Lie down in your bed at home. Put your TV on full blast with a sitcom with lots of talking and laugh tracks. Now set up about three different stereo systems playing amazing electronic music with the bass cranked up until the ground shakes. This is what it’s like trying to sleep at WEMF.

The sun graced us with it’s presence on Saturday, so bikini-clad women and shirtless fellas felt at home enjoying the music and getting to know the campers around them. The community stages kept all of “tent city” happy with non-stop music and good vibes. I personally burnt myself to a crisp (Just because it’s SPF 45, doesn’t make you any less pasty), but I was out to catch Warrior Music at the Tower for 1 p.m.

The entirety of Rage Valley by Knife Party and the Luminox remix of Rattle were played by a majority of the DJs, and Saturday was no exception. DJs like Hydee, Everfresh and Bad Company UK hit the Tower all afternoon with some of the best in dubstep, drum and bass and electro.

The crowd started to fill in the early evening, just in time for our good buddies Adventure Club. The crowd sang along to their popular remix of “Crave You” and went nuts for “Need Your Heart”. At the same time, DJ Jelo andMimosa played for loyal fans on the Time Stage, with two very energetic performances.

Darkness brought the glow sticks and visuals back, as well as an absolutely stacked line up. Trolley Snatcha, The Killabits and Pendulum within hours of each other was incredible. During the pandemonium, a movie calledGlobal Groove Network was shown at Center Camp and pulled in the partiers looking to rest their legs. Vancouver native Felix Cartal played an amazing set on the Time Stage, and Dub FX wowed after that, making me even more excited for their return to Ottawa in a few weeks.

Use your imagination and go way back to 2002. A rapper named Eminem said a little something like this:

“And Moby? You can get stomped by Obie
You thirty-six year old baldheaded fag, blow me
You don’t know me, you’re too old, let go
It’s over, nobody listens to techno”

Well Eminem, you should rethink that statement. I am not at all ashamed to say that Moby was one of my top three performers of the whole weekend, and the man was a machine. Jumping on stage, going to the edge and taking pictures with fans, clapping down to the songs – there’s a reason this man is a god in EDM, and he showed it on Saturday. He even played a remix of Fatboy Slim’s Ya Mama (Push The Tempo) while my childhood flashed before my eyes. Even a handful of earlier artists, like Eviction and Mimosa hung around to see this legend work his magic.

Across the field and to my absolute joy, one of my favourite UK acts Chase and Status played some of their hits like “Time” and “Flashing Lights”, and even a little Kanye and Jay-Z. Andy C followed, going into my books as one of the best Drum and Bass acts I’ve seen since I started listening to all things EDM. If there was any time you wish you could be two places at once, it was right then, as Infected Mushroom and their orb-like set up was visually stunning.

As the three hours of sleep I got started to take it’s toll, Figure, Torro Torro, The Crystal Method and Vilify kept going until the sun started to peak back up over the trees.

How could I sum up the weekend? Amazing. For that many amazing DJs to be in one place all at the same time is mind-blowing, and the atmosphere and excitement from everyone attending was insatiable. I will be back next year, because that was the best festival I have ever been to in my life.

Photo by Antony Doniewski – Full album here.

Read the story on theknwldg.com here.