Chronological History of Electronic Music Festivals

1906 - Wansbeck Music Festival

The Wansbeck Musical Festival started in 1906. However, it is only on it’s 94th decade due to its being suspended during the Second World War.

Founded by Lt.-Col. William Orde of Nunnykirk, this great festival aimed to hold competitions among different school - their first appearance being on May l9th, 1906 – with five schools participating in it.

Up to the First World War the Festival took place on two days only with the number of classes increasing yearly. After the Second World War the Festival resumed in 1946 and by 1955 it had extended to a four day Festival.

Instrumental classes have expanded widely throughout the years and Ensemble and Orchestral playing have produced excellent standards in recent years which would have gladdened the heart of the Founder, Lt. Col. Orde.

However, there would be quite a reaction from Lt. Col.. Orde if he knew that Jazz & Keyboard sessions, along with Samba & Steel Bands has become a part of this Festival in the present day.

[ [http://www.wansbeckmusicfestival.co.uk/history.php History of the Wansbeck Music Festival] ]

1917 - Portsmouth Music Festival

In an effort to improve the quality of life for resident of Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Music Festival was founded in 1917 (during WWI). It partnered with then newly formed British Federation of Festivals in 1922 and became very popular.

The four people who had previously organized and worked with the Festival decided to conduct discussion regarding its future after World War II. As scarce as their funds were at the time, their boundless energy and optimism led to the revival of the festival, which eventually grew stronger and stronger.

At the present time, the Portsmouth Music Festival continues to host annual performances of different people who enjoy making music, dancing and/or acting. The performers are mostly amateurs who take pride in giving pleasure and entertainment and who are apt to learn from others. The Festival is the largest annual community event in Portsmouth and is also considered to be the most educational.The quality of performances and the expectations of both participants and spectators have risen enormously with each passing year. The founding fathers of this Festival would definitely be proud to know how their work has grown and developed.

[ [http://www.portsmouthmusicfestival.co.uk/history.htm A Short History of the Portsmouth Music Festival] ]

1921 – Donaueschingen Festival

The Donaueschingen Society of Friends of Music is a vital party of the history of electronic music as it paved the way to the concept of establishing small festivals to present new and upcoming talents. Founded in 1913, it housed a committee, which met, and discussed possible formats of different concerts – the first being in spring of 1921. These festivals soon became more appealing for musicians because it welcomed experimental forms of music. Beginning in 1993, every festival follows a unique concept or theme.

After World War I, a significant increase in new electronic instruments took place. In 1926, Jorg Mager invented an electronic instrument without a keyboard, whose notes were determined by turning a handle that regulated the frequency of the sound – called the Spharophon. This German inventor later on built the Partiturophon - an electronic organ with three keyboards, which incorporated different timbres - as well as the Kaleidophone, a monophonic instrument with a keyboard that allowed the performer to mix sounds. Both of these instruments were used in theatrical productions. Sadly, all of these instruments were destroyed in World War II.

Fortunately, the world got a taste of the Spharophon, when it was first presented at the Donaueschingen Festival. Rimsky-Korsakov composed some experimental works for this instrument.

1935 - Grant Park Music Festival

The Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only remaining free, outdoor classical music series. The Festival is committed to providing free classical music to all of Chicago every summer in its new venue - the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

The Grant Park Music Festival was conceived by Mayor A. J. Cermak during the Great Depression in 1931 when the city presented a series of free concerts to lift the spirits of Chicagoans. The Grant Park Concerts made their debut on July 1 1935, commencing with the march from Wagner’s Tannhauser.

The concerts were often broadcast on NBC and CBS.

[ [http://www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/IPK_GPMF/ About grant park music festival] ]

1947 – Ojai Music Festival

The Ojai Music Festival opened doors for adventurous programs, giving artists freedom to perform classical and exceptional pieces of music. It was created by John Bauer who is a musical aficionado.

That spirit of free and diverse programs was strengthened with the appointment of Lawrence Morton as the Festival Artistic Director in 1954. Under his leadership, the Ojai Festival developed a revolutionary concept of engaging a different Festival music director each year and focusing the festival around that director’s style.

Composers John Adams, Ingolf Dahl, Peter Maxwell Davies, Lukas Foss, John Harbison and Oliver Knussen; conductors Kent Nagano, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen; and instrumentalists Emanuel Ax and Mitsuko Uchida were among the diversified pool of musical directors of the festival.

The Festival is now on its sixth decade under the direction of Thomas W. Morris - and still continues the unparalleled legacy of creativity of the moments that artists define for each event.

