Eventually, sun came down and we partied outside a bit longer before having to go indoors:






Day #2, Beachaven

Back at Beachaven for day #2:


We got an absolutely lovely 5H thrillseeker set




we got to chat afterwards
we got to chat afterwards

Then more partying indoors:



Thillseekers (partial set):

Day 2 Video Summary:

Day #3, Gianpula Phoenix Club

Day 3 was at Gianpula in one of its numberous clubs

they were already getting ready for Captured in Sept (will be back for that)
they were already getting ready for Captured in Sept (will be back for that)




surprise Lost Emotions b2b Xijaro and Pitch
surprise Lost Emotions b2b Xijaro and Pitch

and Marcella Woods was awesome, first time I got to see her
and Marcella Woods was awesome, first time I got to see her


Day 3 Video Summary:

Marcella Woods (full set):

Day #4, Liquid Club Malta

The next day was in a night club all day and night, Liquid Club. and it allowed for 2 rooms


haha, I love this shirt :)
haha, I love this shirt :)





Day 4 Video Summary:

Day #5, Gianpula Rooftop

Monday, one last day, home stretch back at Gianpula rooftop with the swimming pool. Glad to be back :)
By the 6th day, just like Captured less September, my LED outfit fell apart, but this time the new design allowed for replacing a failing panel much more quickly and without a soldering iron, progress ;) screwdriver and duct tape were the essentials (but jokes aside, not super happy with how fragile the new panels are, will need to find something better and more durable):






Sunset was beautiful from up there:



And a bit after midnight was it for Day 5 (really day 6). That was a lot! I think I managed to do 60 hours of trance out of 68h available over 6 days. Wee! Anyone who has not done this probably cannot comprehend how many 6 days is and how exhausting it is (in a good way, haha). Definitely worth experiencing.

Day 5 Video Summary:

The People

Lots of familiar faces of course :) great to spend time with fellow trance lovers again:



[rigimg:1024:8127*|my friend Dmitriy won the "best troll shirt" award and those two crazy people also went direct from EDC to Euphoria. Respect!]





As I mentioned earlier, one great thing at Euphoria is that you can meet the DJs and chat with them every day:




Steve!
Steve!

Andrea!
Andrea!

David Forbes was surprised to see me again after 5 days :)
David Forbes was surprised to see me again after 5 days :)

First time meeting Ronski Speed!
First time meeting Ronski Speed!

Marcella Woods, so great to see her perform
Marcella Woods, so great to see her perform

Mark Sherry
Mark Sherry

Darren Tate
Darren Tate

Should you go? Would I go Back?

If you read the intro, it should already answer this. At the same time, I do not think Euphoria should grow too much in size, or it will lose the wonderful family and "we are all one" feel, so I'm wondering how much I should recommend it :) So, if you're looking for a big party, big name DJs, Euphoria is not where you want to go. Consider Rong in May (the bigger of the 3 with lasers and confetti and smoke and fireworks :)) ) or Captured in Sept as an in between answer (not too big, but some bigger name DJs).

And lumi, well, if you've read past reports, you already know how I unfortunately have to feel about it (if not, you can find that in the previous posts). While I'm glad I got there in 2019, even though by then it was already feeling a bit too big, I feel like it lost its family feel quite a while ago given its current size, and honestly I don't need festivals to play 4 or more trance DJs at the same time (and that comment is also true for dreamstate socal), so it was really nice to only have 1 or 2 stages at most at Euphoria and not have to stage hop or agonize that much.
Since I'll always regret never having been to Lumi 10 years ago when it was nice and small, it was actually fantastic to be able to experience this with Euphoria, and really I have to repeat how nice it was to have a festival where we were all one, no VIP, no backstage passes, and DJs coming to party with us and chat and have fun!
Also, while I enjoyed Captured festival last sept, the weather was pretty brutal (Thailand like hot and humid). Euphoria was nice and cool in May, even during the day, that was a true pleasure.
Now, if you're in Asia and february is not the month you're gone snowboarding, Unkonscious is still a very clear choice and another great way to spend 6 days with trance. If you're in Europe or Europe is closer, then Euphoria is clearly a great choice. And if you're just that dedicated, you can go to both of course :)

Now, the hard question is should Euphoria grow to allow more trance lovers to experience it without losing what makes it special? This is a tough question, and I'm not sure I have the magic answer to it. But the fact the organizers are so nice and dedicated to the event, I'm confident whatever they decide, Euphoria will remain a great place to go.

Euphoria was absolutely a unique event (and I mean that in a very good way :) ), and I'm so happy I managed to drag my butt there, this year.

As for the "will I go back?". Honestly I really want to. I'm not going to lie that going 24H after EDC Vegas was brutal, EDC really wipes you and it's another multi flight 16H trip which I can't do in coach and survive, so it was expensive. I'm super happy I did it though, and hope I can do it again. Also, I have to admit I also had a great time at Rong Malta which is 2 weeks prior, even though it's a bigger more mainstream festival, but also with lots of trance, and it's not reasonable to go to both plus EDC in the middle, so I'll have to pick 2 out of 3 no matter what. Decision, decisions :)
But for people with fewer life problems than me, haha, absolutely, please go and be part the family!

