If you opened Instagram last August, you would undoubtedly be scrolling through endless posts of Tamalpais High School students at the San Francisco music festival, Outside Lands.
Within the gates of the historic Golden Gate Park, a whole different world exists, especially inside the club-like SOMA tent, which is fully indoors, unlike the rest of the festival. Inside, the only light is provided by the occasional lasers that strike the dance floor. The aspect of the SOMA tent that I find the most spectacular is the energy.
With my friends trailing behind, we rushed to as close to the stage as we could get. With each step we took, I could feel the bass shake my body. In between the flashes of the lasers, I could see people embracing each other. From the moment I walked in, I was enthralled by the Electronic Dance Music (EDM).
As a 17-year-old boy, I have never had the clubbing experience. Instead, I turn my lights off while flashing my LEDs, and turn up my speakers while watching DJ sets in hopes to feel a fraction of the emotion I see before me.
After returning to school for my junior year, it was clear to me that this feeling — the EDM hysteria — was an epidemic.
“Whether I’m in my car, at a friend’s house, hitting in the batting cages, or even in class, there is EDM,” junior Finnegan McGrane said. “I don’t think I understood how connected people, especially at Tam, were to the genre. It’s really incredible.”
EDM’s grip on Tam students is ever-growing, especially as many world-famous artists and DJs are coming to the Bay.
Australia’s Dom Dolla and Fisher have recently announced shows in San Francisco, erupting hype across the Tam community. Furthermore, Belgium’s Charlotte De Witte has also announced shows in the Bay Area. Though some of these shows are limited to those aged 18 or older, the student body who attended Outside Lands are reminiscing. There truly is no place in the country where you have such a melting pot of people who share the same love for EDM.
“I really can’t wait. These shows, whether they are or aren’t, feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” junior Gus Merkham said. “I really don’t think there are many places where you’re able to see such amazing artists so close to home.”
“The Bay Area has a vibrant and thriving dance music culture and community … I love the way [dance] music can create an environment for any occasion and move people on a dancefloor,” DJ Dave Mak said.
Mak, who was heavily influenced by the early dance music movement in Detroit, Chicago, and New York, began mixing for his college radio station.
“To this day, I still DJ, continue to hone my craft, and frequently DJ at nightclubs, private parties around the Bay Area and beyond. You can hear some of my mixes on Soundcloud djdmak,” Mak said.