Read on Twitter
Okay, I promised this earlier so I'll make good on it now. It's been really difficult digging through so. many. posts. but here are some of my favorites.
Pls excuse the broken formatting in old posts, we have changed a lot since 2014.
(yes, this is a thread.) https://twitter.com/czarcruise/status/1386423518573711366
Pls excuse the broken formatting in old posts, we have changed a lot since 2014.
(yes, this is a thread.) https://twitter.com/czarcruise/status/1386423518573711366
It all started on an October day back in 2014 with a letter penned by me that welcomed EDM Identity into the world. And yes, my writing style hadn't matured quite yet, so be forewarned I was still very casual. https://edmidentity.com/2014/10/21/letter-from-the-editor-in-chief/
Things got off to a slow start. I remember being SO STOKED that we got 1k pgvws in the month of November 2014. I was still also writing for The Scene Is Dead as well (ty @keithwozniak)
That's how I covered Beyond SoCal 2015. https://edmidentity.com/2015/03/27/beyond-wonderland-socal-2015-event-review/
That's how I covered Beyond SoCal 2015. https://edmidentity.com/2015/03/27/beyond-wonderland-socal-2015-event-review/
Soon after I found myself doing my first two interviews when @Dyro and @Bassjackers came through San Diego. Pretty fun conversations that would set the tone for bigger and better things. https://edmidentity.com/2015/04/29/mla-qa-x-tour-with-bassjackers-and-dyro/
The first festival we would ever receive actual press for was Beyond Wonderland Bay Area that same year. https://edmidentity.com/2015/10/01/beyond-wonderland-bay-area-2015-event-review/
(Don't worry, I'll spare you from me doing this for each year, I just wanted to provide some context.) But here's why Escape is one of my favorites, penned back in 2015. https://edmidentity.com/2015/11/17/why-escape-is-one-of-my-favorite-insomniac-events/
If you've noticed by now, many of the festivals and events I have covered are Insomniac ones. I am from SoCal, after all. But I've taken pride in digging into their history over the years.
So maybe this is a good way for me to break the year thing and I'll talk about them a bit.
So maybe this is a good way for me to break the year thing and I'll talk about them a bit.
Over the years I've covered practically everything Insomniac-related from Beyond SoCal and Escape to Nocturnal and Countdown. I was there for the birth of Basscon, Factory 93, and Project Z.
Suffice to say, if there's a brand in the scene I've gotten to know well... it's them.
Suffice to say, if there's a brand in the scene I've gotten to know well... it's them.
I've seen their ups and downs for a decade now. I've done my best to give an accurate account of my experiences, even when I felt disengaged from one that I hadn't attended in years. https://edmidentity.com/2018/09/29/nocturnal-wonderland-2018-experience/
Or when things change drastically (for the better) and I found myself exploring something that felt truly new at the NOS Events Center. https://edmidentity.com/2019/11/04/escape-psycho-circus-2019-review/
And one of my last festivals before the pandemic was EDC Orlando, a first-time experience for me. Was it worth it? Yeah. https://edmidentity.com/2019/11/21/edc-orlando-2019-review/
Of course, how could I not mention EDC Las Vegas in that mix? It is one of my all-time favorites, after all.
I've covered that festival every single year since 2015 and have felt blessed to be able to do so.
I've covered that festival every single year since 2015 and have felt blessed to be able to do so.
One of my proudest series came in 2016, tho not fully curated by me, was our one surrounding EDC's 20th Anniversary. You can check out all of those here: https://edmidentity.com/?s=edc20
But this is my favorite: https://edmidentity.com/2016/05/03/edc20-edclv-builds-communities/
But this is my favorite: https://edmidentity.com/2016/05/03/edc20-edclv-builds-communities/
While the previous years had been great and while I felt inclined to share the reviews of '16,'17, and '18, I'd rather share this review of Camp EDC in 2019. It's one of my favorites. https://edmidentity.com/2019/05/30/camp-edc-2019-review/
So with that in mind, you can imagine the emotions I felt when I was writing this piece on the eve of the new year. https://edmidentity.com/2020/12/30/loss-of-plur-in-the-pandemic-a-reflection-on-2020/
Speaking of PLUR, here's a piece I have pinned to the top of my profile and one that acts as a true reflection of my experience. Want to know why I still do what I do today? Here's your answer. https://edmidentity.com/2018/03/18/affirmation-love-electronic-music/
Other festivals I've covered include Coachella, Summer Set Music Festival, Dirtybird Campout, Ultra Miami, and more... not to mention the countless shows too. The list just keeps growing. https://edmidentity.com/2017/04/12/ultra-music-festival-2017-review/
Moving onto artists... I've always been passionate about supporting rising stars and bigger names alike. Whether through our Artist Spotlight series, our top artists to watch (for me, house & techno), and other stories.
In fact, I take a lot of pride in the House & Techno Artists to Watch list each year, actually. And I've posted about it a lot on here too, pretty cool to see them explode.
I won't bore you with more links on that, but easily searchable on the site.
I won't bore you with more links on that, but easily searchable on the site.
But that's part of the reason why the passing of i_o last year really hit me hard. Here's that thread. https://twitter.com/czarcruise/status/1331391530557337600
I know this thread is getting lengthy, so I'll close it out with some of my favorite interviews. Starting with the world's biggest DJ (imho at least), @arminvanbuuren. Absolutely surreal to chat with him. https://edmidentity.com/2017/12/18/armin-van-buuren-interview/
Here's my conversation with @kaskade from a few years back that was a lot of fun. We really dove into REDUX and reminisced about Voyeur. https://edmidentity.com/2019/03/11/featured-interview-kaskade/
After missing out on an opportunity at UMF, I did get the chance to interview @afrojack, which was wild because I had been listening to his music for so long. https://edmidentity.com/2018/10/08/afrojack-featured-interview/
Another artist I followed for years has been @Showtek and this throwback chat really hits the spot, even to this day. https://edmidentity.com/2017/04/29/in-depth-interview-showtek/
My conversation with @djchuckie stands out as another one I thoroughly enjoyed. We were on the phone for at least half an hour. https://edmidentity.com/2018/06/21/chuckie-interview/