Huge thanks to Rich and Steve and all the DJs who played for us:


it's not enough to run the event, he also DJed multiple sets!
it's not enough to run the event, he also DJed multiple sets!

Links:

  • Day 1 Video Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbTMHgVNw3A
  • Day 2 Video Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYDrh9TmhwQ
  • Day 3 Video Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIuS9ERQzUo
  • Day 4 Video Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGpzY6Mp-lU
  • Day 5 Video Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5U-9wMI9Hg
  • Thillseekers (partial set)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AE4f7fyUzg
  • Marcella Woods (full set): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c8Bnkf1_hI
  • More Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MwmG1ZeRyVNFyP9r6
  • π 2025-05-18 01:01 in Clubbing, Edc, Festivals
    So, I probably should start with the price, to put things in context. It was $516 for 2, which, well, is not exactly cheap. The menu looked good on paper, and to be fair, they technically delivered, but I had imagined a bit more for that price, although it's also fair that delivering a multi course dinner in the middle of EDC is going to cost more, and they could not keep us that long since they had more servings coming after ours. I think they were actually pretty late given that it was the first day, so it took us a while to get in, which for the first serving that was supposed to be at 18:00, was a bit more complex since they had to bus us in directly inside EDC before it was officially opened. That part took a while, but we eventually got here with a skydeck bus (although 30mn late or so).

    Getting to the welcome point was a bit tricky since it was a fair distance from the rideshare dropoff and the normal EDC shuttles would not get you there in time, but we made it and were eventually welcomed:



    made it! (18:25 to be precise)
    made it! (18:25 to be precise)

    Given the pricetag, I should give the menu. They did absolutely deliver on what was promised, but indeed I was hoping for a bit more food given the price :)


    first serving
    first serving

    second serving
    second serving


    One thing that was above expectation were the performers who entertained us. There were plenty and they did a great job:





    The price did include all you can drink, alcohol :)


    While enjoying desert on the 2nd floor, the next people were in line, and that was also our exit towards wasteland:


    So there you go, hope it helps you decide, I'd say it was a good experience overall, but somewhat pricey.

    π 2025-05-18 01:01 in Clubbing, Edc, Festivals
    Back for another year:


    This was my 10th EDC Vegas, time flies! And in these 10 years, EDC has become bigger every year, to the point that the 2026 edition fully sold out in less than 3 days. I'm not going to repeat what I already wrote in the previous EDCs I've been to, except that this year again, they've done a good job mixing things around and keeping things fresh.
    The one thing I have to mention for trance lovers, is that in the last years, it's been clear that Trance has been shrinking slowly world wide. This is to the point that it's gone from Untold, which had the best Trance lineup of any mainstream festival, it stopped being relevant there several years back at Tomorrowland, and when I went to Parookaville, there wasn't much trance either. The list goes on...
    So, even I'm a bit stuck on classic trance and I'm a bit sad to see it slowly disappear from many festivals, it wasn't very surprising that similar things are happening at EDC. Last year was the first time that the 3 days of classic Trance at Quantum Valley, were dropped to 2, and this year, depending on how you count, there was maybe 1-1.5 day combined (although day 1 did have half a day of lovely psytrance, which I believe is new). So yeah, we're not getting the 3 days of non stop Trance at Quantum Valley anymore, but Dreamstate is still a thing, just with evolving sounds, some are classic trance, some are psytrance, and newer sounds like Maddix. Also, let's keep in mind that:

  • I'm not counting psytrance as trance, because to me they are different. I actually like psytrance quite a bit, so I'm not sad at all to see more of it.
  • we got 2 2-day dreamstates this year, one in SF and the Socal one still coming up (plus some other single day ones across the US), so we can definitely be thankful for that, and that's not even counting some extra special dreamstate events like another one coming in SF in July
  • EDC itself did have more trance at other stages, so you had to walk around to go find it :)
  • And let's not forget that Tiesto played Trance for 1.5H to close EDC. How huge is that?
  • So while it's evolving and it doesn't have the 3 days of classic trance at QV anymore, there was plenty of other music to check out, which is not a bad thing actually, that's my best place to check out other EDM genres in one location, and for the mere wow factor and spectable, I'll repeat that EDC is the best night festival in the world.

    This year, as something new, I tried the Salvage City Supper Club that was located by Wasteland. It was an interesting idea and fun, but ultimately it felt somewhat expensive for the end experience and food. But if money is no issue, definitely worth giving it a shot. Read up on more Salvage City Supper Club here

    The Grounds:

    Let's start with the grounds, which change a little bit every year, but no reason to get lost this year ;)


    The insomniac folks aren't lazy, they come up with different stage designs every year. Here are some pictures from this year:






    Of course, lots of fun areas to visit, especially in the VIP areas:

    trinket trade got way too popular since last year :)
    trinket trade got way too popular since last year :)

    the VIP concierge area at Kinetic field was way too crowded
    the VIP concierge area at Kinetic field was way too crowded

    Kandi stations and Casino:

    kandi stations
    kandi stations

    kandi casino was even more popular this year!
    kandi casino was even more popular this year!



