If we have discovered something concerning the EDM world by now, it is stranger than fiction.
The digital music neighborhood is not any stranger to the outrageous, however 2023 stretched the boundaries of its plausibility. It was a yr that redefined bizarre from the membership to the principle stage, and even seasoned ravers had been left shaking their heads in disbelief.
From Rezz growing a branded intercourse toy to Skrillex DJing inside a faculty bus in Occasions Sq., this previous yr noticed no scarcity of head-scratching and “you possibly can’t make these things up” moments. Although at instances difficult to imagine, these surreal tales present that typically actuality dances to the beat of its personal drummer.
As we put together our champagne countdowns to ring in 2024, let’s have a look again at a number of the yr’s most bizarrely true tales. Learn on to find 23 of essentially the most absurd tales that really occurred in 2023.
A person was sentenced to jail after “terrorizing” neighbors with loud EDM for 5 years
A person in Barcelona was sentenced to at least one yr in jail after intentionally “terrorizing” his neighbors with loud digital music daily and night time for a interval of 5 years, we reported in August.
The person’s neighbors had complained to him about how disruptive the “unbearably loud” music was beginning in 2012, claiming it led to bodily and psychological points. After ignoring a warning issued in 2014 by the native municipality, he incessantly performed music exceeded 57 decibels, which is considerably louder than the 35 decibels allowed by regulation.
A sister of one of many victims mentioned her “bones had been vibrating” at one level, and an aged neighbor reportedly testified that he was prescribed a “sedative-hypnotic remedy” on account of extreme insomnia. One other neighbor’s Alzheimer’s illness is claimed to have worsened as a result of anxiousness from the loud music.
Consequently, the person was sentenced to at least one yr in jail. He is additionally banned from working in any job associated to digital music.
Rezz developed a branded intercourse toy
Followers of Rezz shall be vibrating to a special beat in 2024.
The digital music famous person is releasing a HypnoVizion-branded dildo as a part of her merchandise line, we reported earlier in December. The intercourse toy, which can are available a customized field—no pun supposed—began out as a joke inside the brazen engines of EDM Twitter however grew to become a actuality after legions of followers expressed real curiosity.
Naturally, the responses had been outrageous. “Issues I can count on: Serotonin,” one fan quipped. “my rezz dildo buy could be a tax write off,” wrote one other, an OnlyFans creator.
Beyoncé swept the Dance/Digital classes on the Grammys
There is no doubt you heard about Beyoncé’s dominant Grammy sweep of this yr’s Dance/Digital classes again in February. She’s by no means touched a sync button nor has she ever break up a sea of v-necks to order a Crimson Bull-vodka at Membership Area, however Queen Bey is now etched within the EDM historical past books.
Regardless of the grandeur of her RENAISSANCE album, it is robust to argue how weird it’s to see Beyoncé’s title within the annals of the Grammy Award for Greatest Dance/Digital Album, the place she’s joined by Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, Skrillex and different pioneering producers. Naturally, Twitter had a area day on the time.
Kevin Edwards
Will Ferrell DJed at a USC frat occasion
Will Ferrell graduated from USC in 1990 however has since returned in an official capability to ship the varsity’s graduation speech in 2017. His return this yr rallied college students as soon as once more, albeit in a a lot completely different capability.
Ferrell hasn’t been recognized to grace the decks, however the Previous Faculty actor made like Frank The Tank and delivered some school hijinks that members of Sigma Alpha Mu are positive to recollect. Sporting athletic shades, headphones and a backwards USC cap, Ferrell’s headlining second was clipped and shared to TikTok, the place it amassed of thousands and thousands views in brief order.
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DJ Snake threw an impromptu rave in a McDonald’s
Image this: you stroll into your native Mickey D’s anticipating a fast Large Mac repair, solely to seek out the place reworked right into a full-blown rave with DJ Snake. That is precisely what occurred again in June, when he took over a McDonald’s restaurant on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris and hosted an in-store pop-up rave to rejoice his partnership with the long-lasting quick meals chain.
Tables had been cleared to make room for an improvised dancefloor and money registers had been changed with Snake’s turntables earlier than he took the stage—effectively, counter—at 10pm. McDonald’s workers continued to hustle within the kitchen behind him, fist-pumping and raving as he threw down his menu of hits. Speak about a perk.
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A DJ duo snuck into the 2023 Creamfields pageant by a waterlogged tunnel
Bread Gang have turned sneaking into music festivals right into a science of kinds, however a go to to Creamfields noticed the squad rolling up their sleeves not like ever earlier than.
After initially being stopped by safety, the Australian DJ duo searched the encircling space and recognized an unlikely entry level: a waterlogged tunnel. After stripping all the way down to their underwear, the fellows navigated the slim passage and located themselves squarely inside the interior safety perimeter of Creamfields, one among Europes largest digital music festivals.
