Some of our staff were fortunate enough to be able to attend EDC but a vast majority of us were home eagerly eating up the updates they sent to us as they were able. Fortunately one of us lucky enough to be able to preview Under The Electric Sky and was blown away by how the production captured both the magic of EDC and the stories of the attendees that were woven in. Ravers are a very diverse group and the stories directors Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz chose to include did an excellent job of capturing that diversity. From the “wolf pack” of guys from New England who were going to remember the life of their fallen friend to the couple with children who had been raving for years and were finally going to get married at EDC they showed that raving really is for everyone.
At Dance Music Northwest raving is something that is obviously near and dear to our hearts and after getting a peek inside Pasquale Rotella’s mind it is clear that the same is true of him. The film explored a little bit of the early rave scene and how Pasquale came to love it and strived to produce bigger and better events for the community. Unfortunately part of producing larger events is the health and safety aspect that has become a problem as of late, but Under The Electric Sky didn’t shy away from addressing the fact that drugs and health incidents happen and big shows. It was fascinating to get a behind the scenes look at the steps that are made to ensure a safe experience for fans who attend EDC. It’s clear that Insomniac cares about the safety of the headliners attending the event.
Under the Electric Sky made one thing clear: There’s nothing quite like EDC.
What really captured our hearts and attention were the ways in which the people whose stories were shared in the movie came across. Sadie Groom, a young woman from Texas, came alive thanks to raving and it was beautiful to see how she flourished once she arrived at EDC. The couple who got married at EDC were positively glowing with love when they got to finally join in marriage Under The Electric Sky. All of us are able to relate to the rave family who celebrated their friendship with each other and the close bond they shared. At least one of the stories that were told contained something that will resonate with everyone, which is why raving is so beautiful. Everybody fits in, everybody is welcome, everybody belongs, and EDC captures that home aspect wonderfully.
The glimpse into the incredible stage setups and the amazing artists that come to EDC pulled on our emotions as we imagined being in the Kinetic Field dancing and singing along to our favorite songs with 100,000 of our closest friends. Artists like Above & Beyond gave us a brief glimpse into the care they put into their sets and made us wish even more that we could someday be lucky enough to push the button. Under The Electric Sky features many of our favorite artists such as Hardwell, Afrojack, Avicii, Fatboy Slim, Rebecca & Fiona, Calvin Harris and so many more. At the end of the day, Under The Electric Sky doesn’t replace being at EDC, but one of our team members who was lucky enough to attend says that it really does capture the feeling you get upon entering the festival grounds and sharing the experience with so many people. We encourage all of you to go out and see it on this gloriously warm opening weekend and hope you too can feel the magic of EDC.
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