In the current landscape of big electronic festivals, it is increasingly difficult for producers to organize an event that sets itself apart from its competitors. While they have their own personal flourishes, mainstays like Ultra, Electric Daisy Carnival and Electric Zoo have suffered an increasing homogenization over the years- the same big name acts and a veritable arms race of stage design to be as flashy as possible and sell enough tickets to stay afloat. For electronic fans looking for more than just a party, this lack of imagination has grown increasingly tiresome and even turned some away from the scene. Northeast fans were in for a treat on Memorial Day weekend, however, as this years Mysteryland USA soundly bucked this trend.
The sophomore outing for the American take on Dutch producer ID&T’s long-running Netherlands festival, MLUSA curated an experience that went to great lengths to be both accommodating and memorable. While a lot of this was rooted in the music, which catered to a wide range of genre interests without playing into too many obvious bookings, Mysteryland’s success went deeper than that. Between the gorgeous, fairytale-esque world the producers put together and the mature and positive crowd it drew, not to mention its excellent location on the grounds of the original Woodstock, Mysteryland made a sound case for being the EDM festival for fans who are tired of EDM festivals, as well as a great first choice for anyone looking to dip their toes in the scene.
With any festival, the booked acts are make or break where reception is concerned, though this year ID&T wasn’t looking to play it safe. While last year the mainstage hosted some of the most overrated and unimaginative names in bigroom house, including Steve Aoki, Kaskade and Nicky Romero, this year it swung towards artists pushing a more imaginative sound- almost overwhelming with live instrumentation rather than DJing. From Porter Robinson’s spellbinding Worlds set to Netsky’s impressive translation of drum and bass to keys and kits, as well as dark horse booking Empire of the Sun’s pageantry-laden synthpop performance, these were predominantly artists who challenged their audience rather than just stimulate them. Mixed with an assortment of techno, future house, electro funk and, yes, trap, it was a lineup that catered more to deeper music fans rather than just people looking to party.
Maybe it was playing on such a legendary site, but artists brought their a-game. From blistering tracks at the hardstyle stage to disco grooves on the mainstage to the consistently majestic sets that graced the epic mainstage, almost every set had rave reviews (with the possible exception of I LOVE MAKONNEN, who seemed to have no better idea why he was there than his audience.) Mysteryland also never skimped on stage production. From the flamethrowers in the Label Tent to the spectacular fireworks displays that flanked the mainstage each night, the producers knew how to contribute to the energy of sets without overdoing it. For a more indepth look at the weekend’s acts, as well a peek at the beautiful stages that hosted them, click through to the second page.
Of course, while the music was central to the experience it was the visual presentation of the grounds that defined it. ID&T’s creative team has an indomitable eye for aesthetic and created an incredibly immersive site that complimented the music it housed. From the armchairs and piles of books that made up the campground’s central plaza to a swinging chair made of stitched-together stuffed animals that sat next to a two story teddy bear in the main area, the venue was a tapestry of fantastical scenes, bound not to a central concept but rather a grander sense of whimsy. Looking in any given direction, you were sure to see something new that was both weird and wonderful.
The producers also ably integrated non-musical attractions into the venue area. Massive installations like the fire-warping geodesic dome Incendia and an unsurprisingly satisfying life size version of the board game Mousetrap created lively displays in areas of the grounds that ordinarily would have been dead space. These larger-than-life assemblies were balanced out by smaller but equally amusing setups, including a hot tub-sized ball pit and an intricate house of mirrors that flipped your reflection to show you a “true” version of yourself. There was also the much-touted Healing Garden, which brought together everything from meditation, yoga and massage to a speaker stage focusing such topics as festival culture and dream analysis, offering a more peaceful alternative to the high-energy activities that made up most of Mysteryland. While it was easy to spend all day catching as many world-class acts as possible (trust us, we tried) having such a variety of attractions to interact with made the festival seem much more fleshed out than many of its competitors.
Mysteryland also truly nailed a hit-and-miss element of festival life: the food. While festie eats have gotten better overall recently, ID&T took things a step further by bringing in acclaimed Brooklyn food festival Smorgasburg. While nothing on offer was exactly fine dining, the vendors offered imaginative and incredibly tasty takes on fries, burgers, tacos, BBQ and vegan fare, all for very reasonable (by festival standards) prices. With this in addition to a stand offering a special menu from superclub Verboten’s head chef, those looking to eat well were taken care of.
None of this is to say that ID&T got everything right. As it was last year, the festival was cashless, meaning guests would store credit on their wristband that most vendors would take exclusively. This caused some ire Value was stored in a dedicated currency called Birdie Bucks rather than dollars, making for an exchange rate ($20=9BB) that many considered deceptive, as well as a surcharge to return unused value at the end of the weekend. Cashless systems have great potential at festivals, but if word of mouth is any indication MLUSA would make people happier with a switch to USD.
Organization aside, what really made this festival so great was its people, who were far more positive and mature than those you find at most electronic events. While most parties of this size attract a host of Wooks and Broravers, Mysteryland’s audience, which numbered under a little under 20,000 onsite at a time, was made up predominantly of fun-loving music fans more interested in catching sets than causing trouble. All of our interactions over the weekend were positive, and a distinct lack of aggro, even on Sunday’s trap stage, made for a very comfortable vibe. While a good audience isn’t necessarily something to credit to the festival itself, there was a palpable sense that a festival like this just drew these kinds of people.
Additionally, the 21+ age restriction meant that while most were looking to get buzzed in one way or another, they generally kept it to themselves and stayed within their limits. Through the weekend we only saw a couple of people in bad shape and had just one ask us for molly, miraculous numbers in comparison to the sloppiness on display at many of Mysteryland’s competitors. Over-consumption by no means defines other festivals, but with the rash of overdoses and arrests that have tarnished the image of the scene, it was a breath of fresh air going to a weekend party where everyone kept their shit together.
Between the organization, the vibes, the visual and practical construction and, oh yeah, the music, Mysteryland provided an experience this year that is easy to recommend. While the festival may not have had quite as many big-name bookings as some of its competitors, it’s producers made up for it with an acute awareness of how different elements contribute to an overall experience, succeeding almost unanimously in bringing their vision to life. While its high price tag (~$350 for campers) has put off many fans, the level of immersion, spectacle and intelligence with which this year’s festival was assembled cement it as anything but a cash grab, while the moderately sized and completely approachable audience make it a no-brainer for a positive EDM experience.