Bread Gang documented their misadventures sneaking into the long-lasting fest again in August and declared an undefeated file of “three for 3” this summer time after ill-advised gatecrashes at Boomtown and Tomorrowland.
Shaquille O’Neal threw his personal digital music pageant
Basketball legend, angel investor and headlining DJ Shaquille O’Neal added one other title to his résumé this yr: music pageant organizer.
The NBA Corridor of Famer and shatterer of backboards, followers of whom affectionately name DJ Diesel, is an outspoken advocate of digital music whose unbridled enthusiasm for the style has captured the hearts of its most impassioned fanatics. They’ve embraced Shaq as a “dubstep dad” who tirelessly champions rave tradition and the whimsy of its neighborhood, particularly the guy music producers with whom he offers its soundtrack.
The charismatic Diesel, who collaborated with many promising bass music artists this yr and launched a full-length album, introduced “Shaq’s Bass All-Stars Pageant” again in June. He then threw what he claimed was the most important bass music pageant in Texas, a one-day occasion in Fort Price that includes Alison Wonderland, Crankdat, Kai Wachi, Sullivan King and extra heavy-hitters.
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Electrical Zoo was a zoo
New York’s famed Electrical Zoo sadly lived as much as its title in 2023.
It began when the pageant’s organizers canceled its first day fully. Blaming nebulous provide chain points that hindered their means to assemble the principle stage on time, they posted the announcement simply hours earlier than gates had been scheduled to open on Randall’s Island.
Citing unexpected challenges that arose from that controversial cancellation, they then revealed they had been denying entry on Sunday on account of capability considerations. Movies of ticket-holders storming the pageant’s gates promptly circulated on social media, resulting in an announcement by NYC Mayor Eric Adams that town deliberate to take motion towards Electrical Zoo’s proprietors. They’re now dealing with a category motion lawsuit.
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Skrillex, Fred once more.. and 4 Tet DJed from a faculty bus in Occasions Sq.
Skrillex, Fred once more.. and 4 Tet, followers of whom affectionally dubbed “Pangbourne Home Mafia” this yr, managed to utterly dominate New York Metropolis’s music scene for a complete week.
The trio’s once-in-a-lifetime rave at Madison Sq. Backyard, which offered out in a matter of seconds, was the end result of per week that included a shock DJ set reside from a droptop faculty bus in the midst of Occasions Sq.. The pie-in-the-sky efficiency additionally gave rise to 4 Tet’s viral “Nation Riddim” second, which took on a lifetime of its personal and exploded throughout their headlining Coachella set.
A DJ shocked a younger bullying sufferer by driving him to promenade in a fleet of supercars
Excessive-schooler George was ready to stroll to his promenade after experiencing an particularly troublesome faculty yr on account of bullies in his class. However when London-based DJ and car fanatic Tomi Adenlé confirmed up on his doorstep with a jaw-dropping fleet of luxurious supercars to present him a classy raise to promenade, his faculty yr wrapped with fairly a finale.
Among the many spectacular convoy taking George to his promenade was a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin and a number of Porsches and McLarens. He additionally obtained to journey in Adenlé’s private journey, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ estimated to value over $500,000.
“When his buddies booked a Limo with out telling him we needed to present up for the boy! Shout out to George for nonetheless heading to his promenade though he had a tricky finish of yr,” Adenlé wrote on social media. “Additionally, his Dad advised him that he must stroll to promenade however he had truly organised a supercar convoy as a substitute! Faculty is hard, particularly when bullying is concerned. However issues do get higher.”
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Mau P launched an OnlyFans account
Again in Might, red-hot Dutch DJ and producer Mau P dropped his sweltering home observe, “Your Thoughts Is Soiled,” on John Summit’s Specialists Solely imprint.
However followers had been forewarned to attend till they obtained dwelling from work to press play, as a result of the observe definitely falls into the NSFW class. Combining Mau P’s signature thick basslines with provocative vocals, “Your Thoughts Is Soiled” in the end grew to become a world home hit and riled up crowds at festivals over the world.
The breakout producer additionally launched a tongue-in-cheek OnlyFans account in tandem with the frisky launch. “what am i even doing,” he commented on the time.
A person shocked himself on an energized practice rail on his technique to Lollapalooza
A person on his technique to the 2023 Lollapalooza pageant was hospitalized in vital situation after making bodily contact with an “energized” practice rail, we reported again in August.
He reportedly jumped down onto the tracks “to take footage” earlier than by accident touching the charged practice rail. A girl was then shocked, police mentioned, when she tried to help the person. After each had been electrocuted, a number of of their buddies descended onto the tracks and managed to take away them.