    Passport was nicely setup like each year:




    And because people get confused when they see this picture, this is not VIP but Skydeck, an uber VIP for people with too much money and trying to find creative ways to spend it :)


    And all the lit up areas of course:



    enjoying the new downtown EDC
    enjoying the new downtown EDC





    Pixel Forest was moved this year and looked different:



    A few vendors, like every year:


    EDC still has the most rides of any festival I've been to. Fun!




    And the many side quests:




    Elevated views are of course very enjoyable:














    Other views:





    Fireworks and Drones

    The drones did more work this year, that was nice:









    The fireworks were great like every year:









    Day 1 Fireworks:

    Day 2 Fireworks:

    The People

    One of my favorite things of US festivals, are the costumes people come with, and EDC is one of the best for that:

    this looked not comfortable to walk in, dedication :)
    this looked not comfortable to walk in, dedication :)




    winning totem :)
    winning totem :)

    bad ass!/
    bad ass!/


    haha :)
    haha :)

    funny, we found the same animation independently ;)
    funny, we found the same animation independently ;)

    this is the way!
    this is the way!


    And we did our usual Trancefamily SF meetup:



    The Insomniac Entertainers were great, as always:








    And of course, it's always a good excuse to take pictures with friends ;)



    Thor!
    Thor!

    more LEDs!
    more LEDs!

    And DJs :)

    David Forbes
    David Forbes

    Paul was still amused ;)
    Paul was still amused ;)

    Yoji, still being funny ;)
    Yoji, still being funny ;)

    I was ready for Ben Nicky this time around ;)
    I was ready for Ben Nicky this time around ;)

    The Maddix b2b Ben Nicky was epic!
    The Maddix b2b Ben Nicky was epic!

    First time seeing James Hype!
    First time seeing James Hype!

    Even random only ended up on his youtube event summary: https://youtu.be/a62xtWjVUrY


    And as always, many picture opportunities:


    the bees were overachieving :)
    the bees were overachieving :)

    Day #1

    Day1, let's go!













    Video Summary:

    Day 1 Fireworks:

    Day #2



    Unfortunately, right after Miyuki's set, the wind picked up and Quantum Valley was somehow not built in a wind resistant way, which was slightly puzzling given that high winds have been semi frequent at EDC. As a result, QV was shut down for multiple hours, and we unfortunately missed a few sets as a result:


    But other stages kept going:


    thankfully QV was reopened later that night, in time for Maddix B2B Ben Nicky
    thankfully QV was reopened later that night, in time for Maddix B2B Ben Nicky


    Finished the night with TDJ at Bionic Jungle
    Finished the night with TDJ at Bionic Jungle


    Video Summary:

    Day 2 Fireworks:

    Day #3

    One more night, night 3!




    le youth, I had never heard before, interesting dreamy set
    le youth, I had never heard before, interesting dreamy set

    then, more techno with Miss Monique
    then, more techno with Miss Monique


    Then came time for Armin at Kinetic Fields:


    got a good spot, right in front of the uber VIP skydeck (the ones with the half million packages)
    got a good spot, right in front of the uber VIP skydeck (the ones with the half million packages)





    Back to Quantum Valley:


    And then it was time to end the night with Tiesto's In Search of Sunrise Trance Set!





    sunrise coming
    sunrise coming

    And just like that, after a beautiful sunrise with Tiesto, the 3 days were over:


    Video Summary:

    Should you go? Would I go Back?

    One thing I have to say about this year, is it felt more crowded, even the VIP areas were quite busy. It was not a huge issue to watch the sets, but the amenities in VIP were quite full with long waits. EDC is becoming popular, maybe too popular. This does not mean you shouldn't go or I won't go back, but it's probably reasonable not to expect to enjoy some of the more popular attractions, since they may require long lines to get in.

    At this point, note that the text below is mostly the same as last years, since it's still valid :)

    EDC Vegas is probably the most impressive EDM Night Festival in the world. Tomorrowland is a rival but it's not a night festival as more challenges I'm not as much a fan of (never mind of course the distance for me or the fact that you mostly can't buy tomorrowland tickets, while you can for EDC, although as of 2025 you have to be fast since they sold out in 3 days).

