THINKBOX THINKS: Ilesoniq 2015

Fans wait year-round for the events that are the cornerstones of their passion, where they're free to be weird and let their freak flags fly.

For anime lovers it's Otakuthon, for food lovers, it could be any of the food-themed events in the Montreal area, but for those of us who live to be lost in a crowd of colors and feel the bass at the very center of our souls it is indisputably the ÎleSoniq electronic music festival. The fest spanned over two days and vast expanses of Parc Jean-Drapeau. The baby of Montreal's music festivals is growing fast, and drew attendees to internationally-acclaimed headliners this year, a wealth of activities and stages that people are itching to rave at again next year. This is the best and the worst of ÎleSoniq 2015.

In the early hours of Friday afternoon, I was drawn to the forest rave-esque Neon Stage for an extravagant set that drew up a small and happy audience. Hearing Prince Club's techno set after discovering my love for the genre earlier this summer made me feel the festival love early on. I couldn't help but revel in how good it felt to be home in the smooth, immersive sound and beautiful scenery. During Kaskade later in the evening, I remembered that this edition of ÎleSoniq would mark my third time seeing Deadmau5, and I have yet to be disappointed by his unique sound. Some other responses from festival-goers might contradict my opinion on his performance, though. I overheard words like "S**t", "boring", and "not banger" but Niagara Falls native Joel Zimmerman wouldn't have booking over booking over booking if there wasn't something amazing and precious about all of his shows. As one person told me, when it comes to Deadmau5's music "it's all about being patient", and it always pays off.

As for Saturday, I might be a little bit biased in saying that Will Sparks was one of the best sets because of three things. The first being that I've been waiting for about a year to see him, the second being that I had just interviewed him, and the third – the hard lemonade (which, by the way, was delicious) that I chugged in an effort to calm my nerves after the interview. But star-struck-ness and alcohol aside, Sparks knows how to work a crowd. His high-energy, signature sound is really popular now, and despite the rain and mud, it was clear that people had the time of their lives during his performance. You can listen to Thinkbox's interview with Will Sparks right here.

But, as expected, every paradise has its problems. I know that ÎleSoniq was not without its group of talent-less male Djs, but everyone already knows that. I also really hate to slant my words towards negativity when it comes to women in dance music, but I need to say something about Delora's performance (or lack thereof). A colleague told me that they hardly touched the decks during their run, and I argued against her until I went to wait for Will Sparks' set, certain that she was wrong. The energy in Delora's set was solid, and really had people going. But they hardly touched the decks for the 15 minutes that I saw them. When you have people like Black Tiger Sex Machine playing at the same time, it makes me wonder what people really go to these types of festivals for. Then again, I was wondering that anyway. Maybe I'm a bitter spinster with no friends, but since when are music festivals about talking? Seriously, people at these festivals Do. Not. Shut. Up. I thought ÎleSoniq was a dance music festival. You know... the kind where people dance?! No? Nevermind then....

There were some unexpected highs at the festival, though. When listening to Shiba San before the festival, I can admit that I was expecting to be bored, but when I arrived to the Bud Light stage on Friday evening, I was regretting my decision of contemplating my lonely existence during Borgeous' love-fueled, festival banger set and wishing I listened to more more of Shiba's. While we're on the topic of stages, what was last year no more than an extended tent and some speakers, the Neon stage (sponsored by Stingray Music) is now situated in the middle of a green area full of trees and a soft dirt dance floor that allows for every show to feel like an intimate experience. Another thing that had me in awe was Die Antwoord. Watching the performance could be compared to walking in to a fetish party—you're pretty weirded out at first, but by the end of the night, naked asses and pit bull masks are kind of normal, and you're thinking its freaky and you like it... A lot.

The best thing that I saw all weekend had to be from the festival organizers themselves. While I was dancing, I saw a small packet in a girl's hand, which I recognized as a snort safer mini-pack, for those who chose to partake in substances. This kit was the first thing in the wealth of improvements to the festival, including an place for the nap squad to turn up. An area filled with tall and lush trees that provided great shade and places to hang hammocks for those who wanted, and some who needed a rest. The harm reduction approach that the festival has decided to take is, in my opinion, the right way to go. From the bad trip advice notice boards to the massage tables at the main stage, ÎleSoniq is definitely doing the right thing for their participants, and my hope is that they'll get on the same level as Shambahla Festival in B.C. and offer testing to their participants as well.

All in all, I can't say that I was disappointed. I did miss Showtek, Above & Beyond, DVBBS, and a few other acts that I wanted to see, but all is fair in love and festivals. My ÎleSoniq adventure ended in the first half-hour of Snails' vomitstep set, which gave me the opportunity to officially tire myself out but simultaneously give me the energy for my next set of bloody, bassy, ÎleSoniq-themed adventures.

--Tune in to The Machine Stops this Friday, August 20th 2015 from 9-10 AM ET to hear more about Thinkbox's ÎleSoniq experience, and tune in again next week to hear the crazy continuation!