Identity Festival
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 16, 2011
The Deal: Inaugural electronic festival hits Charlotte for a long day of thumping beats.
The Good: Some of the artists used live instrumentation and singing… I thought Afrobeta brought a fun energy to its set, at one time remixing the Warner Brothers/Bugs Bunny theme song.
The Bad: I knew I was in for a long day when I could hear the bass thumping from a mile away — I was at the corner of Tryon and I-485 to be exact and it could be heard with my windows closed.
There’s a relentless monotony involved in electronic music that for some is the rhythm of their hearts and dance steps, while for others it’s the equivalent of being repeatedly punched in the head, but with less bruising.
From the moment I stepped on the grounds of the amphitheatre at 1:15 p.m. until I got in my car somewhere around 10 p.m., I endured what sure felt like one long song played with repetition and intense volume. At times while walking around, I could feel my teeth rattling.
My day started with the Data Romance who combined live singing with its electro music — combining some form of toned down, more atmospheric music with subtle vocals.
Holy Ghost! made a solid effort at performing as a live band, but they looked bored.
Le Castle Vania began the day’s solo DJ streak with a series of thumping beats that got the crowd moving. It was from hear out though that most songs sounded the same for the rest of the day. Sure, Rusko went more for Dubstep and other artists such as Nervo and DJ Shadow brought in plenty of samples, but it all sounds so similar — heavy bass, some electronic overlays and occasional samples.
The girls of Nervo played enough samples that for the most part they simply jumped up and down, made hand gestures at the crowd and sang along to the words. Sounds like an easy job…
Modeselektor tried to act like they were singing some of the parts, but when the microphone was disconnected, the act continued… I guess it was all in fun, but also kinda pointless and only proved that the guys weren’t actually doing much on stage to create the sounds people were hearing.
While a crowd grew for Datsik, I wondered what drew people to him instead of Booka Shade who combined live drumming with their electronic brand. I wondered how people made a choice between the similar sounds of Kaskade and Steve Aoki. I wondered if people cared that DJ Shadow performed most of his set from inside a globe that was facing away from an audience. Disco Biscuits tried to bring a hippie side to the day, but even their music was soaked in electronic additions and repetition.
When electronic music is played at night, there’s a light show — as Aoki and Kaskade proved. The DJ is there, but if people are watching anything, it’s the “show” going on all around them. So, what’s to look at during the other sets. There were some video screens, but for the most part, it was all about the music — and repetitive music isn’t quite the same without the lasers and lights.
I wonder how many DJs could simply walk on stage, press play on their computer and then just dance around with the crowd while a video played — would the crowd care? Britney Spears packs arenas for basically doing the same thing — who knows when the last time she actually sang on stage was, or if she ever did.
Fans collectively danced their asses off — most of which were barely covered within the “clothing” that fits the genre. (What’s the story with all the furry boots and respiratory masks?)
The small crowd – estimated at only a few thousand people – make you wonder how viable the event is, but the people in attendance soaked up every beat, rhythm and bass groove thrown at them.
The Verdict: There’s no mystery here — I’m not a fan of the genre. However, the idea is a great one for those that are and I hope it continues for them. As The Crystal Method put it, “it’s time to bring this music out of the clubs and into the daylight.”
This article appears in Best of Charlotte 2011.
why have someone not into the genre write a review….. I can give you a much more educated review, I was there alll day…
@ Jeff Hahne – I have to wonder why you even covered this – I’m assuming you just randomly got assigned it by your editor who failed to put ANY thought into who should go. Your half-hearted attempt to save yourself from sounding like a douche at the end didn’t sell me. In fact it made you sound like more of an inconsiderate asshole for not sticking to your guns. You hated it, say so…there are plenty of ways to cover stories on things you don’t like that don’t consist of 13 paragraphs of bashing your topic and then 3 sentences trying to save your ass – you really should go back to writing school.
