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.
MUSIC RUNDOWN
Credit: tomdoms.com for Mysteryland
Friday night’s preparty, which was accessible only to the ~10000 campers, was a bit of a wash through no fault of the festival. Faced with bitter temperatures dipping below freezing, many campers raged through able sets from GTA and A-Trak but headed back to camp for the late-night festivities. Acid house legend Josh Wink’s excellent throwback set was sparsely attended, while techno god Richie Hawtin’s set fell on deaf ears. It really was a shame, as this was a well-booked night that, had it not been for the weather, would have made a great introduction. Of course, this gave everyone plenty of time to rest up for the main festivities.
Other than the spectacular mainstage (which we’ll touch on later) the Boat stage was probably the most packed throughout the weekend. After the positive reception of last year’s considerably smaller version, the bass-centric venue was reimagined as a steampunk steamboat, with a patron-accessible top deck and disco-balls adorning its midsection.
The Boat had a killer Saturday lineup. Bass artist (and Allston regular) Space Jesus got things started early with a mind-bending, unrelenting set that surely earned him some new fans. Manic Focus augmented his wild sounds with a live drummer and wearable Midi controller, while Beats Antique ably reigned in their epic setup to fit the stages limited confines. The stage’s overall highlight, however, was electro-funk supergroup Grizmatik. With it’s two members, Gramatik and Griz, playing the stage back to back, many in attendance expected a team-up between their respective sets; they instead surprised everyone by beginning at the start of Gramatik’s set. While it only lasted about half an hour, the duo lived up to expectations, playing a bravura live set with plenty of friends from Gramatik’s Lowtemp label.
Sunday’s Boat lineup was curated by Bro Safari which meant one thing- lots and lots of trap. With artists like ETC ETC, CRNKN, Gent and Jawns and, for some reason, I LOVE MAKONNEN, this was very much a love it or hate it stage aimed squarely at the bros in attendance. That said, it also featured a late-night appearance from UK bass innovator Doctor P and a widely-lauded set from TJR.
Techno was a big draw for Mysteryland last year, and though it occupied less stages in this iteration it was still well-represented. The heavily-branded Beatport Big Top was the largest area for it, playing host to curated lineups by techno greats Matthew Dear and Adam Beyer. Though the artist selections were on-point, most notably British producer Maya Jane Coles’ genre defying midday set and Beyer’s back-to-back with his wife Ida Engberg, the stage’s sound quality was disappointing and atmosphere fairly stuffy in comparison to the rest of the festival.
Much better was the return of NY superclub Verboten’s Spiegeltent. Styled after old-school saloons, the round, indoor stage sported audiophile-quality speakers, wooden flooring and booths and gorgeous stained glass. Spiegeltent felt like a contained, wonderfully removed entity within the more open fairgrounds, and maintained a darker sonic aesthetic throughout. It’s markedly different look and feel brought in plenty of techno newbies to a series of great shows, including a well-received set from The Martinez Brothers and a four hour marathon from Lee Burridge.
The bright-orange Label Tent, located on the outskirts of the festival, had the most surprising selections of the weekend. Saturday’s selection was set by hardstyle label Q-Dance, and as such was a wild affair. For those unfamiliar, the divisive genre features high-energy, high-BPM melodies that sound something like a robot on PCP being sucked into a jet engine. Yes, it’s not for everybody, but for the label’s dedicated fans the flame-spewing stage provided an apt setting for the madness, while those less versed in the genre (including AP'ss team) were offered a rightfully over-the-top sampling.
Sunday’s lineup in the label tent, curated by Webster Hall’s weekly party Girls+Boys, provided a much more accessible and absolutely excellent cadre of performers. After a warmup from resident DJ Alex English, a variety of forward-thinking beatmakers like Sweater Beats and Giraffage laid down sets that walked a perfectly balanced line between intelligence and hype. Though Bondax’s groovy, soul-influenced hour was a festival highlight, Australian future house artist (and Flume collaborator) Anna Lunoe stole the show. Beyond her incredibly fun, high-energy set, Lunoe’s radiant likability and commanding stage presence proved there is good reason for her rising profile in the EDM world.
The last side stage was the underappreciated Zeitgeist. The smallest by far, Zeitgeist’s fun design sported a mesh roof over which red balloons were blown to-and-fro by eye-winkingly bootleg box-fans. The lineup was also great through the weekend, with Skream and Lee Foss appearing on Friday and a takeover from legendary deephouse label French Express Sunday. However, a host of last-minute set changes and unfortunate conflicts with other performances kept the fun area from getting the crowds it should have.