    Like previous times:

  • Decors are just fantastic, along with so many performers. That's the best part about EDC. Even better now that I know and recognize some of the performers (Hi Pixie)
  • Like other insomniac festivals, all the staff truly cares and goes all out. Many small details that get sometimes missed elsewhere, are usually flawless. I'll even add that actually they are the most detail oriented, over achieving people I have seen. The amount of small details I absolutely do notice, how every corner of the racetrack is used for decors, the amount of light strings and LEDs, across ridiculous distances, and it just works all night, every night (nothing seems to ever break)!?!? I have no words. And seriously, if you know anything about LED strings and wind and moving them, you should know how amazing it is that they don't break!
  • This year again, security was more than reasonable as usual, thank you. Enough police onsite to help keep things safe, I personally like that.
  • 19:00 to 05:30 is 10:30h of partying for 3 days, lots of fun! Actually first day does start at 17:00 (Cosmic Meadows only), and the next 2 days that used to start at 17:00 do not anymore, but I'm sure that for those at Camp EDC, there are plenty of parties there. The one sad thing is that shuttles start 30mn later (18:30), so it's near impossible to get to EDC by 19:00 and see the first DJ anymore.
  • So many free carnival rides, lots of fun, but the lines were too long for most, wasn't able to justify spending the time in line to enjoy them.
  • Still so many stages (around 15 if you include art cars, and passport)
  • Is it still worth flying across the world for? Yes, absolutely, there is nothing else like this on earth. Then again, maybe I should tell you not to come anymore, as it's getting full and sold out in just 3 days this year.
  • Conclusion/Other thoughts

    Thoughts about this year:

  • Not fixed this year: please give exact GPS pin locations for the projected shuttle stops. Sometimes they are 1 mile away from the fake address given and it really makes a difference when picking hotels. Even if this cannot be given many months in advance, at least send the actual shuttle location (GPS pin) to all people who bought shuttle passes, as soon as possible.
  • Not fixed this year: I'm sure you read the comments on people with a very bad experiences and serious medical issues (heat exhaustion) related in Camp EDC. Given the cost of those, please make sure they have proper shade, burning man style, or it's not going to work and continue to ruin the experiences of people who can't deal with that amount of heat in the day <= disappointing that shade structures were not added this year and people still overheated with AC units that could not keep up with full sun.
  • New this year: VIP and GA sold out in just a few hours and went to tier 9 very quickly. Sadly the frontgate queuing system did not seem to work on cell phones (you got kicked out and never seemed to be in queue), nor did it ever show you what number you were in line. I hope they fix it.
  • Cell phone service was actually worse than previous years, it was easy to get 0 signal for hours in a row. Given how many people are in the same place (150K?), clearly EDC needs some portable emergency cell sites. I'm sure that costs a little bit, but can't be a huge percentage of the overall budget. And before you ask me why I can't enjoy the show and why I need cell phone, try meeting with friends that you have lost or trying to reconnect with. Good luck with that. I realize this is the "burning man way", but I wouldn't consider EDC burning man :)
  • WIFI was unfortunately worse than previous years. VIP wifi mostly didn't work for any of the 3 days. I make no claim that providing wifi is easy with that many people, but given the right IT folks and equipment, it is very possible to do a lot better.
  • first it was password incorrect
    first it was password incorrect

    and then this for most of the time
    and then this for most of the time

    also this
    also this

  • I loved Quantum Valley this year again, very nicely done, even if there was a lot less trance this year. The only slightly puzzling thing was why it was so vulnerable to wind when the Insomniac crews are well aware that EDC often experiences high winds, which have caused shutdowns in the prior years already. Hopefully this can be kept in mind for future stage designs (most other stages were not affected, thankfully)

  • But I also have to mention that Quantum Valley is not the 3 day trance stage anymore, sad but these are the present times. Still, overall QV had an enjoyable mix of music, even if it had more techno than it needed in my opinion since the next door stage was already supposed to be the techno stage.
  • I'll repeat that all the insomniac staff and insomniac entertainers were top notch as always. I mean seriously they were jumping and smiling all night each time I saw them. I know it's their job, but kudos to them for having so much positive energy for so long.
  • Thank you to everyone at the insomniac team, all the performers, all the volunteers who put so much effort into making so many details right all over the place, with the great result that we all got to enjoy..

  • Pictures of all 3 days: https://photos.app.goo.gl/b2bR5SPSzJgLCNPz9
  • Pictures of the grounds and people: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FAypKVYoKUTcqyiv6
  • Concatenation of all the IG stories I recorded during the event: https://youtu.be/epOHZjXiV9o
  • Summary of Day #1: https://youtu.be/HXBUgcLr1Pk
  • Summary of Day #2: https://youtu.be/sd4svTyh5uY
  • Summary of Day #3: https://youtu.be/nqEVijdmwAs
  • much love to our insomniac entertainers
    much love to our insomniac entertainers

    So long, see you next time!

    See more images for My 10th EDC Vegas In A Row!
    π 2025-05-03 01:01 in Clubbing
    I found out last minute that a warehouse party in SF had a secret room for VIPs on the top floor, where my friends Arik and Chris would play trance. So, I managed to show up just in time :)



    song request :)
    song request :)



    Nice party and decors!







    haha :)
    haha :)


    It was much fun :)

    Video Summary:

  • more photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/az3eksZupz5RoRFN8
  • IG stories: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18134109973408145
  • π 2025-04-30 01:01 in Clubbing, Festivals
    As you probably know if you're reading this post, I like attending EDM events (mostly trance), and been to over 250 events so far as well as attended around 70 festivals around the world by the time I write this, and have written a report for each and every one of them.