I simply wrote that I think. It’s a good event for people who like the genre… and that genre is not my favorite.
I’m a critic. I don’t have to like everything I hear. I went to this festival to give it a shot, and I went in with an open mind, but aside from a few brief highlights, it all sounded the same to me.
Not everyone likes the same music. I gave an honest opinion and defended my criticism as good writers do. You resorted to calling me names.
To both of you, if you think you can do better, I ask why you haven’t answered repeated ads looking for writers who want to review music? We’re always accepting resumes and writing samples for freelancers.
I guess I just would never take an assignment for something I knew nothing about. Should I happen to, I would at least do a little research. Me walking into a hip hop show of groups I had never heard of would prolly plain sound like an angry mob on stage. Or even a 311 show, simply due to the fact that I know nothing about the band, I would be doing them, AND their fans a disservice by trying to write a review of what they did on stage. Why do I not write reviews of shows? I used to years ago for a little indie mag in town. I simply stay too busy to offer my time and services for little more than free tickets to a show.
If CL would like a review from me, as a “different perspective” I would be happy to do so. Even knowing it wouldn’t please EVERYONE.
@ Jeff Hahne – I didn’t require you to like the music. I’m sure that as an outsider completely new to the genre you reported what you saw. However, saying you went in with an open mind is a bit odd considering you were already in your car complaining on the way there. Here’s a newsflash most people were already aware of, electronic music has heavy bass in it…I’d imagine if you heard guitars screaming from that distance you’d have been fine with it, though. I’ll give you an open heart but I don’t think you had an open mind.
Also, from a professional standpoint I would think you’d at least read up or learn something about what you’re attending. The fact you weren’t aware that most electronic production is done in an audio lab and performed as a DJ is pretty laughable. You obviously didn’t grasp the concept after the fact either since it was one of your sticking points.
As for your point about thinking I (we) can do better…I think I can, and maybe I will put into some of those applications you mentioned.
I’m sorry, but that was the worst review ever. You said something along the lines of how could the crowd choose between Kaskade and Aoki at the end of the night who sound alike?? They are nothing the same besides the fact that they are both electronic. That would be like saying every guitar band sounds same. You don’t like EDM, fine. But you are obviously very uneducated about it also, which is why you really have no business writing a review about it. I am not hating on you personally. You don’t like it, you are uneducated about it, there’s noting wrong with that. It is what it is. But the point is, Creative Loafing should have never put you on the job. I would have rather no review been written at all.
Agree with the last few posters. This review was little more than an opportunity to slander a branch of music that the author wasn’t into. For anyone into the multiple genres on display (not just 1 genre, Jeff), it was a pretty great fest. I have many friends who are NOT into electronica of any kind who still would have given it a fairer shake than this.
Feel free to comment on this post and say what you liked about the festival, etc. For all the comments about my review, no one has said anything about what they liked…
…and if I may just school you a little bit more, I wanted to add to your comment about,
“repetitive music isn’t quite the same without the lasers and lights”
I, as many EDM lovers, listen to this music in the car/home/gym…all day, every day. There’s a different EDM genre for any mood I’m feeling. Techno, House, Trance, Drum&Bass, Breaks, Electro, Dubstep the list goes on and they are all vastly unique….and guess what? No video screens, lasers, or lights, anywhere to be found!
To the untrained ear I’m guessing it does all sound the same. But the same would go for jazz, classical, opera, etc., and I would never make the statement to a die hard jazz fan that it “all sounds the same”. It would be ridiculous of me.
We call EDM events “parties” because at a show that’s what it’s all about. It’s about a full-on sensory experience. Hear the music, see the lights, feel the bass, but most importantly just have fun. Dancing, introducing yourself to strangers, talking, laughing, whatever. EDM live is about more than just watching the artists with your arms folded, bobbing your head. It’s about having an experience that the music is just one aspect of. DJ’s know that it’s not just about them as people, it’s about their music, it’s about the party. That’s why Shadow was in a ball turned around for half his set. It looked cool with the video projecting on it, making it appear to be spinning around or looking like the Death Star, it was his way of saying “it’s not all about me, I want to show you something cool”…and on that note, props to them for not sparing the expense and going the extra mile to create something unforgettable for the attendees.
