Something Wicked: Day 2 Review

Coverage by Parnia Razi and Christopher Kalwick

Day two of Something Wicked definitely heated up as things got spookier and weirder. The weather warmed up a bit, everyone was dressed up in their costumes, and the acts of the day also brought on the heat with many headbangers and hits. Coog Radio was there to give you the full scoop on what went down.

SolarStone

Coming from Wales, Irish Dj Richard Mowatt, or Solarstone, has been an influential artist in the trance community. He is a dedicated trance artist who leads the “pure trance movement”, where his dedication to sticking to the trance roots holds tight. Solarstone released a series of hits including the song “Seven Cities” which reached number 39 in the UK singles charts. The song is considered one of the prime Balearic trance anthems and has been remixed by a series of notorious artists such as Armin Van Buuren and V-Ones. You will hardly find a trance lover that does now know who Solarstone is, and it showed by the crowd at Something Wicked. Holding down the mystic meadows stage, Solarstone put on an intricate and smooth performance. His set included some of the fan favorites like “Seven Cities”, “Concentration Vs. Summer Calling” by Danny Eaton & Andian, “Nuclei” by Active Lab, and much more. His set was amazing, hopefully, he will make an appearance at the next something wicked.

-Christopher

Ganja White Night

Ganja White Night brought the good vibes on the lovely second day of the festival, playing several songs with tribal-inspired beats, but also playing some heavier headbangers. They had a strong set, and everyone was getting into it and dancing. The true ravers came out with all their totems, flags, and light toys, adding to the energy of the sets. Playing and mixing mostly their own music, I was impressed by their stylistic diversity and talent as a DJs. They were perfect to be playing a bit earlier in the day, as he got everyone hyped up and energized. Overall, the set was impressive considering they are lesser known than some of the other acts of the day, and it fit well into the rest of the lineup of the fest.

-Parnia

Zeds Dead

Zeds Dead, playing at the main stage, was clearly a crowd favorite and rave classic. They had some pretty sick drops, everyone was going wild, and they had a good balance of mixing other popular EDM songs as well as playing some of their own hits like “Frontlines” and “Collapse.” Being one of my personal favorites too, I felt how happy, loving, and positive the crowd felt, and experiencing those moments together felt beautiful. I think Zed’s Dead is one of those classics that really embodies what EDM and rave culture is about – peace, love, unity, and respect. He’s also clearly also a well-seasoned and well-known DJ, making his set really solid.

– Parnia 

Aly & Fila

These Egyptian trance musicians are renowned for bringing the electronic tunes to the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Only a select few electronic DJ’s have played there. Aly & Fila have brought the world a fresh take on the trance sound with their use of spiritual and uplifting vocals. Audience members cant help themselves from imagining the world and gaze upon the light display. Their music has certainly made an impact on the community, even having their songs, “We Control the Sunlight” and “Unbreakable” featured as the tune of the year in 2011 and 2016 by Armin Van Buuren’s show The State of Trance. Their return to Something Wicked this year certainly was a welcome one. Aly & Fila played an exciting show including songs “Beyond the Lights”, “Children” by Robert Miles, and ending with “My Awakening” by Steve Allen & Cathy Burton. Once again, Aly & Fila put on a show that we will not forget. Their spiritual sound created the perfect atmosphere bringing the crowd to life.

-Christopher

Vini Vici

This Israeli duo is well known for having their feet dunked into the pool of psy-trance. Their international fame hit its first peak in 2015 with their album debut, “Future Classics” which reached the number 2 slot in Beatport. Shortly after, Armin Van Buuren aired their song on his show “The State of Trance” and they were ranked as the number one psy-trance performers as well as receiving the award for “Best Selling track”. Their most recent hit was the song “Chakra” collaborated with dutch Dj duo W & W. They have a very loyal and ever-expanding fanbase that really presented themselves at their set. Vini Vici began their show by playing a mash-up of their songs “Chakra” and “Free Tibet”, which instantly brought the crowd into a roar. They featured many songs including the classic hit, “Resurection” by PPK and paying homage to the Italian electronic dance music pioneer, Giovani Giorgio.

-Christopher

RL Grime

RL Grime, one of the headliners and closers of the fest, killed it and ended the night on a great note. Although not playing the main stage, his crowd was packed, and everyone was ready to go off and end the fest strong. He played several of his own hits, including his latest and most popular single, “Stay” ft. Miguel. He also played a few songs for the headbangers, and the crowd was going crazy as everyone was having a great time. His experience and talent as a DJ was clear, as he has been playing shows around the country for years. Although it felt like his mixing was a bit weak – for a live set he really didn’t mix as much and sometimes his transitions felt weak – which took away from the set overall. However, his music was good and the energy was still powerful, it just should have been better for a headliner in my opinion. The night finished off with fireworks and some fun music, so overall it was a fantastic finishing note and the happiness and energy was radiating from the crowd. It was a beautiful festival, the costumes and Halloween theme made is really fun, and weather was nice, and the stages and lights were impressive.

-Parnia

Parnia’s Post-Festival Thoughts

Overall, I was impressed with the festival itself, as it was well-staffed and everything ran smoothly. All of the sets started on time, the set-up of the festival was good, the decorations and stages were fantastic, and of the course the music was incredible. My personal favorite thing about EDM festivals like this though is just the energy and friendliness of the people. It’s so easy to make friends and just vibe with strangers you meet, everyone is there to have a good time with their friends, and there are moments were you can quite literally feel the energy and happiness in the air. I saw someone with a totem sign during one the sets that said “take this feeling home with you.” That really stood out to me, because many people go to these festivals to just party and have a good weekend, which is fine, but it’s also important to me to take away the positive energy from these moments and carry them with you in your everyday life. I left the festival with what I like to call a post-festival glow, as I felt re-energized and inspired by the energy and love I felt in those moments.

Thanks for reading, if you went to the festival, what were your favorite sets? What about your least favorites? Let us know in the comment section, and continue to check out the site for the latest music news and reviews.