Despite all the excellent design work in Mysteryland, the epic mainstage made it all seem like child’s play. The enormous, handpainted structure depicted two horses (one representing good, the other evil) rearing their heads into battle. Integrating bright beams, flamethowers, lasers, LED panels and firework setups, the stage lived up to the spectacle of many of it’s competitors mainstages while maintaining an artistic integrity that felt free of the typical mainstage kitsch.
In the afternoon, the mainstage highlighted many of the most exciting up-and-coming names. Duo Bob Moses’ dark, techno-tinged ballads translated surprisingly well to the sun-drenched field, while South African jamtronica act Goldfish threw down a lively performance, seemingly intent on using as many instruments as possible. M Machine and Classixx, both of whom normally play live sets, somewhat disappointingly elected to go the DJ route. That said, they both performed admirably, throwing down extended grooves to keep the audience dancing.
However, the mainstage was really there for the big shows, which became abundantly clear Saturday night when French wunderkind Madeon took the stage. Having recently released his excellent nu-disco debut album, many assumed this would be a simple, upbeat party. Completely unwilling to play into expectations, he delivered a deep, constantly genre defying set that, while featuring many of his own hits and plenty of house-centric bangers, delved consistantly into such wide-ranging styles as jungle and tech house. There was no thematic throughline to the set, but through masterful mixing and effervescent stage presence he strung it together into not only one of the best sets of the festival, but of the year so far.
The festivals most surprising booking, Australian synthpop duo Empire of the Sun, continued the night with true bravado, laying down rockstar performance with a side of true pageantry. As the band, adorned in some gloriously out-there costumes, went through their catalog of hits they were flanked by a crew of incredibly able dancers. The energy came to a head at the end of the penultimate song, as the song fell apart and frontman Luke Steele destroyed his guitar. Beyond the great performance, EotS’s sound, which was markedly different from most at the festival, provided a nice change of pace.
Saturday night closed with Porter Robinson, who adapted his stunning Worlds set to a festival environment. Everything we’ve said about this performance in the past remains true with a few simple changes, namely the addition of his remix of Nero’s “The Thrill” and some tweaks to the visual setup, as well as some trimming to meet time constraints which was most apparent on the extended breakdown of the glitchy “Second Soul.” Overall though, it remained the triumphant, tear jerking epic and possibly the best set of the festival.
Sunday night, Netsky fired up his live Drum and Bass show. Playing predominantly the keyboard, the Russian artist managed to translate his own high-tempo melodies and rhythms with help of another multi-instrumentalist and a drummer. The result felt more like an instrumental stadium rock show than EDM, and certainly represented a new live standard for a genre that is traditionally DJed. It also featured one of the least annoying hype men of all time, which was a wonder in itself.
Dillon Francis followed, and, well, it was a Dillon Francis set. Powerful house drops? Check. Handful of moombahton throwbacks? Check. Momentary digression into his alter-ego DJ Hanzel? One very deep check. That isn’t to say it was a bad thing- Dillon is a great DJ and this set was both well-scheduled and a lot of fun. For better or worse, though, it gave the audience exactly what they wanted and nothing more.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the festival was Diplo. The EDM don and twerk aficionado hardly inspired excitement when he was announced as the festival’s closer, mainly due to a string of lazy sets and clear preference to his Jack U project with Skrillex. However, the Mad Decent head through down one of the most intricately produced hype sets that we’ve seen in years. Stringing together Jamaican dancehall sounds, heavy trap and pretty much any other genre that made sense to him, all while using pop vocals as touchstones, Diplo’s set felt almost like a portrait of the current state of party music. His mixing was also incredibly active; while many previous sets have had him letting a Riff Raff song play out before letting a Flosstradamus song play out, ect, this time he refused to let anything go for more than a minute, dizzyingly moving from drop to drop without ever making it seemed forced. Apart from the assembly, there was nothing artful here, but those looking close out the festival raging walked away beaming.
Mysteryland’s musical selection was on point this year, especially impressive given it’s more bighouse-centric direction during last year’s festival. For an electronic festival of this size to get together such a forward-thinking assortment of artists, a surprising number of whom are playing instruments instead of just DJing, is quite commendable.