As far as something being prerecorded. I’m ok with that. I love to see a good DJ rip up some vinyl but I also understand that this music is about technology and progression. A lot of the musicians are first and foremost producers and that is where they channel their energy and talents, not into learning how to beat-match flawlessly and if they want to present to the crowd some of their artistic creations in a prerecorded set, so be it. I don’t go to museums and bitch because the paintings are dry. Art can be appreciated in many forms. Comparing producers to Brittany Spears is once again very ignorant of you because Brittany doesn’t write her own lyrics or produce the beats or edit.
Oh and last. This comment killed me…
“Disco Biscuits tried to bring a hippie side to the day, but even their music was soaked in electronic additions and repetition.”
What should it have been?? IT’S AN ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL!
Unfortunately, this critic reflects the sad removal from the rest of civilization Charlotte has plunged itself into years ago by its predominantly Closed minded and radically conservative existance. The rest of the world is in love with this “genre” as he put it (actually EDM is comprised of more “genres” than all of the rest of the music genres in the world) while the radically conservative Bible belt continues to remain 10 to 20 years behind Europe and most of North America if not everywhere in the world. I have been a part of the intelligent dance music scene for almost 20 years now and granted , it is not for everyone, but we are not writing songs with lyrics about shooting my neighbor or stealing your girl. At least dance music carries a positive vibe with it and promotes community instead of hate, violence and greed as do so many “genres”. Anyway, Very sad to see this area’s only major publication specializing in arts an entertainment not even able to comprehend, much less appreciate one of the best shows this area has experienced ever with one of the thickest family vibes anywhere. Please Creative Loafing, the residents and inhabitants of this area can not grasp intelligent dance music due to lack of exposure to the art form and culture, at least you be educated enough to see something done well in ANY genre of art that you report on when it is in front of you . It is your job to do so. It would be the same thing as you reporting on Michael Jackson and making a comment in your report like”…and why couldn’t he pick up his feet when he danced and stop grabbing himself?”. Really? You decided to be an authority on entertainment and art for this community, then you owe this community the unbiased and educated reporting that it so desperately needs and deserves.. Get a CLUE! If it were not for uneducated people like this reporter in our community spreading slanted messages about something that they just don’t care for personally , then maybe we to in Charlotte could experience a richer more diverse art and entertainment culture similar to what they experience in Atlanta, Washington D.C., Miami, New York, and cities all over the world. Charlotte claims to want to be an international city but is afraid to embrace the diversity that comes along with it . Your poor job of covering this event with misinformation and biased sentiment has greatly tarnished the respect for any review that Creative Loafing produces. i hope you can win my faith back over because I would love to be able to trust you guys again, however, this was so poorly handled in my opinion.
..Oh and if you want to hear about what I did like..
Booka Shade and Shadow were my favorite performances. The set-ups were amazing. The sound was first class..and I was surprised with the turn out considering that it was Charlotte on a Tuesday with a scene that the majority of still exists on an underground level and is at the moment in a transitional phase. i.e. the “oldschool” kids having less time to party because of kids, work etc. and a younger freshly “newschool” crowd coming in through the gateway of Dubstep who’s EDM musical tastes are, and will continue to expand. As somewhat of an oldschooler myself, I will say that I loved it and I was very impressed.
Wtf… why is this even published? I wasn’t able to attend, but everyone I talked to told me they had a great time, and this was important for the EDM culture movement. Remember that the music you like was attacked at some point too -___- We all like what we like but it’s no excuse to bash other people for liking different things. Take this down, Mr Hahne, you’re only embarrassing yourself for pretty much blatantly attacking something that (regrettably) you don’t understand.
so why someone who doesn’t know or like EDM have to post a review about it ?
