FESTIVAL REVIEW
This past weekend (August 4-5, 2012), party-goers from near and far collectively shared in what one can only describe as a very-exciting-lucid-dream, at Ink Media’s very first ever VELD Electronic Music Festival, held at Toronto’s Downsview Park.
The stage for a great weekend was set by the thousands of posts adorning the pages and walls of Twitter and Facebook which resulted in a mad dash to the park on Saturday by ravers on the northbound subway trains, making the ride more like something of a pilgrimage to the electric holy land. The train was filled end-to-end with the sounds of crudely sung Avicii and Deadmau5 tracks from worldwide fans, which made the excitement of this epic event that much more palatable.
Arriving at the event, it was truly apparent, that Ink Media had put a lot of attention into ensuring a pain-free process for both fans and media arriving at the venue, with there exceptionally attentive and welcoming team. Large events in Toronto have a history of being scrutinized by both the city and the community, so it’s no surprise that event security and the Toronto Police were in full force over the course of the entire event. The bad wrap Toronto Police have been given as of late would have been much ill-deserved as they displayed a huge amount of compassion for fans in the scorching heat of the weekend, seeming only concerned with the ultimate well being and safety of the attendees, fetching them water and directing them to EMS tents if they noticed party goers appearing dehydrated.
Under the Bacardi tent
Performers included the likes of Steve Angello, Knife Party, Steve Aoki, Chis Lake, Michael Woods, Flip Side,Tommy Trash, Cazzette, Savoy, Kill the Noise, Krewella, Dallask, AbdeCaf, DVBBS, BassNectar, Nicky Romero, AN21, Max Vangeli, Mord Fustang, Swanky Tunes, Darth & Vader, Aly & Fila, Deniz Koyu, Dallas K, Manzone & Strong, Gareth Emery, Cosmic Gate, Ben Gold, Pierce Fulton, Mark Oliver, appearing on either the main stage or in the Bacardi tent over the two days. Headlining the event were Deadmau5 and Avicii drawing in gigantic crowds of approximately 20,000. Every 2 hours the audience would rotate from stage to stage, giving time in between DJ’s to collect friends, find food, refreshments or grab neon glow sticks at one of the many vendors set-up on the parks perimeter. Food and drinks provided by the event sponsors were more then amazing – everything from free samples of Dr.Pepper to gigantic turkey legs were made available.
By mid-afternoon on Saturday, as Tommy Trash began his set inside of the Bacardi tent, the fans were treated to a sudden 20-minute downpour that seemed to completely alleviate the heat, making a transition into the evening a thing of beauty. “You couldn’t pay a million bucks for this” screamed one EDM fan as he ran through the crowd into the rain.
The experience into the night on Saturday was tapered off by a monumental sea of people dancing to the sounds of Deadmau5 on the main stage. This was something, I’m assuming, that seemed only comparable to the age of Woodstock in the late 60’s. In a rare move, he slowed the pace of his hard-edge electro dance music in the last half-hour to the absolute most ambient rhythm, making the drenched crowd sway in harmony.
On Sunday night the headliner was Avicii, who definitively put his seal on this event in spectacular fashion. He captivated the crowd with an epic light show that was in sync within his worldwide recognized songs, adding in a few new mixes, and finally ending off with a crowd perpetuated encore of his euro cup theme song “Levels”, inducing the entire crowd to sing in unison “oh, oh, sometimes, I get a good feeling, yeah!”
Ink Media has given Toronto and Canada an event that many living here would argue is much deserved and far over due for the EDM scene. A place where friendly hosts, helpful strangers, revolutionary music and free spirited minds were in abundance. This was much more then just a big party… It was a musically refined religious experience!
Review and Photos by Paul Glyn-Williams
