FESTIVAL FEVER
DIGITAL DREAMS, TORONTO JUNE 29TH - JUNE 30TH
Toronto has always been a hotbed for dance music in Canada. We have world renowned clubs that consistently land in the DJ Mag Top 100 clubs poll, a steady stream of talented producers and DJ’s making names for themselves internationally, and a dedicated group of fans that range from the purveyors of the darkest underground club music, to the neon-drenched fans of the biggest and brightest main stage megastars. Last summer, Toronto’s dance music experience came full circle with two first time festivals gracing Ontario’s capital city. Among all the stellar shows and first time festivals around Toronto last summer, Digital Dreams Music Festival on Canada Day weekend stood tall above the rest. This year on June 29th and 30th, electronic music lovers will once again flock to Ontario Place to enjoy two days of dance music among friends and sunshine.
The first ever Digital Dreams Music Festival provided dance music fans with a near flawless experience. From the big room progressive house of Kaskade and Alesso, the wild performances from Major Lazer and Duck Sauce, to the underground techno from Richie Hawtin and Dubfire, fans of every genre immediately knew that Digital Dreams would become a yearly staple in their party calendar.
A festival’s merit is often determined by the lineup of artists and although Digital Dreams’ roster is full of dance music’s biggest names, the party boasts another amazing feature, the location. Located at the Flats at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre and Echo Beach, this young festival has nailed the location. Being surrounded by water, having plenty of room to relax, and having Toronto’s iconic skyline in the background, there aren’t many festivals in North America with a better setup. Rivalling the likes of Coachella’s Indio Valley and Governers Island in New York, the Flats at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre and Echo Beach will force the attendees’ cameras to be working overtime.
To go along with the visual spectacle the location offers, some of the talented DJs in dance music will descend on Toronto over Canada Day Weekend. To go along with the Dreams Stage and Echo Beach, the new House of Boom will make its Digital Dreams debut. Housing the biggest names in bass music over the festival’s two days, the House of Boom will be a haven for bassheads. Among others, Dillon Francis, Doctor P, Noisia, Flosstradamus, Excision, Datsik, and Toronto’s Damn Kids will be in control of
010 28 the newest stage at the second ever Digital Dreams Music Festival.
Returning for the second year is the Echo Beach Digital stage, which hosts the darker techno, tech-house and deep house sounds again in 2013. Bringing back Boris, Steve Lawler, Mark Knight, Dubfire, and Richie Hawtin, Echo Beach will be the perfect place to enjoy some of underground dance music’s biggest talents. Luciano, Umek, Paco Osuna, Destructo, and Toronto’s The Junkies will make their Digital Dreams debut and will bring their own personal brand of underground dance music to Echo Beach. Fresh off a brand new EP collaboration and remix duties for Marc Houle, Dubfire is one of the busiest artists to appear on the Digital stage. We caught up with the techno juggernaut himself to discuss his return to Digital Dreams, you can catch the chat at the end of this article.
Also returning for the second year is the Dreams Stage. Hosting one of the youngest headliners in recent memory Porter Robinson, Paul van Dyk, Bob Sinclar, Fake Blood, TJR, Lazy Rich, and Feenixpawl on day one, every genre of big room dance music is covered. With veterans and young stars alike, expect to hear all the summer’s biggest tracks being played from dance music’s biggest names. On day two, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike will be bringing the taste of Tomorrowland straight to Toronto in their only Canadian appearance of the summer, plus Tiesto, Wolfgang Gartner, Crystal Method, Alvaro, Myon & Shane 54, and Toronto’s Dzeko & Torres will grace the Dreams Stage and provide all the big room music festival-goers will be able to handle.
In a little less than a month, Digital Dreams will return to Toronto and provide dance music fans with a weekend packed full of amazing music in a truly gorgeous setting. The plethora of young festivals that have come to Southern Ontario will keep dance music fans busy, and Digital Dreams will once again be a memorable experience for everyone who is lucky enough to attend.
WORDS BY AARON BERECZ
www.djmag.ca
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