The EDM group has confirmed, time and time once more, that reality would not simply rival fiction—it remixes it into one thing a lot wilder.
Redefining bizarre in the absolute best manner, we danced our manner by way of a yr of inconceivable moments that appeared too outlandish to be true—however by some means have been. Although at instances robust to imagine, they remind us that the road between efficiency artwork and unintentional comedy within the EDM world stays delightfully blurry.
From robotic intercourse music movies to mosh pit diapers to Rebecca Black’s Boiler Room DJ set, the scene as soon as once more proved it thrives on the surprising. As we flip the web page on one other yr, learn on to find 24 of essentially the most absurd tales that truly occurred in 2024.
A Swedish pageant constructed an “IVF stage” to play headliners’ music for unfertilized embryos
Potential attendees of August’s Method Out West Competition, within the type of sperm and eggs, have been incubated to the sounds of the occasion’s headliners, together with Fred once more.. and Peggy Gou. In collaboration with the famend designer Love Hultén, the pageant developed a miniature “Future Fan Stage” at an IVF clinic in Stockholm.
This yr, we have added an extra stage to assist create future followers of nice music by ‘injecting’ stay recordings by the headlining artists into their DNA on the earliest stage doable—earlier than they even turn into fetuses,” Method Out West’s organizers stated on the time.
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Balenciaga bought a €3,500 “Raver Bracelet”
Gone are the times, apparently, of incomes your pageant stripes by way of precise experiences. In 2024, you may purchase the look of a seasoned raver with out ever having to endure fan-clackers or “woo-woo” chants, due to Balenciaga.
The glitterati reared its ugly head again in July, when the model launched a “Raver Bracelet” on the astounding worth of €3,500 (roughly $3,789 USD). The place high fashion meets dumpster dive, this overpriced piece of wrist sweet is distressed “to imbue it with a worn and aged look” as in the event you’ve been marinating in sweat, glitter and questionable life selections at EDC.
For the value of a visit to Europe, you can also sport this scrap of material, which featured in Balenciaga’s Autumn/Winter 2024 catalog and in addition got here in a nearly indistinguishable model with metallic threading for €4,500.
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Nicole Kidman stated she’s a raver
Proving that even essentially the most influential Hollywood’s icons crave the discharge of the dancefloor, Nicole Kidman revealed her secret ardour for raving and techno music. Who knew the Moulin Rouge star, who normally retains us all eyes vast shut together with her elegant demeanor, might commerce her corsets for a brat jumpsuit?
“I am a small social gathering particular person, however I do like a rave,” she stated in a latest purple carpet interview, including that she enjoys listening to techno.
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Liquid Demise launched a leather-based diaper to alleviate your self in mosh pits
Liquid Demise just lately took “staying hydrated” to a wild new degree. Teaming up with a producer of grownup incontinence merchandise, the water model launched a $75 grownup diaper for diehard concertgoers who refuse to depart the mosh pit—even for nature’s name. Dubbed the “Pit Diaper,” it bought out inside 24 hours.
Deorro threw a rave in a Chuck E. Cheese
Deorro took the phrase “children at coronary heart” to a complete new degree by turning Chuck E. Cheese into the rave venue we by no means knew we would have liked.
The family-friendly expertise tapped into the early aughts nostalgia with which longtime followers of the DJ grew up. He carried out stay from inside a customized automotive DJ sales space, turning the venue right into a membership dancefloor the place attendees might seize a slice of basic Chuck E. Cheese pizza, play retro arcade video games and meet the mouse mascot himself.
c/o The Unique Company
Boban Marjanović, the NBA’s tallest participant, DJed a Berlin rave parade
What’s it about taking part in heart within the NBA that turns you right into a DJ?
Most by now are acquainted with the digital music profession of Corridor of Fame NBA heart Shaquille O’Neal, followers of whom affectionately name DJ Diesel. This yr we noticed 7′ 4″ Houston Rockets star Boban Marjanović, who stands tied with two others because the NBA’s tallest participant, observe in his gigantic footsteps.
After releasing a techno monitor, “I Simply Wanna,” this summer time, Marjanović carried out a supersized DJ set throughout this yr’s “Rave The Planet” parade, a large celebration of techno tradition doubling as a religious successor to Berlin’s iconic Love Parade.
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Rebecca Black DJed for Boiler Room
And never even on a Friday.