    But those repots are only worth the time I take to write them (sometimes more than one day of work for some of them), if people can find and read them. In the old days I could just post them on facebook, or people would even find them with a google search. Nowadays, things are very different and Facebook does their best so that any post with external links are viewed by as few people as possible since they do not control external sites and want to keep their product (i.e. the users) locked in their site so that they can continue to feed them lying ads, fake AI videos and posts, and the other crap that is now all over FB.

    Instagram is not better, although they make things worse by not even really allowing any links in posts, so that takes care of that problem.

    So, how do you, my dear reader, find my new posts if both FB and IG have a vested interest in you never seeing them?

    The best 3 ways to get future posts/festival reports:

  • Mailing list for posts announcements and chat: https://lists.merlins.org/lists/listinfo/ledtranceguy-posts . I swear I will never spam you or give out your Email.
  • I also made a Discord: https://discord.gg/ScHQU5Vm9j that you can join to get new posts and optionally chat with other members.
  • I also made a Whatsapp group for post announcements and chat: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CQKOxG8i73H2LOKh9a5hHY
  • For real time stories and posts from festivals and to follow/friend/DM me, FB and IG are still best, and you should follow both if you can, but expect that FB will make it hard for you to actually see my blog posts, while IG only allows me to make links you can't click on, so you have to cut and paste them.

  • IG: https://www.instagram.com/ledtranceguy
  • FB: https://www.facebook.com/ledtranceguy/ (follow both if you can)
  • If you have an RSS reader or you're just happy to reload a web page on occasion:

  • All Festivals Posts: http://ledtranceguy.org/festivals
  • Full Blog: http://ledtranceguy.org
  • Hope this helps. For bonus points, you can even subscribe to multiple of them :)

    π 2025-04-25 01:01 in Clubbing, Edc, Festivals
    Why EDC Korea? No, no, it's not quite a case of "collect them all", although, is it? :) The actual answer is that I enjoy travelling the world through festivals and getting to meet fellow EDM and Trance lovers around the world. Every country has their own customs and flair, and it's nice to see PLUR around the world indeed.

    so glad to see the ever cheerful and colorful insomniac entertainers
    so glad to see the ever cheerful and colorful insomniac entertainers

    and we had a meetup with the international EDC crew :)
    and we had a meetup with the international EDC crew :)

    The Grounds... How was EDC in Asia and how does it compare with EDCLV, EDCMX, and EDC Orlando?

    So let's get this out of the way first in case that wasn't already obvious: nothing in the world compares with EDC Las Vegas, as far as "wow" factor goes, and that includes the other EDC editions, that are lovely, but simply not as big. I haven't been to every EDC location, but I do believe EDC Mexico, which I did go to, is the 2nd largest, and this one probably ranks 3rd in size, just a bit ahead of EDC Orlando. No idea about EDC China since I'm still not sure about going there, and if anyone has been to EDC Thailand this year, I'd also be curious to know.

    Footprint-wise, the event was pretty big, but it also had some dead space in the middle and hills that were a bit of a pain to navigate. The ground was also uneven and somehow wet in places despite no rain, that was a bit weird. But we got the stages we are used to, and they were top notch.

  • Kinetic field looked a lot like EDCLV!

  • beautiful
    beautiful

  • Stereo Bloom:

  • Circuit Grounds:

  • Bionic Jungle:

  • Boom Box:

  • It wasn't the plan, but this ended up not only being the coldest EDC I've been to, but flat out the coldest festival I've been to, and that includes some cold EDC Vegas nights as well as cold Dreamstate San Bernardino nights. It was around 10C, but the wind was relentless and windchill made it feel freezing or below freezing. On day 2, I came with a full sweater and basically 3 layers on the top and I was still kind of cold. I was also wearing a ski hat below my dreamstate LED hat, and gloves. It was that cold, really.

    The painful cold did not ruin our party spirits though, people soldiered on :) And double thumbs up to all the insomniac entertainers wearing those colorful outfits that did not seem that warm, and somehow surviving through those cold nights. That was some serious dedication!




    how on earth did they survive, wearing this?
    how on earth did they survive, wearing this?

    The Merch store lost an opportunity to sell over a thousand sweatshirts. They ran out quickly :)


    that was the shortest the line ever was, it got much much longer later
    that was the shortest the line ever was, it got much much longer later

    There was one combined beauty/kandi station:


    felt a bit weird that they were combined :)
    felt a bit weird that they were combined :)

    And then there was this. Lost in translation? haha :)


    There was a pretty big skydeck, I'm not sure how occupied it got, but it looked fairly nice. It was only for mainstage:


    Of course a big plus of EDC is all the pretty lights. and the insomniac crew did a good job bringing a nice pixel forest to the venue:





    the fire from the statue was a good place to be a big warmer in the siberia-like cold :)
    the fire from the statue was a good place to be a big warmer in the siberia-like cold :)

    And of course the were more lights:



    The nearby Inspire hotel had its own:


    And the fun thing was that we were a stone's throw (almost) from Seoul/Incheon International Airport, where I flew out of the next day back to SFO, but the planes were not landing over the festival, so you could not hear them and they were barely noticeable. except maybe to the pilot geeks like me :)


    EDM Lovers in Korea and Asia

    So I need to admit that the event wasn't packed. It ran from 17:00 to 03:00 and few people were there before sunset despite the weather not being vegas like and already cold during the day (for Vegas, you don't really want to go before sunset). I have no idea if enough people came to cover the costs the of the event, but if so, it was close, at best.