The Ojai Music Festival also offers educational programs for students attending Ojai Valley public schools, thereby promoting cultural opportunities and creating awareness promoting classical music to future generations.

[ [http://www.ojaifestival.org/aboutus/history.htm History of the Ojai Music Festival] ]

1950 - Swamp Pop Music Festival

For the uninitiated, "swamp pop" is a distinctive style of music that began in the 1950s when Louisiana teenagers first heard new rock-n-roll idols like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Fats Domino on the radio. Inspired by the fun, gutsy sound and wishing to emulate their idols, they traded in their fiddles and accordions for electric guitars and saxophones, blending the new radio sound with the Cajun music they heard growing up. The result was Cajun music with a more "rocking" flair...dubbed swamp pop.

The Festival’s most popular period was between 1958 to 1964, when nearly two dozen swamp pop recordings reached the national charts. Swamp pop can be considered a mix of Cajun, Creole, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, hillbilly, and rock-and-roll styles. It is its own unique form of Louisiana music alongside jazz, blues, and zydeco, but unlike those styles it is undeservedly not well known outside Louisiana. The Swamp Pop Music Festival’s increasing popularity is paving the way change that.

[ [http://www.swamppopmusicfest.com/SwampPopHistory.php Swamp Pop History] ]

1950 - Moravian Music Festivals

Sponsored by the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in America, Moravian Music Festivals are held every 3 to 5 years - alternating between the two provinces. Every Festival includes seminars and workshops on different topics of interest to church musicians and lovers of Moravian music. The festivals offer opportunities for people to gather and enjoy learning new music or just simply enjoy listening to the concerts.

The Festivals generally last about a week, and they include evening concerts. Less formal recitals are usually held in the late afternoons. These concerts and recitals are open to the public and are free. Those who wish to perform have to register and attend daily rehearsals.

The Moravian sacred vocal music was used in Moravian churches in America until the early part of the 19th century. But the transition from German to English services paved the way for musicians to write a new work in English instead of translating old German work to English and making it “singable”. The old style of music diminished as American Moravians became more “American”.

However, music scholars realized that there was a great deal to the old Moravian music, hence they started cataloging and researching more in the 1940’s. The first “Early American Moravian Music Festival” was held in Bethlehem, PA in 1950 and was conducted by Dr. Thor Johnson – the founder of the Peninsula Music Festival. The success of that experience led to another festival in 1954 and another in 1955.

It is largely due to Johnson’s influence that the Moravian music came to be appreciated in the 1950s and beyond. After his death, the Moravian Music Festivals were able to continue on their own.

[ [http://www.moravianmusicfestival.org/aboutfestivals.html About Moravian Music Festival] ]

1953 - Peninsula Music Festival

Thor Johnson is the founder and conductor of the Peninsula Music Festival. In 1951, he thought about organizing a festival built around a chamber orchestra. He decided to bring that idea to the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Lorenz who right got excited about it because of their love for music. After a couple of years of committee meetings and budget planning, the organization was formed and August 6 1953 marked the first concert of the Peninsula Music Festival.

When Thor passed away in 1975, the Festival Orchestra needed a new artistic leader.Michael Charry was appointed music director in 1978 and when he resigned in 1982, Byron Hanson became its Music Coordinator.

In 1985, the Festival Committee appointed Victor Yampolsky as Music Director and Conductor and each year since, the Festival has grown.

The Peninsula Music Festival has added other activities to make a more year around presence in Door County. In 1997, the Youth String Program was added to offer the children opportunities to learn string instruments. In 1998, the festival added the Winter Concerts Series, now called the "February Fest", to bring chamber music all year round.

The Peninsula Music Festival is considered to be the only professional orchestra in northeast Wisconsin and the only one of two professional orchestras in the entire state of Wisconsin.

[ [http://www.musicfestival.com/aboutpmf.html A Brief History of the Peninsula Music Festival] ]

1963 - The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival

The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival has gained a reputation during its 44 year history, throughout the Mid-Atlantic region as a place where - weekend travelers come to get away from it all - music lovers come to be entertained - friends come to enjoy a picnic - couples come to star gaze - and history buffs come to visit a bygone era. Over the years, the Festival has come to mean many things to many different people.

The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival began during the summer of 1963 when a group of volunteers began sponsoring public symphony and chamber music concerts each summer during the workshops.

In addition to its unique setting in the secluded village of Orkney Springs, Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival's musical reputation accounts for much of its popularity. The Festival's main season includes eight to 10 evening concerts featuring symphonic - both pops and classical - folk, big band and an assortment of other genres. The concerts are held on select weekends throughout the summer.