Dance music isn’t for everyone and obviously it’s not for you. So I don’t really understand why your opinion on the day really matters to anyone? I don’t like tomato’s so I’m not going to be in a tomato judging contest EVER nor should I. Next time instead of going to and writing about something you don’t understand or care to. Take the day off and do something you like to do. Wishing you the best …Tre Damit
you cat’s take this stuff way too serious. we are talking about music here. something that, regardless of the genre, is made to be enjoyed by those who enjoy it. the reviewer just stated his honest opinion about *his* perceptions of the event and the music…and as any of you that actually have a job knows…sometimes you have to do things that aren’t up your particular alley. and as far as i can tell, he tried to make the best of it. there wasn’t any attack…just honest observation and reporting on said observation.
also, just because you like and support (i use that term loosely) edm doesn’t make you special or elite. i hear you same cats slash and burn radio hip-hop (which i’m not a big fan of either) but to each it’s own. if you’re not happy with the music culture here, then start supporting the locals who put in good work week in and week out instead of sitting at home on your old tired asses, complaining and waiting for the next big act to come to town. the reason crap-hop & pop took over in charlotte is YOUR fault. they pack clubs nightly because the people who listen to the music actually support the scene…not just talk about it.
I support the scene every day brother! I do not feel that this is an attack of any sort either nor did I say that. In fact this is the first comment of this sort I have ever really done . Anyway, I am more upset that Creative Loafing should send someone more qualified. Someone with better credentials and education should have written this article. It was a weak article at best .
I volunteered the whole day-got there at 11 am and left just before midnight-I had a great time and was very happy to hear the music and watch the crowd. I cannot understand why this writer is even a writer-did anyone else notice that he was hear instead of here?
There was an incredible amount of variety in both the crowd and the music but one thing was consistent and that was the wonderful happy mood of the crowd and the DJs who came out and walked around in the crowd before and after their sets. Not many artists from other genres actually go into the crowd to support the other performers the way I saw them do on Tuesday. As someone who has worked in concessions at this venue for years I wish all the other crowds in Charlotte were as respectful and nice to work for. This is the first time I have had nothing but smiling customers and positive happiness from the entire crowd-in an 10 hour day I had ONE difficult customer every single other one was a pleasure to serve.
As someone who has been a fan of electronic dance music since the 1990s I personally was THRILLED to see that even with a small crowd there was a cross section of the community with teenagers side by side with people in their 40s and 50s all enjoying the same music. Creative Loafing I am disappointed that this person was sent to review this event and then was allowed to publish such a slanted review. I wish the writer had been observant enough to comment on the diversity of the crowd instead of commenting on the outfits people chose to wear. I also ask for understanding-The Beetles were the first ones to synthesize music and look how far it has come!
to the person who wrote this…your stupid…8)
I feel embarrassed for Creative Loafing for having this review up. People all over will read this not just people from Charlotte. I read other articles posted about the event in different cities. They all had good things to say. But of course here comes Charlotte trying to make it’s name in the scene and Creative Loafing (hopefully unknowingly) sends some “damn kids and their music” old-timer out there complaining about his teeth rattling so we as a city can continue to appear old-fashioned and backwards, which the younger generation that lives here is not at all.
I have a suggestion…
Lets all write our own review of what we experienced and e-mail it to Creative Loafing and hopefully this will be taken down and one of our own reviews of what really went down will be posted up 🙂 UNITE!
