Dreamstate: The Ultimate Trance Festival

Trance music was the original form and inspiration behind many of the grittier forms of dance music we hear today, characterized by lush synth pads and a booming 808 quarter-note kick. Icons like Tiesto and Armen van Buren revolutionized the way people saw electronic music, bringing an ethereal, classical style of beauty to the age of digital music. Armen van Buren, the legend himself, played a set last weekend for the Dreamstate festival at the NOS events center in San Bernardino, California. 

Taking place from November 27-28, 2022, tickets were on sale starting at $135+ ranging up to $300+ for VIPs. For the high rollers, the owner’s table with 20 VIP bands and bottle service was available – for $15,000. Overall, the promoters, music festival veterans Insomniac, know how to produce a show, and provide a full, all-inclusive experience with some incredible talent on stage that is well worth the money. 

Legends of Trance

The unique thing about Dreamstate is that it focuses exclusively on trance music. While still a major player in the scene, trance music has seen modern forms of EDM like dubstep, drum and bass, and techno challenging its place at the peak of popularity. However, even the most aggressive dubstep song still owes its legacy to trance music, which broke out in the 90s showcasing a beautiful new way to create electronic music, borrowing from Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” and applying that to rich synthesizers, sawtooth plucks, and computerized percussion.  

Trance music represents the ultimate in emotive power through music, taking the art of building and releasing tension in the audience to its highest form, using a series of low pass filters, buildups, and the subsequent drop to energize the crowd. There was no shortage of dancing at Dreamstate, and it was a packed house both nights. Dreamstate prides itself on providing the most intense and futuristic light show in a world with stiff competition, providing some truly stunning visuals synchronized to the beat.  

The Artists

Armin van Buren

Legendary Dutch DJ who has been producing chart-topping hits since the 90s, when he helped formulate the very genre of trance himself.

Abraxis

Melodic bass superstar Seven Lions (Jeff Montalvo) joins electronic duo Dimibo (Filip Pankovcin and Loch Stimpson) to produce some incredibly hard-hitting dubstep-infused psytrance tracks.  

Vini Vici

Vini Vici came, saw, and conquered – this Israeli trance supergroup has been putting out trance hits since 2001.

Khromata

Having begun with a fascination with Goa trance in the 90s, Khromata has only grown in her love and passion for all things trance since, becoming a prolific producer and a highly sought-after DJ.

Of course, being an Insomniac event, dreamscape had plenty more to choose from, with over 40 artists represented:

• Liquid Soul
• Paul van Dyke
• Craig Connelly
• Ghost Rider
• Avira
• Outsiders
• Adam Stark
• Elysian Live

The backdrop for the artists was almost magical, with some of the most precise and technologically advanced lights and audio-visual combinations in the world. No matter who was playing, the crowd was alive with energy and made for a lively, exciting event.

A Trance Music Landmark 

Overall, there were many of the hottest trance and electronica music present, with Dreamstate billing itself as the ultimate trance destination in the world. Pasquale Rotella, Insomniac Founder and CEO, said that Dreamstate “will be completely dedicated to celebrating trance in all of its forms.”  

So far, they have lived up to this goal, providing trance music fans with landmark events uniting many artists and bringing together massive crowds with an overwhelming sense of peace, love, and unity. Dreamstate continues to be the ultimate worldwide trance destination, and given the success it has had so far we can expect to see many more events in the future.