Over the course of my teenage years I struggled to discover my place in life. I spent days wondering why everyone had their own little clique when I still couldn’t seem to find what interested or motivated me. These thoughts began to eat away at me. I desired that feeling of knowing what I wanted out of life, or even to simply find a passion or a hobby that I genuinely cared about. It all sort of clicked when I discovered electronic dance music. I was about 19 years old and since then I couldn’t imagine life without it. I’ve have finally found something that drives me to be who I want to be, EDM gears me towards a clearer future. This small world of diverse, ever changing music has effected my life in the most positive way. I’m proud to say that I know who I am: A loving fan of Electronic Dance Music.
The Beginning:
My journey into the EDM world began when I attended my first show alongside my sister, Natasha, who took me to see Deadmau5 when I was a sophomore in college. At the time I knew only a few electronic artists and a grand total of two deadmau5 songs. I had never experienced dance music live and originally I was on the fence about attending. However, I was fully confident in my sister’s judgment of good music. The stories she had told me left me itching to see what all the hype was about.
I remember every moment of the entire night. I felt a surge of energy as our car traveled to the venue. Soon feelings of anxiousness took over my body and when we arrived blissful vibes filled the air. On the line my eyes met an array of beaded bracelets, neon shirts, shorts, headbands, giant replicas of Deadmau5 heads, and home-made costumes. Once I walked in I felt as if I had entered an entirely different world. The whole venue lit up with mouse inspired graphics scanning across the DJ booth while light shows went on in every corner. I stepped closer to the stage, girls skipped hand and hand to the front railing. I began to feel that there was a sense of unity while walking around the outskirts of the crowd. My sister pulled me closer to the stage as I stared and complimented everyone’s outfits. Suddenly the bass changed, tempo raised, and that famous mouse head – which I’d only seen in videos – was now right in front of me. I couldn’t look away, I was hooked. I remember hearing one of the only tracks I knew, “Sophie Needs A Ladder”, and smiling ear to ear as Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5) started bouncing to the beat. The crowd grew louder and larger as time elapsed. The stunning production kept me completely mesmerized. When it ended, I wanted nothing more than to hit rewind.
Now, I know it seems a little unbelievable that after one live performance someone could be hooked to a whole new genre of music. However, it wasn’t just the music, it was the people, the atmosphere and the overall amount of effort that goes into one live EDM event. What hooked me was the crowd and the energy that came from everyone around me. I’ve never felt connected to anything as much as I did that night. The image of my sister being on her boyfriend’s shoulders and reaching down to grab his hand as one of their favorite progressions transpired always replays in my head. I recall staring up at their hands as she threw her head back and smiled. I began to feel and desire that love and connection to the music.
When I returned back home all I could talk about was the atmosphere at the show and how everyone of my friends needed to download the tracks that I had experienced live. I tried explaining every moment of the night and received confused looks and responses like, “It’s just a DJ,” or “It’s the same beat, isn’t it?“. I looked at it in a completely different way, EDM was now something I cared for and ultimately wanted more knowledge about. I took a small risk, stepped out of my comfort zone, and discovered a style of music that will forever resonate within my heart.
Rave Family:
I found myself attending shows every month. I’d spend every waking moment searching artists and discovering new genres within the electronic scene. When I wasn’t at a show I was watching a trailer or day dreaming about the next festival I planned on attending.
After attending show after show, I realized another contributing factor that added to my love for EDM: my siblings. Both my sister and my brother have always been there raving by my side. With the three of us constantly being at different stages in our lives it’s relieving to know that I’ll be able to reunited with them every month for a show. The three of us have always shared a strong passion for music. Since discovering EDM, it has become a habit and a shared fix that we’ve grown to communicate about daily. When we are together all we do is laugh, share music, and discuss situations going on in the EDM scene.
My rave family continues to be a significant addition to my love for EDM. In the rare occurrence that I’m stuck raving without these two, there’s always a video being shared or a phone call reminding them of how much I wished they were beside me.
Life is full of moments that we cherish and continuously play back in our heads. The moments I cherish the most are filled with memories and flashbacks of events that have shaped my love and passion for electronic music. Below are photographs I’ve kept to remind me of the small but extraordinary moments that I’ve shared with people who have made me the raver I am today. I’ve come to the conclusion that moments like the ones below will always remind me of why I am proud to be a loving member of the Electronic Dance Music family.
Experiencing my first ever electronic festival: Electric Zoo New York 2012:
We all have a rave crew who we feel lost without. There’s no one else I’d rather rave with than the beautiful people listed below. <3 (Jami Gunzenhauser, Tom Maxim, Jamal Krolowitz, Natasha Krolowitz…):
Oh… and Steve Janowski 🙂
I had the pleasure of introducing someone new, (Jackie DeCuffa), to the EDM scene. The two of us experienced a world-wide known festival – Ultra Music Festival (Miami):
EDM introduced me to new friends and family who I’ve always enjoyed being with. One friend in particular who brought me closer to the dance world is Tyree Davis (someone every raver should meet, dance with, and follow on Twitter :P). We grew up in the same town and became great friends through our love and passion for music. In the picture below I ended up finding Tyree in a crowd of thousands of people during day two at Ultra Music Festival 2013:
I had the pleasure of volunteering alongside the Insomniac team at Electronic Daisy Carnival New York 2013. I went in knowing absolutely no one, but ended up meeting amazing people who all gathered together for the same reason. Two of the individuals I met Vanessa Lynn, (Left) and Danielle Castellanos (Right) ended up being my rave family for the day and made every moment of EDC unforgettable:
I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few DJs at shows/festivals and it is always a thrill. One of my most memorable moments is meeting Bro Safari! 🙂
Riding in Aoki’s raft is one thing, but meeting someone new and sharing an experience is a whole other story. It’s funny how the smallest occasions have added to the bond I have with EDM. At an Aoki show in Buffalo, New York, the girl pictured to the right of me below hugged me after getting off the raft and told me how happy she was that we shared that moment together. I gave her one of my kandi bracelets and later that evening someone tagged me on her Instagram, the picture was of the beaded trinket. That small feeling of creating a connection with someone I’ve never met made the entire night extra special.
I plan on forever having my siblings (Natasha and Jamal Krolowitz) by my side at each and every electronic music event I attend. Camp Bisco 12 was an experience that every raver should have. The three of us bonded over late nights exploring the festival grounds, meeting new people from all across the country, waking up to an array of diverse performers and producers, and continuing to hold on to the memories shared at our campsite – which ultimately became our home.
Editorial note: Since discovering EDM, my proudest moment and accomplishment is becoming a member of the WhiteRaverRafting family. I’ve grown to admire each and every one of WRR’s members and hope it continues to prosper as much as it already has in the world of competitive electronic blogs. Being a member of this website has truly kept me loving and learning so much about the scene. I can only hope to meet every one of the talented people who make up WRR one day. 🙂