P.S. to Mr. Haynes-You may not understand why we are getting so heated about this but many of us have seen this music struggle for so so long and finally it is getting the recognition it deserves and this festival was a huge step for the music, and Charlotte as well, for it being chosen as one of their stops and this is the response to it. This festival meant a lot to a lot of people as a step in a positive direction culturally, and this was a slap in the face.
i understand not agreeing with the article. but the feelings you guys have attached to it are troubling. i make a living and support my family of 5 strictly off of playing music. i’m 42 and have been listening to playing edm since before some of you…well…anyway. this ain’t the civil rights movement, it’s music. everybody got a right to their opinions. just because theirs’ differs from yours is no reason to call them names. grow up…and let your turntables (cdj’s, midi controller or ithingy) do the talking for you. the fact that edm hasn’t got a firmer foundation in charlotte is because of whiny ass emotional egomaniacs not coming together and supporting each other…that and lack of support from club owners and prompters…well, not promoting for the most part.
In the writers defense, he did attend a severely commodified version of a true electronic dance music festival, and obviously did not go in attendance with or to see friends, and therefore has no understanding of the “community” that this music provides for many listeners. You guys would do a lot better to invite the writer out to other local Charlotte EDM events with welcoming arms that to sit here and further drag out his negative outlook on EDM and on US! WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO OUR VALUES PEOPLE. Once upon a time this music wasn’t just music… it was a MOVEMENT!
I would personally like to invite the writer of this article out with me for a night on the town, or out of town, whichever, and I will patiently give a correct introduction and education to them about which genre is which, what is what, where it came from, explain the clothing, and the culture. I’m Shannon… a lot of people call me “Neo,” because I push a small time “promotions” company in EDM otherwise known as the Neo Initiative IE NEW MOVEMENT. It’s more like a network I’ve built, IMO.
Anyways, I’d be more than willing to network the writer in as well. And I know half of the people posting here… I get it guys, I do… I HEAR YOU! But this is not how we overcome the negative, this is how we make it fester and spread. By all means, please join me, in inviting this writer to JOIN us… it’s about having an open mind. Whatever happened to live and let live? And as much as I see a lot of you bitching at the writer for being close minded, you are also reflecting that in your reaction to them.
I hate I missed Identity on one hand, but on the other, meeeeh… half of those acts, I’ve seen before and I really wasn’t super impressed about the line up. It’s a tour for goodness sakes yaw, COME ON NOW! Since when is a TOUR a fair representation of US? Is that where it’s headed? I’m sure there would have been points in the day where I would have been bored too (especially because, once again, there was hardly any break beat representation, which was basically born and bread in Dixie as far as US EDM is concerned!).
So yeah… writer… ask around about me, or come find me on facebook… Neo Initiative. I’m down to give you an introduction you just might actually enjoy. And I’m willing to bet, half of the people giving you a hard time right now, would welcome you with open arms, forgive your quick judgement, and even if at the end of it all, you still dislike or don’t get EDM, I know they will wish you the best in whatever it is you do, and feel sad that you just “don’t get it.”
I will say in defense of MY COMMUNITY, I was hoping for a write up from Creative Loafing about some of the incredibly talented local DJ’s that got to show off their stuff at Identiy: Buckmaster/Cody Hare, Your Dirty Habit/Dave Dirty and Eric E, and we all know Bill/Mindelixr by now… and whomever else got on, I think some peeps from the mountains and Tennessee, like FastNasty and so on. I see that the writer basically sat infront of what I imagine was the mainstage, but am thinking if maybe they had been in a more intimate environment, like I imagine might have been going on in the local tent, part if not all of their experience would have been different.
I’m wondering how come none of the people in my community I know saw this person bored, and didn’t run up to them, ask them if they were having a good time, and when they said “Not really…”, why they didn’t insist on showing them a good time. That’s what we used to be about! We HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO get back to that…
THIS GOES BOTH WAYS EVERYONE!!! Remember that…
Please be my guest at Sound Council’s next local event on Sept 17 at Central Station in Plaza Midwood…Smokin the Cue:Asphalt Juhngle will feature some of the best local and regional Drum and Bass/ Dubstep/ Drumstep and more! Shockproof / Slipmat / Tony Dubz / Smash Bros. Productions featuring: Coley / Rippey / EXQ of Diffuse Audio / Silent Mike. I will put you on the list Jeff would love to see you out . We will have hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill at 7 PM on the patio and the show starts at 8 PM. Also, this will be a blacklight jungle themed event so be creative with your attire! UV body painting will be offered for an addition but reasonable fee !! 🙂 Maybe we can teach you more about this genre because you will undoubtedly be reporting on it a lot mor in the queen city brother!!! BOH!!!!!