    But the crowds that did come were dedicated. There were a good amount of professional kandi traders who made the event even more fun, and enough people who came with cool costumes despite the cold. Thanks to all of you.






    Some professional Kandi traders :)

    Plus a few pictures with friends:

    Blaztoyz!
    Blaztoyz!

    PvD!
    PvD!

    G.O.
    G.O.

    Marlo
    Marlo


    The 2 days of festival

    The first day, I opened the window of the hotel and thought "mmmmh, it's a bit cold, I'll put an extra layer between my t-shirt and my LED shirt (in blue in this picture):

    Kataklops!
    Kataklops!

    OMG, what a mistake in planning. Yeah, 10C is already cold but that not account for the siberian wind that brought the wind chill level to below freezing. I'm not going to lie, I was cold and uncomfortable the entire first day. So on Day #2, I came with a full sweater as my 3rd in between layer, a ski hat below my LED hat, and gloves. Well, even with all of that I was still kind of cold, but less uncomfortable at least:


    Anyway, here are some pictures from both days:









    Day 2 was trance day at Stereo Bloom:

    great trance from Casepeat
    great trance from Casepeat


    and my friend Kataploks
    and my friend Kataploks





    Giuseppe Ottaviani
    Giuseppe Ottaviani

    Paul Van Dyk
    Paul Van Dyk


    Marlo
    Marlo


    A bit of bass at Circuit Grounds:




    And what's a better way to end the night than with Blastoyz?








    Because the taxi/rideshare situation, was iffy, at best, I left a tiny bit early right after Blastoyz's set, and barely got a glimpse of the very legit fireworks to close the show at mainstage. They were pretty. Too bad they were so late:




    Video Summary of Day 2:

    Thought/Impressions/Suggestions/Conclusion

    In somewhat random order:

  • The shuttle situation was not ideal. At the time I bought tickets, or my hotel, there were no shuttles listed on the frontgate website. Maybe the shuttles were on the other korean only website, but I never heard about any until a few days before the event, by which time it was too late to matter. It was unfortunate that there was no shuttle going around the local hotels close to the venue. They were only a 5 to 10mn drive away, but it was a 30 to 45mn walk in frigid cold. Using taxis/ubers did not work well as there were not enough and once the few that were available, drove away to a farther hotel, people left over without one, were kind of screwed. I personally chose to leave early and miss part of the show not to get stuck, which was not ideal either. The fireworks at the end of the last day were really nice, but I only saw them a little bit through the taxi window.
  • Korea law on tickets is a bit unusual (for instance it's somewhat illegal to resell tickets), so it's probably because of that that EDC had separate ticket selling sites for Koreans (interpark) and foreigners (frontgate). Not an issue, really, just interesting. The one downside is that it was difficult to resell a ticket if you couldn't go since you had to go pick up your bracelet in person and only could resell it to someone else, there, and that was maybe not even legal:


  • VIP didn't really feel worth it. There were viewing areas for most stages, but they were off center quite a bit, and I didn't really see any other benefits. For instance, it was disappointing that they didn't have a bunch of gas heat lamps in VIP, huge opportunity lost. For the most part there weren't any places to sit either or a VIP concierge with cool trinkets, or nice bathrooms in most VIP areas. This is probably the first insomniac festival I went to where VIP really didn't feel worth it.

  • Security was reasonable outside of taking people's unopened packs of gum, and a few things like that.
  • Food options were good and took real money (credit cards). All good on that front. Drinks worked the same, no issues outside of water, see below...
  • No water refills? This was both surprising and disappointing for an insomniac event, but apparently the only water source was a single plastic bottle vendor, which claims that they are recyclable, but given that we've been lied too about plastic being recycled for the last 20+ years and most of it ends up in landfills or the ocean, I'm not going to take their word for it. More generally, what happened to water refills, especially in a 1st world country where tap water is drinkable?


  • This next comment is not just for this EDC, but also for EDC Vegas and others. I realize the line is fine in which advertisers and sponsors to allow. This is the same problem google had and eventually settled with Sergey's "don't be evil" motto and google not allowing any advertiser that was considered to sell evil things. I'd like insomniac to consider the same thing, and a quick search returns "No, Google Ads does not allow advertising of vape products, including e-cigarettes and e-liquids. Google classifies these products as "Dangerous Products or Services" and prohibits their promotion on Google Ads and other platforms it owns or controls. This policy also extends to Google Shopping listings." as well as "Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords), Facebook Ads, and most other major platforms do not allow electronic cigarettes and vape products to advertise on their site". Now that some vape vendors have even been caught adding even more addictive synthetic chemicals in their vapes to make them even more addictive, does Insomniac really want to be linked to this?
  • As mentioned above, the entire festival went well, was well layed out, production quality was good and things went well for an event that was first time in that location (the last EDC Korea in 2019 was in another location). The one thing that felt short in my opinion was the VIP experience, but everything else was quite good given again that it was pretty much a "first time" thing.
  • Now, was this EDC remotely close to EDC Vegas? Of course not, nothing is. Even EDC Mexico definitely felt bigger and better if you wanted to travel to another EDC outside of the Vegas one, but EDC Korea still went well and was lots of fun outside of the cold. If you're in Asia or it's an easy flight, EDC Korea definitely is worth going to. If it's not an easy flight but you wanted an excuse to go visit Korea, which is very much worth visiting (that was my case), it's also a very good reason to go. The koreans at EDC were all lovely and fun to be with (as opposed to my recent report on Ultra Miami where PLUR was somewhat lacking, for instance).