When the Oak Park Hearth Division arrived on the scene, the girl was aware however the man was in cardiac arrest, officers mentioned. Each victims, who’re within the 20s, had been transported to Loyola Medical Heart, the place the latter was listed in vital situation.
Chris Hemsworth launched Chris Lake and FISHER’s historic live performance on Hollywood Boulevard
Thor dropped the hammer on Hollywood Boulevard in October, when Chris Lake and FISHER made historical past after shutting down Tinseltown. The home music superstars recruited Chris Hemsworth, who performs the god of thunder within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to file a customized introduction for his or her historic “Underneath Development” live performance within the coronary heart of Hollywood.
Hemsworth, one of many world’s highest-paid actors, understood the task. His narration provided a Mjölnir-sized dose of awesomeness because the duo took the stage, laying the groundwork for a mind-blowing night time that followers will not quickly overlook. He even hit FISHER with a playful jab on the chrome-domed DJ’s head, which he known as “as bald as a full moon within the sky.”
“They checked out one another with stars of their eyes and mentioned, ‘Construct it,’ and so they shall come,” Hemsworth mentioned. “Nicely, it seems desires do come true as a result of these dickheads pulled it off.”
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Eprom DJed alongside precise robots
Dispirited by the grim tenor of immediately’s conversations about futurism, Eprom conceptualized a full-fledged alternate universe for Syntheism, his third album. He even went so far as finding out Akkadian cuneiform, the earliest recognized writing system, to develop its universe.
He then constructed a portal to that universe by advantage of his groundbreaking “Syntheism Robotics” live performance at Denver’s Mission Ballroom again in July. Followers attending the one-night-only headlining present noticed Eprom carry out in tandem with motion-control robots manufactured by Motorized Precision, a number one robotics firm with a portfolio together with Disney, Netflix and Star Wars producer Lucasfilm.
“It is all the time tremendous thrilling to work with the robots, and we’re actually pushing the boundaries of what’s doable technically,” Eprom advised EDM.com on the time. Learn the complete interview right here.
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An artist turned a loaf of bread into the art work of Aphex Twin’s debut album
What’s mistaken, babe? You barely touched your Chosen Ambient Works 85-92 bread.
Iain Ross, higher generally known as “Thug Loaf,” has amassed a big following by stenciling iconic album covers into baked items. The grain-smith’s creations have featured everybody from MF Doom to Taylor Swift to Playboi Carti. Alongside the way in which he has paid homage to well-known digital music works too, maybe most impressively when he recreated Aphex Twin’s influential debut album in bread kind.
So what precisely includes Ross’ distinctive recreation? He mentioned the recipe consisted of 300g of Canadian bread flour, 50g of darkish rye, 242ml of water, 70g of levain starter and 7g of salt. The painted cowl artwork on prime was executed utilizing a mixture of black activated charcoal powder and food-grade coloring.
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Skrillex dropped two new albums
Once we printed an article with the headline “Welcome to 2023, the 12 months of Skrillex,” manner again on January 2nd, we knew one thing particular was coming. However nobody might’ve foreseen what went down subsequent.
His first album in almost a decade, Quest for Hearth, arrived utterly with out warning in February earlier than its follow-up, Don’t Get Too Shut, stunningly launched a mere 24 hours later. Tack on a historic Madison Sq. Backyard rave and a totemic five-hour set at Crimson Rocks, and 2023 was certainly the yr of Skrillex.
The dubstep icon was in the end named one among EDM.com‘s finest music producers of 2023 after essentially the most prolific yr of his illustrious profession.
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Dada Life’s Stefan Englbom climbed the very best mountain within the Americas
Dada Life’s Stefan Engblom traded bananas for snow boots in 2023, a yr that noticed him conquer the tallest mountain within the Americas. One of many world’s elusive Seven Summits, Aconcagua is located inside the huge Andes mountain vary at a summit elevation of twenty-two,838 toes.
Engblom’s route by the perilous terrain of Aconcagua was removed from a stroll within the park. He mentioned he suffered from Acute Mountain Illness, a situation brought on by diminished air stress and decrease oxygen ranges at excessive altitudes that may result in shortness of breath, fatigue, complications and issue strolling.
Two others developed severe medical points in the course of the climb and needed to be rescued by a helicopter after falling sufferer to high-altitude pulmonary edema, or HAPE, a extreme and doubtlessly deadly development of AMS characterised by an accumulation of fluid within the lungs.
“Climbing Aconcagua has been a unprecedented journey,” Engblom advised EDM.com in an interview earlier in December. “The expedition did not begin upon coming into the Andes however quite started almost a yr in the past with devoted coaching. I sought a tangible expertise with real-world implications.”
