While some celebrated quietly at home, electronic music fans rang in the New Year with epic sets, pretty lights and love from the ever-growing EDM family. Lights All Night returned to the Dallas Convention Center for 2013, selling out an impressive 40,000+ for its third consecutive year. If the extensive lineup didn’t take your breath away, there are plenty of other reasons people flock to Texas annually for this NYE affair. From the finest industry acts to a well-rounded festival experience, LAN has the potential to become the next major stop on everyone’s must-rave list.

The Changes LAN Made For 2013

It was condensed to two days (December 27th & 28th) this year instead of the conventional three; a New Year’s countdown usually being the highlight of the event. To make up for the absence of a day, Lights All Night added a Silent Disco stage (powered by Smooth Productionz), a Krewella Helicopter Fly Away Contest, an official after party featuring Dirtyphonics and Le Castle Vania at Zouk, and extended festival hours until 2AM to keep the party going.

Compared to last year when attendees were misinformed and left outside waiting for hours, this year was much more coordinated. Though the lines were still quite long, they were organized and moved at an acceptable pace for a sold out venue.

The only major complaint this year was the overwhelming presence of law enforcement and security. The entrance had many people feeling as if they had been teleported to the airport and were being scrutinized by the TSA. To some degree, this was very intrusive. On another note, the law enforcement was available to anyone that needed assistance. As long as you didn’t act out of line — they had no reason to bother you.

Visitors could choose from three tiers of entry: General Admission, VIP and Platinum VIP. VIP members received LAN swag packages including an official shirt and poster as well as a onsite host, private entrance, private bathrooms and VIP bar privileges. There were three stages with exclusive viewing areas for LAN VIP’s: The Mothership, the Boombox stage and Silent Disco. The Mothership served as the main attraction while the Boombox stage was a substantial (if not parallel) runner-up. The two stages were interconnected through an easy-to-find pathway separated by vendors, and one could quickly master the dynamics of traveling back and forth.

Silent Disco was the most unique addition to the Lights All Night family. For those that have never heard of Silent Disco, it’s an event where a DJ’s set is transcribed through wireless headphones instead of traditional speakers. Many people who attended this stage agreed that it was a beautiful getaway from the main stages. Thriftworks, Manic Focus, Kid Kamillion and Black Market Pharmacy were just a few of the prodigious acts that headlined the special stage with hip hop fundamentals, electro-soul, funky beats and heavy 808’s.

The Music

Lights All Night is always revered for its colossal lineup, and this year was no exception. Heavy-hitters such as Deadmau5, Above & Beyond, Kaskade, Major Lazer, A-Track, Krewella, Dirtyphonics, Carnage and Fedde Le Grande dominated the two main stages. Both The Mothership and the BoomBox stage were heavily populated all weekend.

The production level for the lights and overall sound was impressive and audible throughout the entire venue. The actual stage set-ups, however, could have used some fine tuning as it was awkward to view from side angles. The stage projections were also a bit mediocre in comparison to the rest of the production.

Nonetheless, I’m a sucker for Deadmau5’s music no matter what internet antics he may get himself into. His grand finale Friday at The Mothership was incredible. He popped things off with the super intense piece “Avaritia” from his Seven EP. He exhibited some of his newer tracks like “Infra Super Turbo Pig Cart Racer” all the while remixing classics such as “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,” “Raise Your Weapon” and “Strobe.”

Krewella gave a stellar performance as the other closing set at the Boombox stage. Intertwining live vocals with mixing, their set was comprised of a lot of hard style, throw-down party anthems and the hits that made them famous such as “Alive” and “Enjoy The Ride.” The crowd went crazy when they played their remix of Knife Party’s “Fire Hive (Krewella FUCK ON ME Remix).” But whether or not you prefer Krewella’s music, their innovation to the scene is phenomenal. LAN and Krewella held a contest for one lucky fan to fly around in a helicopter with them. Congrats to Austin Taylor for the ride of his life!

Furthermore, the moment that a lot of fans were eagerly awaiting was the healing melodies of ABGT at the Boombox stage. There was no shortage of fan-crafted ABGT signs waving among the sea of ravers. A&B dropped an emotional set consisting of favorites such as “Alchemy (Above & Beyond Club Mix),” “Mariana Trench,” “Sun & Moon,” and “Walter White.” The ultimate chef d’oeuvre was their current rework of New Order’s “Blue Monday (Above & Beyond Remix),” a synth-heavy throwback with a retro British vibe.

Of course one cannot forget to mention the obligatory Major Lazer set. Although everyone knows about Major Lazer’s insane energy, nobody could have predicted that Diplo would make it rain with paper bills, shoot off high impact smoke guns or roll around the crowd in a clear plastic ball. We couldn’t have asked for a more hyped up show. It was an extremely interactive stage full of (you guessed it) legendary lasers, aggressive ethnic sounds, hard bass and lots of amazing snare drum rolls.

Overall Experience

The Dallas EDM scene needs more time to grow, but I was pleasantly surprised by the crowd and overall presentation of Lights All Night. The people were friendly and respectful, and it was beautiful to see so many different kinds of people bonding together. Everyone that attended this year became part of one huge family, heartfelt cheers and claps erupting at the end of the end of the show. It was a comprehensive festival experience with notable production value and a great crowd.

WhiteRaverRafting also had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Dirtyphonics.

Check out the awesome Lights All Night Photos by Young Park Photography at the White Raver Rafting Facebook!

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