PS If it’s true that Creative Loafing is accepting resume’s for writers for different events, I’d like to enter mine for these kinds of events specifically. I think 10+ years in the scene, and 15+ years of listening to this kind of music, plus 100+ interviews with mutiple people of all walks of life involved in the scene from all over the world over the past three years, and writing a dissertation about it all, surely, would make me more than qualified!!! 😀
Personally, I had a great time. I’ve been going out to parties since the 90s and I was able to see friends that I haven’t seen in forever, meet new people and see some DJs that rarely come to the Carolinas, if at all. I think if anything this event helped bring EDM back into the minds of people who aren’t quite into the small local shows anymore because of other responsibilities or conflicts of scheduling or just lack of interest.
To the writer – I am sure coming into this show, you were unaware that the EDM culture is different from place to place, group to group, person to person. A lot of us “old schoolers” were introduced into it when the local scene was a lot more about the music and less about the hype. We made lifelong friends with strangers simply because we shared a love for the same music. Dubstep has brought in a whole new generation of party-goers. I do not necessarily care for dubstep but I can see where the draw would be. If you listen to 95.1 or 96.1, you can hear that pieces of songs they play have a dubstep rhythm. I hate that you didn’t enjoy your day out there with us but maybe give it another shot. Maybe the types of acts you saw weren’t your cup of tea.. there’s more subgenres to choose from – breaks, house, trance, etc – and different places in Charlotte host different kinds of parties. Add a couple of promoters or venues on facebook and look at their event invites. You might be surprised at what you find.
For those that were there that I saw and didn’t, can’t wait to dance with you again 🙂
Till next time….
this review is jokes. lol
Well CL, since your inception, you guys have missed the boat with being a source of events for ALL music audiences and not just mainstream club readers. This uneducated review just topped it off for me. Good job.
Why would you have this dork, who obviously knows absolutely NOTHING about electronic music and has a massive bias against it from the outset, review an ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL? That’s like having a monkey run a nuclear power plant. If you don’t like bass than go to a Barry Manilow concert loser! 😛
First of all, Djn is an artform. It take years to learn how to do. Just like writing reviews. It’s not as simple as going up to a laptop and pressing play, even though there are many mash up artist and acts with major choreographed lights and video who may be guilty of this, the majority of the shows you saw were live. Your attidude during the article is crap. Face it. I mean, when you said the rest of the day sounded the same; it came across like you were saying kaskade sounds just like dubstep. That is like telling a metal fan that matchbox 20 is the best metal band ever. You said even the disco biscuits were repeatitive and electronic. I MEAN HAVE EVER HEARD OF AN ELECTRONIC JAM BAND? They are kind of a big deal. Lotus, E.O.T.O., STS9? I mean what about Chromeo?Any of these ring a bell? These are some of the biggest selling touring/repeat acts in the U.S. festival circuit. So if you aren’t familiar with music fests and you aren’t comfortable with electronic music… Why did you even go? Why would someone OK this? I mean you had to know you were going to slap a bunch of people in the face and get some kind of publicity for yourself.
I should not have called you an old timer. I apologize. I don’t know you so that was ignorant on my behalf. I felt that your article was biased but, you’re not a reporter you’re a critic and that was your opinion. So on that note, I will now bid this conversation adieu!
very disappointed, creative loafing. mr. hahne, you’ve stirred a lot emotions within a very passionate community, not because you like different music than us, but because you cast a negative picture of our culture in a most ignorant fashion, in one of the largest independent media outlets. i couldn’t make it to this festival, and i would have loved to have read a professional and educated critique. you obviously do not have a musical palette large enough to be a music critic, so please do us all a favor, and stop pretending that you are.
what a joke.
