Electric Daisy Carnival… well what did you expect???

Electric Daisey Carnival really was the party I never expected.

I moved to Los Angeles in 2005 from England, a country absolutely besotted by dance music. Night clubs are controlled, highly profitable entities. House music is used to market high priced cars, kitchens and holidays. It’s soundtrack is synchronized to week’s sporting highlights. You’ll even hear older house and dance music played across every genre of radio station in the country, listened to by young and old alike.

Before relocating I received all of the usual advice, with one common theme… you’re f*c&ed! “The US just doesn’t understand dance music, and where they do it’s seriously underground.” It’s true - There are a couple of ‘pre-fabricated’ electronica acts who, through ridiculous gimmicks garner their 15 minutes of fame as they embark on publicity campaigns for their inevitable one-hit wonder record. And ‘Live’ acts who neglect to plug in their equipment before miming a set only strengthen the nationwide attitude of ridicule towards ‘credible’ dance music.

“OK Charlie, so it’s a little different either side of the pond… have you got a point?”

Yep, I certainly do! It’s just a case of how the dance music scene is perceived by the UK and US. As a UK male, you’re not getting into a club until you have a piece of paper that says you’re 18. This is about the ONLY place you can’t go until the big day. We all had a local pub at 16, but a club… not a chance, unless you were DJing or knew the door staff really well! You had to wait to be an adult before you could go to a club, but when you did there was an incredible sense of acceptance and community. People congregate around the music and the DJ, and really feel a part of it. I remember my head almost exploding with happiness when I arrived!

Dance music events (or Techno, as it’s ALL defined?!?!) in the US is what the kids do before they grow up. It’s a little wonderland for teenagers to raid their parents medicine cabinets and head to a huge arena for the one major (dare I say it) rave in your state that year. Events are timed with the ends of school years, so the kids have a contrived ‘reason’ to party. Nobody has a clue who the DJs are, and they reply the favour by simply turning up, playing a tired set and leaving. There’s no community, there’s no responsibility, there’s no connection to the event. You’re there to get fuc&ed up… really, really messy - where your parents can’t witness you gurning that pink pacifier while staring at glow-stick traces, as your mind melts into another hit of Demerol.

I come from a country that uses house music to unite people, and moved to a country that uses it as a segregation tool… something they can do before they’re old enough to play with grown-ups. I’ve only ever known music as a tool to bring people together, which is why I’ll keep playing dance music even though I’m way too old for it (if I’m to believe what they tell me!). And I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that a couple of the kids at the next EDC choose to drop the red pill and awaken to a world of incredible music and even more incredible energy.

But then again, I’m sure there’ll be another 100,000 kids ready for more of the same next year!

Huge thanks to Berger and Mark Farina who were incredible hosts, and stopped me thinking about being such an old bastard!