The Evolution of EDM & Festivals

Electronic Dance Music, 'EDM' for short, managed to gain huge fan-base and became the source of great festivals/raves these days. It is one of my favorite music genres and I love playing it, specially when there are a lot of people around that just want to blow-off steam. DJs such as myself like this genre because the crowd really respond to it and it gives us the freedom to work with it without constraints. So the big question is how did this music genre evolve to its current state?

A brief history

It is believed that the history of EDM started 40 years ago but it didn't get discovered, instead it evolved by taking some parts of other genres like Dub, Hip Hop and Disco to have the unique sound it has today.

It is hard to give EDM a simple definition, every musician or listener can give their own version of the definition and they are all right. I think EDM is like an abstract painting, and everyone can interpret it in their own way. For me, it's simple, EDM is any music that is electronically produced for the purposes of dancing or for activities that are enhanced with a sound track, like traveling or walking. EDM playlists you listen to have a way of reminding you that activity in a great way.

Here is a track by one of my favorite DJ, Robin Schulz that always reminds me of a trip I took...

Best festivals and Raves to enjoy EDM

Outside of your headphones, festivals and raves can be a great place to experience the beauty of EDM.

• Tomorrowland

  Tomorrowland is probably one of the most exciting festival an EDM enthusiast can attend. It takes place in Boom, Belgium, every year but other countries like Brazil have adopted it. Lately the event has expanded from 2 days to 2 weeks which is amazing to experience.

  Here is a clip from the 2022's event...

• Ultra Music Festival

This is another great EDM festival that takes place in Miami, United States and it could be very fun. The best Djs are always headlining it and the overall vibe is epic.

Here is a clip from the festival....

• Electric Daisy Carnival

  This is the biggest north American EDM festival that takes place in different cities in the United States and countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico. It usually has multiple stages so that the attendees can easily chose which DJs to listen to.

  Here is what it looks like....

• Untold Festival

  Untold is another huge festival where over 300,000 people attend. The event takes place in Romania every year and artist like Tiesto and Martin Garrix headlined the festival.

  Here is a clip from the 2021's event...

Wrapping UP

The EDM genre in continuously evolving and artists are continuously experimenting with new ways to make it even more awesome. Even though I only mentioned few festivals, there are a lot more which you could be part of and enjoy yourself.

If there are any EDM festivals that you have been part of or want to attend in the future, please let me know on the comment section.