Blueprint Events has been at the forefront of dance music culture in Vancouver for 15 years now. From its humble beginnings in Vancouver’s underground rave scene to its current ascension as an arena show producing powerhouse, Blueprint has been witness to & help ushered in nearly every predominant trend in EDM for a decade and a half now in Vancouver & beyond.
In celebration of 15 years of hard work & success, Blueprint put together a line-up of DJs that reflected what Blueprint is all about: looking forward to the future while celebrating our past. The result? The Blueprint 15 Year Anniversary (#BP15YR) featuring Zedd & Porter Robinson back to back, Dirty South, Tommy Trash and Nick Thayer. This diverse line-up, headlined by dance music’s current young leaders in Zedd & Porter, a journeyman legend in Dirty South, and arguably the most influential producer of 2012 in Tommy Trash, fit squarely into the ethos championed by Blueprint. That night, Vancouver truly celebrated the past, present & future of EDM, all while celebrating the diverse styles of dance music they’ve championed over the years. Click on the pictures to check out an incredible photo album from Rukes.
WORDS: MATT WORCAH | PHOTOS: RUKES
2000 and One laid out an onslaught of tech house, with the most impressive lasers I’ve ever seen streaming overhead in sync as the balls continued to bob up and down, changing colors rapidly. Glow sticks would later be thrown into the crowd, creating large flashing patches of blue in the sea of white. 2000 and One would slow down the tempo to introduce the crowd to Jamie Woon’s Shoulda, creating a magical moment with lasers hovering slowly above, before increasing the tempo and transitioning back into Mario Ochoa’s The Chant. Also dropping his own musical productions, along with tracks from the likes of Joris Voorn and Umek, 2000 and One’s set certainly did well to fit Sensation’s signature sound.
Mark Knight was the final act of Sensation America, debuting appropriately with Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York before seamlessly transitioning into his own dance floor bomb Alright. Those controlling the light show used this last hour as a means to show off everything Sensation had to offer in a great climax, putting lasers, balls, fountains and all the lights in the stadium to full effect.
From a higher vantage point in the stands, one could see all 15,000 people, the sea of white, being bombarded by the most magical light show they’d ever witnessed. As Mark Knight’s set came to a close, he threw down his infamous remix to You’ve Got the Love and from up above one could see 30,000 hands in the air, before playing Eurythmics’ classic Sweet Dreams and a brief techy encore.
America may have big electronic music festivals like Electric Zoo, EDC and Ultra before, but none compare to the sheer art that is Sensation. ID&T has finally shown North Americans that there is more to an EDM festival then just big names and massive LED screens, and has enriched many lives through its theme of unity and equality. Sensation will be back in North America next year, bigger and better to be sure, and we can only pray that there is a Canadian date.