[Event Review] Grooving Through Wonderland

Looking at the NOS Event Center from the outside, you’d never think that Insomniac would be able to transform the traditional fairgrounds into the Alice & Wonderland themed massive event that it is.

It was somewhere between walking into the Queen’s Domain Stage for the first time, with royal banners draped down from a regal dome and the stained-glass windows of a virtual castle dance on the huge Main Stage LED screens; Between fairytale teapot art cars that stood comically 15ft high just outside with their caretakers fresh out of mind-bending tea party with the mad hatter himself; and between watching every rendition of Wonderland’s vibrant characters stream into the venue all around me that I realized I had already I had already tripped and fallen deep into the Rabbit Hole.

The event was outstanding, even through a chilly rain the first day. If anything the stages had even more memorable crowds with everyone dancing and staying in cover to keep warm and dry.

The Mad Hatter’s Castle was the favorite music stage this year, featuring outrageous sets from the likes of R3HAB, Electric Mantis, Black Tiger Sex Machine, & Australian artist Just A Gent. Christofi dropped an awesome, intimate set early on Day 2 at the Queens Domain that went off too. Personal best set of the weekend? Valentino Khan.

With VIP experiences being hit or miss, I was excited to see what this years looked like. The Gypsy Shrine was there in all their glitter & jewels making people fabulous and there was a massive recreated mad hatter tea party table for photo ops. What truly stood out as I explored the space was an explosion of what was referred to as “wellness technology”.

A massive spinning bed that rotated 13 times per minute to balance the body’s equilibrium. Light therapy masks. Vibrating beds known as SoundLounges. Virtual Reality Experiences. Live Art. An Augmented Reality wall. The list goes on, but I was blown away.

The Courtiers were brought in by Insomniac to curate the space known as ‘The Quantum Lounge’ and they partnered with a company in the emerging cryptocurrency space called Swarm Fund to do it. The Virtual Reality was using the game Sound Self, where the object is to fill objects with your voice. Using tones, fractal patterns actually respond to the user’s voice to create intricate, hypnotic patterns. It was a trip watching how people interacted with the game, with one girl singing into the game creating incredible patterns.

After my experience there, I moved onto the SoundLounge. I was given headphones and laid down on a futuristic black bed, choosing a 5 minute audio track called “Abundance” that had been designed by a doctor to facilitate relaxation in the body. Almost instantly after I was placed in the lounge and the track started, I could feel a massive bass wave pulse through the my body and drop all tension away. It was way beyond my expectations, with one guest sitting up saying it was one of the best festival experiences they’d ever had.

I spent more time here engaged than any other VIP space I can remember. The live art was truly outstanding and left plenty of room to lounge around on light-up, fiberglass pods that were essentially art installations and seating at the same time. The Quantum Lounge was a perfect recharge and entertainment experience that every VIP experience could look to for inspiration. Truly the last piece of the puzzle to bring me fully into Wonderland and send me back onto the festival dance floor feeling my best.

All in all Beyond Wonderland was an awesome event, and a perfect introductory experience for me – showcasing how far they’ve come in the event’s 8yr run. With an amazing lineup, art installations, stages, and an outrageous VIP I left remembering why I come to these events. To connect with myself and the other amazing humans that call this otherworldly combination of music and immersive art home.

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[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 292)

This week we were feeling extra dirty. We’ve got the usual batch of records, but instead of twelve, we’re dropping thirteen, because… well, if you can’t figure out why then you need a calendar. We start the pre-game with tracks from 5 & A Dime and Carter Cruise, then move right into the party with music from some of our favorite producers including HVDES, Birthdayy Partyy, TYNAN and many more. We’re going all night long with these and even though you can’t join us physically, let’s all rage together in our various locations under this one playlist. Party hard, stay safe!

’I Got What You Need (5 & A Dime Mega Mashup)’
’Carter Cruise – literally like yeah ft. stumby’
’Burn The Witches ( HVDES Rob Zombie Tribute) – HVDES’
’Lil Jon – Snap Yo Fingers (Birthdayy Partyy Remix)’
’Qlank – Hollow’
’Jack Squire – Misfits ft. Dax London’
’Saint Punk – Daddy’
’Wuki – Chop It ft. Bri Berlay (Blvk Sheep Remix’
’ATLiens – Interstellar (Feat. Sara Skinner) (TYNAN Remix)’
’HEKLER & Gladez – 404’
P0gman & HAMi – ‘DEM BOI’S’
’ATLiens – Witch Doctor (G
REX & PEEKABOO Remix)’
’PEEKABOO – Filthy Animal (sfam remix)’
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[Dubstep] 40oz Cult – FEAR THE FORTY VOL. 1

The first ever FEAR THE FORTY compilation has come through the pipeline. Volume one comes with four tracks from the 40oz Cult crew with enough grimy bass to last for two or three times that amount. If you’re the type that likes to headbang to unquestionably dirty beats, this is just the project for you.