    Thanks to everyone who welcomed us (both the local korean trance family and EDM lovers, and the insomniac crews and entertainers)!

    Links

  • More pictures on Google Photos
  • Instagram Stories
  • Video Summary
  • π 2025-04-10 01:01 in Clubbing
    I didn't go to Japan with my full LED outfit to go clubbing, but I happened to be in Shinjuku and happened to have my LED outfit (meant for EDC Korea), so it was friday night and I figured, why not go clubbing? :)

    First, I tried Warp Shinjuku, and they simply denied me entry. Even after I agreed to turn off my LEDs (they didn't like them, and that was crappy because I had been there in the afternoon, asked their staff if it would be ok, they said yes, and when I came that night that staff said the afternoon staff was wrong and the answer was now "no"), they showed typical Japanese inflexibility and denied me entry, even after I offered to give them my battery pack so I could not turn the LEDs on. Sigh....

    Atom Shinjuku was nicer, they also had a rule about nothing lit up inside, which is obviously not my favorite, but it's their club and I'm the tourist, so I get to abide by their rules. They were fine with my word that I wouldn't turn anything on (I didn't), and I got to see the several rooms. It was a nice club overall, but the music that night was a mix that I didn't love. Nothing really wrong with the club, I'm sure similar music is being played in San Francisco in many clubs I never go to, unless it's trance night :)
    Oh, and entry was free before 23:00, so that was nice :)

    First room that had everyone until the main room opened at 23:00:



    23:00 and the main room opened:



    I looked all dark and sad :)
    I looked all dark and sad :)

    plenty of people came with suits and ties, looked like they came straight from the office
    plenty of people came with suits and ties, looked like they came straight from the office


    I didn't stay super long, it felt very dark and a bit sad for my (maybe unusual) taste :) but it was nice to see a Japanese club and I thank Atom for being reasonable people compared to Warp.

    π 2025-04-10 01:01 in Clubbing
    This is where I would normally put pictures and say how it was great to be able to visit a cool looking Tokyo Nightclub while visiting.

    Instead, they simply denied me entry. Even after I agreed to turn off my LEDs (they didn't like them, and that was crappy because I had been there in the afternoon, asked their staff if it would be ok, they said yes, and when I came that night that staff said the afternoon staff was wrong and the answer was now "no"), they showed typical Japanese inflexibility and denied me entry, even after I offered to give them my battery pack so I could not turn the LEDs on. Sigh....

    Before you tell me, yes, each country and culture are different. I would have been ok with them letting me in with the condition that I keep all my stuff off (which really was just a few strips on my arms and legs that are not even visible in the dark, as the clubs seem to be quite dark in Japan). Also, I probably wouldn't even have brought my outfit except for having been in that same club during the afternoon to see their ninja show (which was good) and having 2 of their day staff confirm the outfit would be fine and I could bring it that evening :-//

    This is what I looked like in Atom Shinjuku a few minutes away (they nicely let me in after confirming I had to keep my lights off, and I of course complied). I don't think this was terrible, I was black and dark like everyone else :)


    Anyway, there is that, Wrap Shinjuku, not a friendly place, even if they seemed to have nice rooms, lights and decors inside. Instead of getting a +1 and potential new customers, they get this blog entry instead, bummer.
    Now, in full fairness, I need to state that some clubs in Vegas are no better than this (actually likely worse), so this is not a jab at Japan, just stating factual experience in some clubs being somewhat inflexible and not very customer friendly, while some others are super accomodating and nice.

    π 2025-04-04 01:01 in Clubbing, Dreamstate, Festivals
    I cannot believe it's been 7 years already since our last 2 Day Dreamstate in San Francisco. There was a DS SF NYE last year, but that was while I was with my family in France, so I couldn't attend that. So happy this one worked out.

    It was a very welcome Trancefamily SF Reunion:

    David and Sony both got to open the vision stage, congratulations!
    David and Sony both got to open the vision stage, congratulations!


    Welcome back to SF, we missed you!
    Welcome back to SF, we missed you!