Carl Cox DJed on the Nice Pyramids of Giza
Techno icon Carl Cox is revered for taking the style to locations it is by no means been, however he outdid himself on Might twenty ninth, when he DJed at one of many Seven Wonders of the Historical World.
Identical to Cox’s timeless techno tracks, the Nice Pyramids of Giza had been constructed to final an eternity. The tombs had been erected some 4,500 years in the past with an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks, every of which weigh as much as 15 tons, per Nationwide Geographic. If there have been ever a construction to resist Cox’s blood-pumping model of digital music, it is the Pyramids.
With the illuminated pyramids setting a mystical and jaw-dropping backdrop within the distance, Cox carried out an awe-inspiring DJ set filled with techno bangers that echoed by the Al Giza Desert.
David Guetta created a deepfake Eminem vocal—then dropped it a present
Will the true Slim Shady please arise?
Again in February, we reported that David Guetta paid homage to Eminem by growing a deepfake vocal and dropping it reside throughout a DJ set. He mentioned he prompted an AI-powered app to put in writing a verse about his signature future rave sound within the fashion of Eminem, then fed it by a separate platform to generate the eerie deepfake as if the Detroit hip-hop icon had been reciting the bars himself.
The social experiment proved to be a thought-provoking one given the proliferation of AI within the music business in 2023—and the way seemingly simple it’s to recreate an artist’s vocals with uncanny accuracy.
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Taylor Swift-themed raves toured the nation
Taylor Swift’s historic “Eras” tour by some means morphed into an digital music phenomenon in 2023. Amid the explosive success of the record-breaking tour, which is on tempo to turn into the most important in reside music historical past, Swift-themed raves proceed to pop up everywhere in the nation.
The organizers of a devoted collection of Swiftie raves have been attracting hundreds to their occasions, which mix heavy-hitting drops with Swift’s many singalong anthems.
In the meantime, a “Taylor Swift-Impressed Dance Celebration” is at the moment on an intensive nationwide tour, which has already hit Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago and plenty of different main cities. The occasion even took over New York Metropolis’s iconic Webster Corridor to shut out the summer time.
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SVDDEN DEATH needed to condemn fire-breathing at exhibits after ravers ignited plumes in a crowd
After a bunch of ravers engaged within the hazardous act of fire-breathing throughout a efficiency by SVDDEN DEATH, he spoke out to sentence their reckless actions.
The digital music famous person, one among EDM.com‘s finest music producers of 2022, headlined his personal curated pageant, Summoning of the Eclipse, again in October. Movies shared on social media within the wake of the occasion appeared to indicate a variety of attendees utilizing lighters to ignite and blow massive plumes of fireplace amongst the group watching his set.
The dangerous stunt is achieved by filling the cheek cavity with a lighter’s fuel earlier than sparking it as near the face as doable and spitting by pursed lips, forcefully directing the fuel by the flame. Most states require hearth performers to acquire a certificates of registration from their Hearth Marshal’s Workplace since newbie, unlicensed fire-breathers could have issue controlling the course of the blaze’s spray, typically resulting in extreme burns.
Emphasizing the significance of accountable pageant conduct, SVDDEN DEATH in the end took to social media to dump a sobering splash of chilly water on the ill-advised antics and condemn the “harmful” act of fire-breathing.
A $52 million adults-only mini golf course with reside DJs is coming to Vegas
Again in August, we reported on Swingers Loopy Golf, an adults-only miniature golf course coming to Las Vegas.
The model’s proprietors not too long ago raised $52 million to fund an enlargement and open the brand new Sin Metropolis offshoot, which is anticipated to debut within the spring of 2024. That includes 5 programs, the 21-and-up “loopy golf” expertise will tee up throughout 40,000 sq. toes of house contained in the Mandalay Bay Resort and On line casino.
There will not be any shushing right here as reside DJs spin dance music all through. And since liquid braveness is par for the course in Vegas, caddies will ship themed cocktails to gamers in addition to bites from Vegas street-food distributors.
Swingers Loopy Golf
A cache of medicine valued at $400,000 was seized at a rave in Australia
A bootleg rave in southern Queensland ended with the seizure of over $400,000 value of medicine by native authorities this summer time.
Titled “Weedy Wonka’s Winter Solstice,” the four-day occasion had been promoted by the use of social media. Its organizers reportedly tried to evade authorities by promoting a decoy deal with whereas the true gathering came about on a rural plot of land effectively exterior downtown Brisbane.
A big cache of medicine was seized, together with an estimated $160,000 value of ketamine and $127,000 value of MDMA. Illicit portions of hashish, cocaine, LSD and extra had been additionally recovered.