An artist used a squijeeblion to make a weird cowl of Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Good Sprites”
Have you ever ever heard of an instrument referred to as a squijeeblion? Neither had we—till we found this weird cowl of Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Good Sprites.”
The eccentric instrument was invented by Leonard Solomon, who performs the duvet himself and recreates Skrillex’s dubstep basic with a zany, whimsical contact. The air-powered squijeeblion feels like a mix of wind devices, an organ and a foghorn, however the “bass drop” was essentially the most shocking sound of all.
Knock2 and ISOxo headlined a pageant DJing in a delivery container suspended by a crane
In a daring spectacle, ISOKNOCK—the collaborative powerhouse of ISOxo and Knock2—turned heads at North Coast Music Competition over Labor Day Weekend after they carried out from a DJ sales space suspended in a delivery container by a crane. The high-flying setup was an ideal metaphor for his or her meteoric trajectory up to now: elevated, dangerous and completely thrilling.
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A photographer was fined after his drone practically crashed into Fatboy Slim
Again in January, a UK courtroom ordered a photographer to pay over $1,100 in fines after he practically crashed a drone into Fatboy Slim.
The incident passed off on July twenty second, 2022 because the legendary digital music producer was DJing for a crowd of 8,500 at Brighton Seaside. Roughly quarter-hour earlier than Slim’s efficiency ended, an novice drone pilot flew his DJI Mavic Mini onto the stage and narrowly missed each the DJ and members of the group.
Digital music legend Jean-Michel Jarre went airborne in a revolutionary flying automotive
Jean-Michel Jarre grew to become the first-ever passenger to journey in a groundbreaking flying automotive, which its builders referred to as “a brand new period of transportation with a contact of magic.”
That is in keeping with Stefan Klein, an inventor, pilot and the Founder and CEO of KleinVision. The corporate’s AirCar, which transforms from a sports activities automotive right into a airplane in minutes, was licensed to fly in 2022 and its proprietors reportedly hope to carry it to market subsequent yr.
Justice launched a music video with a robotic intercourse scene
2024 was the yr of Justice. Their comeback album, Hyperdrama, was one of many yr’s greatest. Again in February the long-lasting duo launched an astonishing music video for “Generator,” which comes with a disclaimer on YouTube: “This video could also be inappropriate for some customers.”
Depicting a sexual “dalliance” between two humanoid robots, the video explores sexuality by way of a transhumanist lens as they tear each other’s pores and skin with their tooth to disclose the circuitry inside.
Miami acquired hit by essentially the most rain within the historical past of the town on the primary day of Extremely Music Competition
Though it was clear and sunny for Extremely’s remaining two days, Miami on Friday obtained 2.34 inches of rain, a every day file for the town. White sneakers become mud bricks as Extremely’s free-spirited ravers frolicked by way of the flooding, partying and bellyflopping within the streets.
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Somebody purchased Avicii’s guitar for over $25,000
Again in October, a particularly uncommon public sale of Avicii’s private belongings raised over $700,000 in help of his household’s efforts to advocate for suicide prevention. 267 of the late EDM icon’s private objects hit the public sale block and all proceeds benefitted the Tim Bergling Basis, a philanthropic group launched within the wake of his dying.
The most costly merchandise? Avicii’s customized Martin X Collection acoustic guitar, which fetched over $25,000.
Sean Eriksson
A person climbed to the highest of the Las Vegas Sphere, the world’s largest spherical construction
Seems, scaling huge buildings with out permission is not as glamorous because it seems to be on Instagram. A content-creating activist was arrested again in February after climbing to the highest of the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere, the world’s largest spherical construction, which stands 366 ft tall and 516 ft vast.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Division referred to as the person’s actions a “publicity stunt” forward of Tremendous Bowl LVIII. After reportedly inflicting $100,000 in injury, he acquired a unique form of “excessive” to get pleasure from: the view from a jail cell at the Clark County Detention Heart.
deadmau5 caught a drone with a butterfly web onstage at EDC Las Vegas
In a weird mid-set maneuver at EDC, deadmau5 went full entomologist and used a butterfly web to ensnare a wayward drone. Ironic since he wasn’t performing underneath his TESTPILOT alias, however we digress.
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Spotify execs cashed out the identical sum of money it could take an artist 314 billion streams to make
Spotify executives reportedly cashed out over $1.1 billion in firm inventory in 2024, a determine that will take artists an astronomical 314 billion streams to match by way of royalties. That is in keeping with Music Enterprise Worldwide founder Tim Ingham, who bemoaned the disparity after the outlet reported Spotify CEO Daniel Ek bought 875,000 shares of Spotify for a complete of $283 million this yr.
