The first thing I noticed in LA was the bazillion stickers plastered to every surface as I waited for the shuttle at LAX. The second thing I noticed were that my seat buddy had TWO snakes (one wasn't a surprise) in his backpack as we traveled south on the Blue Line through Compton. He even let me hold them!
I had heard whispers of Dreamstate through online forums as well as the local trance scene here in Minneapolis. It is a smaller festival, but has a strong sense of community as a result. The Queen Mary is a relatively new venue, but is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to NOS Center in Los Angeles. The shuttle process getting from downtown Long Beach to the venue was really well run. Getting through will call, scanning my wristband, and having my bag checked by security was relatively quick as well. This was my first Insomniac event and it left a very good impression on me.
The festival showcases a hue of pastel-colored, twinkling lights as you drift into the event space. Every festival takes some orientation to figure out which stage is where, but they followed a good design of an oval, with stages scattered throughout. Some stages were intimate, others (the main stage) were monstorously thick with people. I always appreciate the unique totems and flags that people bring in. Dreamstate had a good design in some zones as well such as an LED psychadelic umbrella that was near the psytrance stage. It was a great meeting spot, and just a fun space to chill out, listen to music, and make friends. The only thing I wish is that they had more seating options by the stages. After jumping up and down for an hour straight for artists like Klangkuenstler, I needed a break. Laying by the umbrella tree, using my Camelback as a pillow, and trading kandi with my new friends, Cody & Leslie, was perfect, though.
I generally like to have an open itinerary so I can drift and catch a vibe. People were very friendly, trading Instagrams, taking photos with me, and handing me stickers. I complimented a dude with a crochet "Jake the dog" (Adventure Time) hat and he handed me one of the coolest pieces of kandi I've seen. His arms were coated with so many bracelets.
The main stage will always have the most popular acts, but to me, the Psytrance stage is the real gold at this festival. The only crime is that you only get an hour to hear each artist's set. It was my first time being exposed to this kind of music in a live setting. I hadn't done a ton of research into the line-up. Fortunately, I had made a friend the previous week at Seismic in Texas, Mini (check out her stuff at www.plurethics.com), who provided me some guidance by circling some names on the lineup for me to check out. Indira Paganotto was the only one I had continuously read and knew I had to check out. Fortunately, I had shown up early to the stage and was able to catch Astrix as well. Compared to some of the larger festivals, it was a strange sensation to watch as the crowd spread out as she came on the stage. People were making room so they could dance instead of packing together like a can of sardines. Bewildered, I was staring around for a bit, telling my new friend, Siddharth, I was trying to figure out where I fit in. "You belong right here", he reassured me. It was an incredible set.
The afterparty on the Queen Mary was incredible, although a bit difficult to navigate. The hydration stations were near the top of the ship, but you had to walk off the ship if you wanted to access the bathrooms. However, those journeys are where you can make some surprise friends (Cody & Leslie :) ). There were plenty of zones on the ship with incredible acts, and even some surprise artists like Blastoyz made an appearance. It was fun to sit on the sides of room and lean against a pillar, feeling the sound vibrate through your entire body. Some artists, like Pettra, even brought live instruments to perform as they DJ'ed. I would have appreciated some ways of finding snacks from the organizers, as the Quest bars I had snuck in turned into concrete and nearly choked me and my friends.
As an 'after afters', Cody and Leslie invited me to their car to experience some bass music with their amazing sub-woofers. Note to self, I need to make some upgrades to my car. It was festival dedicated to trance music, but it was funny how the adventures of this weekend led me to a much greater appreciation of bass music as well.
Festival Advice:
- Don't wear a purple shirt unless you want everyone in the crowd asking if you work for Insomniac's "Ground Control"
- Bring some stickers and trinkets to give to Ground Control because they work hard and provide some great vibes
- Be prepared to wait a while for the shuttle, or have the energy to walk back to the main land from the Queen Mary
- Even by the ocean, it wasn't that cold (as a dude conditioned to Midwest winters). A jacket was too hot, especially when the crowd was packed for hard techno like Klangkuenstler. Having a locker at the festival would have been a good alternative.
- Get a room ON the Queen Mary so you have the convenience for the after party. A saint at the afterparty offered me ramen and a banana and I will pay that energy forward in 2024.
- Research the line-up and set times. I was debating on leaving for a Factory 93 party in LA because there was a 'dead zone' of artists for a couple of hours on the second day.
Other things I got to hit up in LA:
-Griffith Observatory
- Saw quite a few coyotes in the park; they were chill
- The free shuttle they had saved my legs as it brought me straight to the parking lot.
- The Getty
- The free tours were cool to get some history behind the artworks and sculptures
- Look through their photo library as well as their other artifacts
- USC/Six AM edm networking workshop
- Having an idea of what I'd like from the workshop would have helped as I talked with one of the co-founders of Dirtybird Records :)
- Wi Spa
- Learned that you can make friends even when you're naked
- Next time I will get the full body scrub and I will be reborn
Other lessons I learned:
- You need a car if you want to make the most of Los Angeles.
- A tiny car will get you the best parking spots
- Plan at least an hour getting from one spot in LA to another
- You have to take a shuttle out of LAX to a ride-share zone if you want a 'regular' Uber
- Mexican food in California (and Texas) is top tier
- It takes around three years of living there to really understand Los Angeles