    Back to DS, each time there is a new venue, we always get to wonder how good it will be and what the setup will look like, and I'm happy to report that the production level was the best we've had in SF, bar none! The insomniac folks continue to be overachievers, and the dream stage was absolutely wonderful. Even the smaller vision stage had very nice lighting and lasers:




    And vision was cool too:



    Thanks to the magicians in the dark who made all the lights, happen


    The lineup had more DJs that were lesser known to me, which is not a bad thing per se, although many played too much techno for my taste, with a few hours slots where both Vision and Dream had techno, and that was not my favorite, obviously, but clearly most of the crowd seemed happy with it, so I guess that works out (and as I've written before in my last reports, techno has been creeping in everywhere, even in what used to be a State of Trance).

    Day 1

    After Blur opened (sadly in the dark, so I don't have any good pictures of him), Anthony from Xijaro and Pitch, was next:










    Day 1 Summary:

    Day 2


    of course, went to support our local boy, Sony ;)
    of course, went to support our local boy, Sony ;)









    The show (lighting and lasers) for Armin was outstanding:






    Ilan proposed on stage, she said yes ;)
    Ilan proposed on stage, she said yes ;)




    Day 2 Summary:

    People

    This was of course a great time to meet fellow trance lovers:

    meetup day 1
    meetup day 1

    meetup day 2
    meetup day 2

    yes to people who brought LEDs!
    yes to people who brought LEDs!


    someone stole my hat :)
    someone stole my hat :)



    Had fun taking pictures with my new and improved LED outfit freshly built for the event :)


    I was ready for Anthony, this time :)
    I was ready for Anthony, this time :)

    ulrich!
    ulrich!


    Kim, our former TFSF marketing lead
    Kim, our former TFSF marketing lead


    2 for the price of one :)
    2 for the price of one :)

    but we did better later
    but we did better later


    Triode!
    Triode!

    then had fun with Yoji-San :)
    then had fun with Yoji-San :)

    that was his idea, brilliant ;)
    that was his idea, brilliant ;)

    Thoughts/Conclusions

    Honestly, for a new venue, even for an experienced team, many things went right. As I said earlier the production value was amazing.

    Of course, nothing is ever perfect, especially in a new venue. Things I noticed:

  • The event was close to selling out (or barely sold out) on saturday, and it was a lot of people. Enough people that the main floor access got closed multiple times, which is understandable, but it was more vexing for people with VIP tickets to also be denied access to the VIP platform, because it filled up multiple times. I guess it was tricky to get the capacity numbers, right, and they oversold VIP somewhat (since any VIP ticket holder should have guaranteed access)

  • Security at the entrance, was a bit too thorough and too slow, causing long lines to get in for many. Also, they did not allow totems or many things that would have normally been allowed at a festival, including Dreamstate Socal. Transparent backpacks were allowed though, and so were LEDs, at least.
  • if you knew where to go, there were bathrooms available, but some of the obvious ones got mobbed with very long lines, at times. This was not ideal.
  • Vision also had good production value for the smaller room, but too many times, the DJ wasn't lit up at all, and you couldn't tell who was playing. A bit unfortunate for them.
  • Too much techno for me, but some liked it. Pryda/Eric Prydz however did not seem like a fit for the event and I didn't hear anyone say they really enjoyed his set.
  • On the flipside, Armin who has been playing way too much techno in his sets for my taste, including at a State of Trance, did an actually quite good mostly trance set that I quite enjoyed. Goes to show, you never know ;)
  • The event was a success and clearly the best one we've had in San Francisco, yet.
  • Links

  • Day 1 Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKc9m4d2WeI
  • Day 2 Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nnAstxiBwk
  • Google Photos Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dTcgwQoouj3c4mJb6
  • IG Stories: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17850777459429702
  • Video with all IG stories together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utG-y8UFFUs
  • And that was it, 2 days of joy with extended times until 03:00, lots of fun, thank YOU!


    π 2025-03-28 01:01 in Clubbing
    As per the previous report on Maddix OTC, the cool thing about Winter Music Conference in Miami, is all the DJs who are there in town for the week and many end up performing at various clubs during the week, in this case after Ultra in the evening. Because Ultra is in the middle of the city, it has a midnight curfew, and that's a good way to go to parties afterwards. For Trance, La Otra had us covered with a great trance lineup: Gabriel and Dresden, Aly and Fila, Ferry Corsten, Alexander Popov, Adam Scott, Kristina Sky, John 00 Flemming, Giuseppe Ottaviani, and more...

    Got to see many friend DJs again, awesome!


    I was slightly worried that security at the club would be picky and difficult, but they were super nice, which was a great surprise. Thank you.

    Friday Night





    lots of DJs came to hang out
    lots of DJs came to hang out







    Lovely night, eventually had to go to bed to get a bit of sleep before the next day that started at noon at Ultra

    Saturday Night

    The next night, the end of UMF didn't feel essential, and I wanted to avoid the guaranteed mess it was going to be to stay until the end and hope to get an uber, so we left a bit early and went back to Otra for more trance and hanging out with more trance DJs who were also there to enjoy the night.


    trancejesus!
    trancejesus!

    first time meeting Alexander Popov!
    first time meeting Alexander Popov!





    Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YpwiZk1fvhYoYLFP9

    Video summary:


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