I had written this long, drawn out response, but I’ll just keep it simple..
“yeah…what Smitty and Neo said..”
-dj rsenal
Do us all a favor; next year, if Identity wants to come back, or if ANY EDM thing should even get a mention again in CL, and you or somebody else in CL that doesn’t like EDM gets ‘assigned’ to do an article – loan me (or anyone that has posted here) your press badge, and we’ll go and have a good time, and write a much less derogatory, much more factual article, you can even take credit/pay for it, idc – but there’s no reason anyone should be FORCED to go to something awesome like this and be miserable 🙂
F- for this review. I would type more, but I have an event to go press play (oops I mean DJ) at.
This is stupid. Im prob one of the biggest “trolls” “hater”, and “all’ round bad guys” and im ashamed to have even read this hatful article. Creative Loafing…….EAT ME
-Waldo…
Why did I go to this event? To check it out and review it and offer my opinion on it. As stated in the REVIEW, I understand that it’s huge for the scene and it’s just not my thing.
Why didn’t I send someone else? I don’t have any writers that are interested in this genre. I often post online and in the paper that we are always searching for freelancers. You can email a resume and writing samples to me.
This was not meant as a feature story about Identity, or EDM in general. It is a review and my opinion of the event that I attended.
Again, even though I am not a fan of the music, I do hope it continues. I don’t like country, but I hope country music festivals continue, too. This event was poorly attended by a few thousand people — even the lawn was closed off. Instead of posting negatively on this review, you should be getting out, promoting the scene and perhaps commenting on the positive side of Identity and why people should have been there.
On a related note – just posted the new Skrillex video and I liked the visuals and the song.
@Jeff Hahne does his job well and for every concert most here go to he goes to about 10x’s that. That is what a music critics/photojournalist does! We go to experience things for the first time and write about them with fresh eyes. A professional does NOT write only about one genre and does not limit themselves to one venue as well. Anyone shouting they are a pro due to either of those things needs to just hush.
The only thing I wanted to add here is this….. A critic’s job is not meant to blow smoke, it’s to tell opinions. Not everyone is going to like it. Also, to all the “elite”, you were not always this way. You had to go to your first EDM show sometime, correct? You liked it, he did not. I think the end of the piece is not just to save his butt but to reiterate what most should know, just not his cup of tea.
It’s pretty hysterical to think that EVERY review everywhere is to be a positive one. How in the hell would you feel if where ever you went it was all fake reviews, and one note “This was sooooooooo awesome, yay yay yay!!!!” Or is that what the Charlotte readers want? I do this for a living as well and in no way am I going to say something is amazing if I’m not feeling it.
This is all about a small group of rabid fans reacting badly to a truthful review. This is obviously not just about music to you – it’s a lifestyle, where the outfits, relationships, parties and drugs are as important as the music itself. (Please don’t call me a Charlotte prude for writing that, as I am anything but.) As a harbinger of the death of art in this world, I can’t think of a better example than the EDM scene. Have any of you ever heard of musical genres that actually require the mastery of intstruments rather than a computer? I am certain that a Mozart festival or a program of Schubert lieder or chamber music concert would bore you to tears, as the EDM festival did the writer of this review. Listen, no one is telling you to “quit the scene, man”. You are free to worship your empty, pathetic music. Just don’t expect others to follow suit. After all, they’re probably hip hop fans. We’re doomed. LOL.
As a follow-up, I did google “Identity Festival Pics” and I think I found some really good reasons to go – cute little teenie boppers and twenty-somethings dressed in next to nothing. Now that’s a reason. Just don’t ask me to pretend it’s music in order to enjoy a good party scene.
I had to double check the URL to make sure this wasn’t a Christwire article.