The project kicks off with STRIX’s “The Asylum” with its strong riddim swing that captures your attention and groove from the get go. Subject 31 jumps in next with a more toned down sound, one that you still grind to, but without the aggressive edges of the previous track. Next the rough and ready sound comes back in full force with the collaboration between CODD DUBZ and SWAYD. Lastly, one of the 40oz Cult leaders in HAMi closes things out with “DESTROY” that does just that – destroy your speakers with its beastly cuts. If you’ve got the heart for it, FEAR THE FORTY is available on Beatport!

’STRIX
THE ASYLUM (OUT NOW ON 40OZ CULT)’
’Subject 31 – Big Sipp (OUT NOW ON 40 OZ CULT)’
’CODD DUBZ X SWAYD – STREET MENTALITY’
’4. HAMi – DESTROY’
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[Trap] Bad Royale – Hot Steppa (feat. Future Fambo)

It’s been a while since Bad Royale dropped something as hard as “Hot Steppa” with Future Fambo. They’ve dropped top quality tracks, but going this heavy isn’t something we’ve heard from them in recent times. It’s good to see them back at it with this Dim Mak release.

“Hot Steppa” keeps with the group’s Caribbean sound, but they just take it in a bit of a different direction infusing hybrid trap elements into the mix. This dirty foray doesn’t derail the song, rather it gives it some depth and unique direction. Starting from a more dancehall style and moving things to the borders of dubstep is quite a nice touch that only these bad boys could pull off.

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[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 291)

We’re going hard this weekend, that’s all there is to it. We’ve got the festival flu – infected with the inescapable urge to get our party on and it just happens to be Friday. As we do every week, we’ve gathered a collection of free downloads to aid in your festivities. Whether you’re getting out in the sun or hunkering down in the oncoming storms in various areas, we’ve got you covered with just the right tracks. From the pre-game to the party to the after party, we’ve got it all. Records from Madnap, MEMBA x Mothica, LMBO, Birthdayy Partyy, TWO OWLS and more will serve you well. We close things out with Sam F’s Walmart Yodel kid remix because we kind of have to include it, as well as benny mayne’s acoustic version of “bounce’ to bring everything to a peaceful close. Enjoy the weekend, stay safe!

’Kill Paris – Red Lights ft. Dotter (Madnap Remix)’
’MEMBA & Mothica – Chasing Light’
’Emmit Fenn – Lost in Space (Restless Modern Remix)’
’LMBO – Dysphoria’
’Shaun Frank – Addicted Feat. Violet Days (Midnight Kids Remix)’
’Birthdayy Partyy X BigSammyZ – Bad Bitches (Original Mix)’
’Pixel Terror & Vice City – Horizon (ft. Matt Kahn)’
’IYFFE – Stalker( Original Mix)’
’GHOST VOICES (TWO OWLS x TASCIONE REMIX)’
’AFK X CARBIN FT. CODY RAY – BOSS(KAWT N KANDY REMIX)’
’Sam F – i e i e o (ft yodeling walmart kid)’
’benny mayne – bounce (acoustic)’
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[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 290)

Let’s say goodbye to the week and welcome the weekend. We’re pumped and you should be too. There’s been a whole lot of great music coming out over the past several days and we’ve collected some of our favorite free downloads for you today. They shall serve you well as you shake off the worries of class, work or any other undesirable obligations you may have. Whether you’re looking to party hard, or relax at home, there’s music for you here. We’ve got records from MEMBA, Prismo, Felmax, WHIPPED CREAM, Notixx, Herobust and more. We’ll leave you with a note regarding the official remix by Zeke Beats; you better hop on the download quick, it’s only free for 24 hours! PS, we may have one more track than usual in this volume…

’Missy Elliott – Freak (MEMBA Bootleg)’
’ZHU – Faded (Prismo Remix)’
’I Fall Apart (Kaiser X Farrah Remix)’
’Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness (Felmax Remix)’
’CHANGE THE WORLD (WHIPPED CREAM REMIX)’
’Justice – Phantom Pt. II (Midnight Kids Remix)’
’KRANE & QUIX – Next World (ZEKE BEATS Remix)’
’beardthug – This Falafel Has Drugs In It (Notixx Remix)’
’PON CHO – Frozen ft. Paige IV (ËMMË remix)’
’Herobust & Monxx – Giant Squiddim (Herobust VIP)’
’FlexxCalibur – Kill It’
’SQUIRM – Fartstep’
’Brewski – You Stole My Hoodie’
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Sacred Sciences & English Lit – Gym Class Hero (feat. Control) [TMN Premiere]

Firepower Records has been unleashing the 8th volume of their Flatline compilation series bit by bit and today we’re offering up a first listen to one of the tracks. “Gym Class Hero” by Sacred Sciences, English Lit and Control is, as you’d imagine from this group of artists and label, an enormously heavy tune.

These three acts joined up to supplement each others attributes for a dirty dubstep original that implements hip-hop to further sweeten the pot. The rough-toned rapping fits perfectly with the gritty low frequencies that “Gym Class Hero” boasts. The full compilation release will be happening on March 30th, so you can pre-order the LP or buy the track once Friday comes along. For now enjoy your exclusive first listen!

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