The weekend approaches…I pull out my trusty festival pack. Marked with the dust of a thousand raves, it’s a time-earned film of PLUR that not even the most dedicated of washers and driers have managed to remove. Sometimes I marvel at how many far flung and fun filled weekends this piece of fabric has seen while attached to me. Oh, the stories this fanny pack could tell.
I Facebook with friends scattered across the country, set to assemble Friday am. We discuss camping equipment, or the lack thereof. Whatever, Walmart will have it. We fervently set an early departure time, which we never actually execute. Although we are getting better as we get older. Did I say older? Fuck that shit. Festivals are the fountain of youth.
I wonder what to wear. Weighing the equally important ratios of naked to clothed, eye catching to comfortable… stuff that I don’t mind sitting on the ground in, but that I also could still make a dash for the Diplo set if the twerking gods possess me to do so. It has happened in the past. See evidence below.
So. Mysteryland. We meet again. What am I going to do? Who am I going to see? Will I sleep at all? It’s a mystery, yo.
I am excited for my boy Dillon Francis. Headliner this year!! When I say “my boy” I mean I don’t actually know him in real life but I have a wonderful fantasy of a Dillon/Janet love affair where we are super happy and make music and babies and rage off into the sunset with lots of sparkles and tacos. Some friends indulged me in my delusion and helped me make a music video about it. No, really. See here. I made sock puppets.
Also this happened. 😀
I am excited for Empire of the Sun. Flashback to EDC 2011 (the first one in Vegas). Picture me in a bikini and a tutu losing my mind because there were real instruments onstage at an electronic music festival. I heart that level of execution and theatricality. And damn that “Alive” song is catchy.
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I am excited for Anna Lunoe. I’ve been tracking her this year and I dig her whole energy. I peeped the Ship 2 Ship mix and I want to hear what she does live.
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A-trak. Ooh boy I love you so. Never ever ever wanna let your live spun beats go.
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My friend Megan loves Griz so we will be catching some of this saxophone/EDM magic. I have never seen him live but she loves Dillon too so I trust her. Dillon wifeys got each other like that.
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I am excited for Bareburger. PS, that is not a DJ. That is a food truck.
Kygo. Oh Kygo. I still don’t know quite what to make of you. I have only heard that one song. I want to be impressed. And your music is pleasant… but just not heart rocking. I want the heart rock, Kygo. I want something more from you than vanilla. I’m curious to check him out live.
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Madeon. The sweet boy child set to inherit the keys to the dance music kingdom. I love you, you melodic electro house prodigy, you.
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Mija. MIJAAAA. Girl crush level 1000. I may or may not have embarrassed myself when I met her at a party. Evidence below. Please rock my face off and forgive me my over eager enthusiasm.
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PORTER ROBINSON. I haven’t seen him live since before Worlds came out (RIP Roseland Ballroom) and I waited on watching the video footage from his shows because duh it’s not as good on Youtube. My body is ready, Porter. Take me to your castle on a kick drum cloud. PS—if we don’t get a Spoon U scene or at least reference this weekend, then everyone has failed.
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All of this is underlined with the fact that I love to wander and just find new artists I don’t know. Last year, my friends and I were on a constant orbit back to the Sin Salida stage– the Dia de Los Muertos themed micro-stage. We never began jumping or really raging, but we entered some strange parallel universe when the veil between this world and the next pulled back and spirits from both walked and danced among each other. It was next level. So I will be back. And I hope the vibe is still golden.
See you soon, Mysteryland. I love you.