An enticing turn away from the open concept of the mainstage and into a darkened, mystery-filled hallway lured the curiosity of festival-goers into a new realm. Lurking with sparkled fairies and frightening freaks, lined with circus cages crammed with terrorizing creatures reaching out to grab hold, the seemingly endless walk through the haunted wonderland tunnel was a spectacle all on its own. And finally, ahead in the far distance, the vibrant lights of a laser-lit stage illuminated the pathway and pulled our eyes toward it’s magnetic glow like helpless fireflies. What was once a bland, unnoticed walk space for stadium events had become the festival’s most intimate, best-kept secret: The Midway Of Mayhem.
Night 1 on the Mayhem stage was considered the best selection of trance that Freaknight had to offer. Between the mesmerizing arpeggiated bliss of Orjan Nilsen originals and ATB’s lifting, soul-shaking set, the stage hosted the majority of beautiful music – leaving listeners entranced and unable to walk away. As our Paradiso Festival-favorites Infected Mushroom closed out the first night into the wee hours of the AM, the crowd went from midway to full-on mayhem status, changing up the music style and dousing our ears with the always delightful element of surprise.
The mayhem that ensued on Night 2 was even wilder than the first. Included in the plethora of music styles was the long-awaited Claude Vonstroke, who mixed audial gold ranging from drum & bass to groovy tech house. Up next was the artist who had jaws dropping and unfamiliar listeners becoming die-hard fans: Jack Beats. Taking the blue ribbon for best set of the night, Jack Beats were the most talked about act of Night 2, roaring the crowd up with intensifying progressive builds and hard-pounding, grimy electro-house. And no one better to close out the final set of the Mayhem stage than the fastest-climbing Revealed Records artist, Dannic. Another worldwide-great from the same town as Hardwell and Tiesto, Dannic proved his worth as not only an amazing producer, but as one of the best DJs to ever see live. Sneaking in unheard mash-ups and unreleased tracks from supporting artists, Dannic’s sets are always a rare gem of massive festivals. And everyone who caught his close-out set in the midst of the mayhem left in profound agreement.
Lasers & LEDs Fueling The Musical Mayhem
Read all our Freaknight 2013 coverage here!
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