Seven EDM Addicts You’ll Meet At Digital Dreams

EDM festivals go with summer like peanut butter goes with jelly, which is pretty damn well. Following up last year’s complete freak out in Toronto, Electronic Nation’s DIGITAL DREAMS has recharged for Round Two at The Flats at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, and they’re bringing in the big guns (Tiesto, Porter Robison, Flosstradamus and more). They’re also going to be attracting flocks of different EDM folk so we took examples of our close friends and world-famous strangers to present to you Seven EDM Addicts You’ll Most Definitely Meet At Digital Dreams 2013.

For more info on Electronic Nation’s Digital Dreams 2013, make sure to “RUN THE TRAP!” over at their website.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s a fairy! This species of festival go-er is not limited to just guys or gals, anyone can be a FESTY FAIRY!  All it takes is a pair of wings, a tutu and some furry leg warmers, all adhering to one colour theme. Bright and colourful makeup completes the look, while accessories like a hula hoop, ripped stockings or glow sticks are optional. Naturally, this attire doesn’t exactly lend itself well to a hot summer day, so festy fairies are often spotted around large crowds or under a tree, swaying to the beat in order to avoid passing out from heat stroke.

TIGHT AND BRIGHTS are the nuevo-ravers who just got into the scene when Skrillex decided he was over emo and turned into a DJ. If Skrillex can make that transition, so can they. This crowd can be easily identified by their neon attire, reminiscent of a college tight and bright party: bright crop tops, bandeaus or bikinis and short shorts. Sunglasses are as essential to the fashion statement as they are to shielding one’s eyes from the sun or hiding dilated pupils. As well, these girls subscribe to the “less is more” mentality for every summer EDM festival they plan to attend – no way they’d be caught dead sweating in furry leg warmers.

THE DUBSTEP BRO is the counterpart to the aforementioned college girls. They too believe that Skrillex is to dubstep what Jesus is to Christianity. These muscle-y bros are easily spotted by their free pseudo Ray-Ban shades that they probably got from a beer tent and their wife-beater style tank tops. T-shirts are not an option for these bros, and their tank tops will always be adorned with a clever saying, such as “let’s dub to fuck step” or “sex, drugs and dubstep”. Also, every bro owns the classic Zed’s Dead black beater with the ZD logo on it because Zed’s Dead plays every college town in Southern Ontario multiple times each year.

Anyone who has been to an EDM festival can attest that come nightfall, the lighting is almost as important to the experience as the music is. Sometimes you even wonder who’s pressing more buttons, the DJ on stage or the dude in the lighting booth?  There’s always that one person who is a little too into the light show, instead of grooving to the beat, or going nuts when the bass drops (like basically everyone else is). Instead, THE TRIP SQUAD are just staring into the sky, watching the lighting change. It’s not easy to get distracted from the skull-rattling noise that is an EDM show, but somehow this person always is as they may have had some help from their friend Molly.

You probably won’t actually meet A SHOULDER BABE (since she won’t get down), but you will certainly see her, and she will make sure of that. You’re perplexed as to which is more impressive, that she’s been sitting on some bro’s shoulders for hours, or that he’s been able to hold her up there for that long. You do know two things for certain, she’s definitely blocking your view, and she’s definitely not wearing a shirt. These girls are commonly seen atop someone’s shoulders, swinging their shirt around while wearing just a bra or bikini (or nothing if you’re really lucky) and probably screaming. It’s fun to watch for the first song or two, but if she doesn’t get down by the third, you’ll definitely be tempted to pitch your $4 water bottle right at the back of her head.

Whether it’s the guy dressed as a giant banana, a duck, Santa Claus or just that weird group of people wearing morph suits, you can bet your popsicle there will be a group of girls that want to take photos with THE COSTUME KIDS. At a show of any other genre people wearing random costumes might be viewed as strange, but at an EDM show it’s so common it’s basically expected. Aside from the obvious heat issue, here’s the caveat on wearing full-body costumes to outdoor festivals: if you want to take photos with girls all night, pull out your favourite costumes. If you want to get laid, then you should probably try something different.

When it comes to THE FREE HUGS CREW, you have to wonder if they attend EDM shows for the music or just for the culture, because they seem to spend more time walking around talking to strangers than actually watching the DJ or dancing. They usually walk around and initiate conversation with others by offering them free hugs, glitter, face paint, bracelets or glow sticks. They usually take you by surprise and are very polite so you feel bad refusing their offering, plus you know, YOLO, so why not? Once the exchange is made (i.e. you accept the hug and then proceed to get doused in glitter) they usually say something super complimentary (“OMG you guys are so beautiful! Happy (insert name of festival here)! Bye!”), and disappear before you even know what hit you.