Why Tomorrowland 2023 Was the Embodiment of Dance Music's New Golden Era

There’s loads to be enthusiastic about on the planet of Tomorrow.

Belgium’s Tomorrowland is extra than simply one other competition. It’s a barometer for the present and future path of digital dance music at giant.

This yr the fantastical sights have been grander, the crowds extra globally consultant and the units carried out with seemingly greater stakes than ever earlier than in Tomorrowland’s historical past. There’s a sense of euphoria within the air in terms of the topic of digital music in 2023, and it’s borne out within the numbers because the trade surges previous pre-pandemic financial highs.

Whereas it was exhausting to visualise on the time, David Guetta’s late-2021 feedback stating that the perfect occasions in dance music historical past would arrive instantly after the pandemic have aged fairly properly.

The Mainstage of Tomorrowland 2023.

Tomorrowland

To assist the demand, Tomorrowland is actively investing again into their model. Each flip yields a brand new attention-grabbing sight, be it the coordinated waterworks on the Crystal Backyard stage, the mind-bending visuals of Eric Prydz’s HOLO or the cinematic splendor of Story of Us contained in the Freedom Stage advanced.

With over 10 phases boasting the corps d’elite of dance music, there’s limitless methods to forge your private journey on any given weekend of Tomorrowland.

Eric Prydz’s HOLO at Tomorrowland 2023.

Tomorrowland

There’s arguably no competition that commits to its theme with the fervor of Tomorrowland—and all of it begins with the competition’s Mainstage. This yr, the megastructure took the type of a multi-story citadel outfitted with a finely-tuned meeting of lights and pyrotechnics that sought to maintain the circulate of the motion persistently contemporary in assist of the artists on its towering stage.

Tiësto, Martin Garrix, The Chainsmokers and extra made the spotlight reel with IDs in tow and show-stopping shock visitor appearances, reminiscent of Child Cudi, who made a particular cameo throughout Steve Aoki’s set. The byproduct of this constructive suggestions loop between the expertise and the competition is a really immersive expertise that makes the followers really feel like the principle characters in an digital music fairytale.

*The Mainstage of Tomorrowland 2023.*

Bryan Dellosa

Stylistically, Tomorrowland has traditionally skewed in the direction of highlighting the mainstage sounds of the second. Within the midst of EDM’s present state of evolution, it was techno and exhausting dance that emerged as favorites.

The rise of the underground to the best echelons of the competition circuit was highlighted in no small half by Hardwell’s seismic massive room techno set to shut out the Mainstage and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s hardstyle-induced shockwaves rippling via the frenzied competition crowds.

It may be a problem to make broad generalizations on the worldwide state of dance music in any given weekend, not to mention with restricted anecdotal proof and information. However irrespective of your favourite DJ or musical desire, the all-consuming expertise of Tomorrowland is sure to depart followers hard-pressed to not really feel optimistic about the place the style is headed.