That determine pales compared to the money amassed by Ek’s co-founder, Spotify ex-Chairman Martin Lorentzon, who bought 1,488,364 shares for a staggering $556.77 million. The numbers underscored the continuing pressure between Spotify and musicians, who’ve lengthy argued that the streaming big’s compensation construction is essentially damaged as they wrestle to earn a residing wage from the royalties generated by their music.
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Tesla’s Optimus Bot stated Daft Punk is its favourite artist
When a robotic says it loves Daft Punk, you understand the long run has arrived.
Again in October, we found a video during which Tesla’s Optimus bot stunned a bunch of inquisitive attendees on the firm’s “We Robotic” occasion with its high music decide: Daft Punk. Talking with the group, the bot additionally stated digital dance music is its favourite style earlier than referring to the legendary duo by identify.
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A 9-year-old DJ grew to become the youngest to ever carry out at Tomorrowland
DJ Archie, 9, as soon as once more proved that age is only a quantity after changing into the youngest to ever DJ at Tomorrowland, taking the world’s main EDM pageant by storm in July. The spectacular milestone adopted his record-breaking achievement at Glastonbury, the place he grew to become the youngest DJ to grace the legendary UK fest the summer time prior.
Archie’s journey into the world of music began nearly as quickly as he might stroll, guided by his father, DJ Essex. By the age of 4, he had already set a Guinness World Report because the world’s youngest membership DJ.
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Somebody developed expertise that lets crops play music with bionic arms
The far-fetched idea of crops performing stay music grew to become a actuality in April, due to the Manchester-based duo Bionic and the Wires. Their ingenious equipment equips crops with bionic arms, enabling them to provide music from a standard metal handpan drum and even a violin.
On the core of their efficiency, the duo makes use of sensors connected to the plant’s leaves to detect bio-signals generated throughout photosynthesis. The alerts are then transformed into electrical inputs that energy the robotic limbs, enabling the plant to work together with musical devices.
These iPhone ringtones? They have been created by Flying Lotus
This was definitely higher than the time Apple pressured a U2 album on everybody’s iPhones.
An August episode of the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz revealed that two iPhone ringtones have been secretly written by Flying Lotus. Launched in 2019 as part of Apple’s iOS 13, “Dawn” and “Chalet” have been out there to all iPhone customers.
Flying Lotus reveals he wrote two of iPhone’s ringtones: “Dawn” and “Chalet” pic.twitter.com/McUO7FxZMn
— Trendy Notoriety (@ModernNotoriety) August 21, 2024
Will Ferrell grew to become the 4th member of Swedish Home Mafia for an evening
Who knew Ricky Bobby was into home music?
Saturday Night time Stay icon Will Ferrell hosted Chicago’s “Final DJ Home Celebration,” a charity occasion to help Most cancers For Faculty. Described as a “distinctive and wild celebration of home music,” the philanthropic present in October noticed Ferrell take the stage with the legendary Swedish Home Mafia trio.
Self-driving automobiles stalled and blocked site visitors out of Portola Competition
The way forward for transportation hit a pace bump in late-September, when a handful of Google’s self-driving Waymo autos malfunctioned and blocked site visitors exterior San Francisco’s Portola Music Competition. The corporate, which is taken into account among the many world’s preeminent autonomous car firms, makes use of a mixture of AI, lidar and machine studying to navigate metropolis streets.
One irate attendee could not care much less, urging Portola’s organizers, Goldenvoice, to ban Waymo from the pageant’s grounds in a contentious Reddit thread.
On our manner out of @PortolaFestival we acquired mega caught behind two confused @Waymo automobiles. Thanks guys, nice work letting them free when there’s a serious music pageant occurring within the metropolis ❤️ pic.twitter.com/39TBSQuVh5
— Nima (@heythereitsnima) September 29, 2024
A GoFundMe marketing campaign raised over $500 to switch DJ decks drenched in urine
After a DJ’s decks have been “soaked in pee” throughout a celebration, he launched a GoFundMe to switch the broken gear. The digital music group rallied, proving as soon as once more that nothing brings folks collectively like a superb trigger—and a little bit of, properly, surprising bodily fluid. Donations flooded in, and by January 2024, he’d raised over $500.
