Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat. Episode II: My EDM & Rave Journey

"We're made of stardust; Our lives ahead of us. We'll ride the magic bus into the heart of love."

Centre of the Universe - Axwell

Episode II: My EDM & Rave Journey

I took my unconventional first steps into the world of Electronic Dance Music in 2013. I was at USS' Halloween Horror Nights 3 (also my first), and as with all HHNs, they had a pre-opening show that ended with Power Glove by Knife Party. That was the first EDM song and DJ outfit that I fell utterly and hopelessly in love with.

Following that, I started listening to other artistes as well, including the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, DVLM, etc. I would spend hours and hours listening to full sets on Youtube, and I had plenty of friends around me who also fanned the flames of passion for EDM, by discussing the topic with me, and introducing new DJs and songs to me.

We talked a lot about heading overseas for raves and to be a part of festivals to the likes of Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival. Unfortunately, I was a poor sod that was earning way too little and spending way too much on rental to be able to afford a trip to Belgium.

Thailand, however, was much more manageable, and in September, 2014, three friends and I decided to fly up to Thailand for a few days for the Road to Ultra event, featuring W&W, Martin Garrix, Fedde le Grand, and Alesso. That was my first rave!

So prior to leaving for Thailand, I'd heard from my colleague that Route 66 in Bangkok was a nice club that played good EDM. To get ourselves hyped up the night before the rave, my friends and I decided to make our way there. Turns out BKK people aren't really great EDM fans, so the EDM dance floor was almost completely empty...

... Except for a bunch of Bruneian tourists and, well—us. It didn't take long for us all to figure out that we were all headed for the same rave the next day. Needless to say, we made friends, and we were all raving together at the event.

These guys became like the backbone of my rave journey, and although I don't get the chance to rave with them as often as I would like, every rave I have had with them was a wonderful experience and is still a heartwarming memory.

I honestly never would have expected to keep in touch with them or even see them again after RTU Thailand, but boy am I glad I did on both counts, and 3 months later, they flew in to Singapore for ZoukOut 2014.

I had already booked a 10+ day holiday in Australia with Boo when they approached me about it, and it happened that the first day of ZoukOut was also the day I was scheduled to fly back to Singapore... But this was pretty much how the conversation went:

"Charlotte, are you joining us not?"

... Fuck, yes.

I ended 2014 with two raves under my belt, and went on to add three more in 2015:

I Am Hardwell Singapore, Road to Ultra Thailand, and Road to Ultra Singapore (pictures in that order below).

Funny story: An hour or two before the above picture was taken at IAH, I actually passed out right after Hardwell came on deck and started his set. I was camping at the front of the stage, and some dude tripped me up, and the crowd was FUCKING DENSE there, so when I fell down, I couldn't breathe and I blacked out for a few seconds until my friends pulled me up. When I got back on my feet, I felt dizzy, so I wanted out to where there was more space. Halfway out of the crowd, I realised I had lost my phone, so Derek dived back in to rescue it for me, but in the process... he lost his phone too.

LOL SO EPIC RIGHT. Well, it ended happily, cause we both found our phones, AND an awesome spot to camp at to enjoy the rest of the rave without being trampled to death. I guess having previously raved with the huge group of Bruneians, I was spoiled into thinking that our tiny group of three would fare just as well.

Lol MISTAKE.

If this rave taught me anything, it would be: DON'T CAMP IN FRONT UNLESS YOU HAVE A TRIBE OF PEOPLE AROUND YOU TO PROTECT YOU. Obviously a lesson well learnt and well practised at every subsequent rave.

The original plan for mid-year was to go to Korea to attend Ultra Korea instead of the smaller-scaled Road to Ultra in Thailand, however, a MERS outbreak hit Korea in May and several travel warnings were issued. The four of us (two guys not pictured) had our air tickets booked, but we still decided to reroute to Thailand instead.

Safety first. Especially since MERS is a virus that can actually spread really quickly with close human contact; at a rave, standing shoulder to shoulder with a bazillion strangers... Not such a good idea. Point to note guys.

Unfortunately, the day before the rave, Alesso—the DJ that I was most keen to see—fell sick (no, not MERS though). He even posted his MC online (to show people he never geng LOL).

I guess that was why compared to the previous year's Ultra Thailand, this one was pretty chill, and we even ended up going to RCA to party after the sets we wanted to see, because Alesso's replacement wasn't someone I was terribly interested to watch... But at least I got to see Knife Party live for the first time! Anyway, it was all good, cause I ended up getting to see him a few months later, on home soil no less.

Road to Ultra Singapore was pretty much a 'test-water' sort of gig because it paved the way for 2016 and 2017's full-fledged Ultra Singapore, but I daresay that the organisers did a pretty good job with it. For a small-ish affair with a handful of DJs, it was relatively well run. The only thing that made me uneasy was how much the MBS convention hall shook in the heat of the music and the jumping LOL it was actually quite scary.

I was actually impressed with how liberal the organisers and security were when it came to smoking within the venue. Well, maybe it was because no one really bothered all that much to enforce it strictly. From where I was for most of the night, there were loads of people happily puffing away in between jumping and dancing. Naturally, as with all other indoor locations in Singapore, smoking was (I assume) supposed to be prohibited. But what's a rave without a ton of smokers lighting up...? I'm pretty sure plenty of people would have been pissed at not being able to unless they walked 5 minutes out to open air and then back and end up having to queue for re-entry.

And wow, kudos to them for bringing Ansolo in, because he is SUCH A GEM. No, not just cause he's a movie star. He's actually REALLY good. Pls. Anyone who can mix Earth Wind & Fire's songs seamlessly into an EDM set is a fucking genius.

My last rave to date was at ZoukOut 2016 last December, headlined by EDM bombs like Hardwell, Alan Walker, Zedd, Martin Garrix, Lost Frequencies and Snakehips. It was my second ZoukOut, and it lent occasion for a reunion with two of my friends from Brunei. It was also my first rave with BOO, and hopefully not the last.

Needless to say, after taking a perma-sabbatical from my wildchild life to settle down and get ready for marriage... I WAS EXHAUSTED BY THE END OF IT. BUT IT WAS SO GOOD. Let me reiterate, raving is awesome with the right company, and boy, did I have the right company with me on those two days. We danced, we sang, and we screamed at the top of our lungs for two nights in a row. We had scars and lost voices to remember the event by.

In photos we may have looked alive, but actually on the inside we were dying/dead.

One of the most wonderful things about having a rave out in the open is FIREWORKS. And, as clichéd as it might sound, the most memorable moments of those two nights were when we were all hugging each other under the stars, belting out whatever epic song was playing, and looking up in awe at the colourful bursts of light (after taking a bunch of photos, of course, because hello 21st century).

Alas, Ultra SG, although you have grown into a magnificent snowflake in the short span of 2 years, we are not fated to meet again yet. Sorry ZoukOut, that likely means you too. I am reallocating my budget this year to my honeymoon, and the HEEEYUUUUGE One Ok Rock VS Linkin Park concert at the end of it WHEE ;)

To end this MASSIVE rant post off: I'm getting older, and definitely less energetic, but I don't think I will stop raving any time soon. After all, I haven't made it to Tomorrowland yet. Mark my words... I'll get there.

Peace.

Love, C.