[ [http://www.musicfest.org/default.asp?page=500 Shenandoah Valley Music Festival] ]

1967 - Fantasy Fair & Magic Mountain Music Festival

1967 - Monterey Pop Festival

=1969 – Woodstock Music Festival=

Woodstock Music Festival began in 1969. The massive rock festival drew a huge group of spectators and was known to have served as a defining moment for baby boomers. Performers included Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix and Santana.

According to a Bethel town historian, Bert Feldman: "What we had here was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence." He also added, “Dickens said it first: 'It was the best of times. It was the worst of times'. It's an amalgam that will never be reproduced again."

The people who gathered that weekend in 1969 made a little history. "Something was tapped, a nerve, in this country. And everybody just came.” according to Arnold Skolnick, the artist who designed Woodstock's dove-and-guitar symbol.

This festival was sponsored by four very young men - John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld and Michael Lang. John Roberts - heir to a drugstore and toothpaste manufacturing fortune - financed the event. Roberts and his friend – Joel Rosenman - shared an apartment and one day they decided to send out an ad asking for ideas from people as to what they can do with their unlimited capital.

Artie Kornfield, was a vice president at Capitol Records. He had written about 30 hit singles, including "Dead Man's Curve."

At age 23, Michael Lang owned what may have been the first head shop in the state of Florida. He produced one of the biggest rock shows ever in 1968, the two-day Miami Pop Festival. Lang was the manager of a rock group called Train at 24, which he wanted to sign to a record deal. He bought his proposal to Kornfeld and they hit it off immediately.

Lang and Kornfeld came up with the idea of a festival and recording studio in a town called Woodstock. While searching for money for the festival and money to build the recording studio, their lawyer recommended they talk to Roberts and Rosenman. The four met in February 1969 and by the end of their third meeting, the party unfolded, until it became a part of our counter-culture history.

[ [http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=3534 This day in history – 1969 Woodstock Music Festival] ]

1971 – Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot is one of North America's largest annual international music and arts festivals, held in Seattle, Washington every Labor Day weekend. It takes place at the Seattle Center, built for the 1962 World's Fair. The name of the festival is derived from “bumbershoot”, a colloquial term for umbrella, most likely coined in the 19th century as a portmanteau of umbrella and parachute.

The Bumbershoot Fastival started as a city-funded festival known as the "Mayor's Arts Festival", held at Seattle Center on August 13-15, 1971 - amidst the local economic depression triggered by the near collapse of Boeing. The festival – committee chaired by liberal talk radio host Irving Clark Jr. - was an attempt to revive the community spirits, and since then became the largest event held in Seattle Center since the 1962 World's Fair.

As the biggest showcase for regional talent, Bumbershoot became a cultural arena and has become Seattle's longest-lived music and arts festival which paved the way for other Seattle-area outdoor events, festivals, and happenings.

=1974 – Village Fair Music Festival=

The Village Fair Music Festival is an annual community festival that began in 1974 as an event to rival another located dorm's social activities in Bathurst, Australia. Students of Charles Sturt University (at that time, a Teacher's College) volunteered to organize the activities for the festival and the name originated from where the Fair was originally held - in John Oxley Village Green, where John Oxley Village is an on-campus Residence, hence Village Fair.

By the mid 1990's the International Beer Tent had become the main focus of the Festival, combined with a line-up of musical entertainments to keep the drinkers happy. A huge profit loss happened in 1997 and as a result, the 1998 Fair had its funding pulled by the University leaving the volunteer group to move the music venue into the University Bar and place the stalls on the Library Lawn.

This financial set-back did not stop the increasingly expanded performances included in the Village Fair Festival such as local indie music acts and popular Australian headliners. The Festival delivered a new venue in 2007, and a music festival almost double in size of any previous years.

1974 – Winnipeg Folk Festival

As one of the leading festivals in North America, the Winnipeg Folk Festival has become a tradition for many families and an annual pilgrimage for friends from around the world.

The first Winnipeg Folk Festival was held in 1974 in Birds Hill Park as a one-time celebration to mark Winnipeg’s 100th anniversary. This event laid down roots in the park and has grown up to be one of the premier outdoor music festivals in the world – featuring performers and stars that offer blues, celtic, bluegrass, world and other infectious rhythms that bring the dancers out of the crowd.

The Winnipeg Folk Festival is music and more. In 1997, the Winnipeg Folk Festival introduced some innovative programs such as The Young Performers Program, Prairie Outdoor Exhibition, The Young Artists Program, and a Folk School in a tent .

The Winnipeg Folk Festival operates on a year-round basis through its various activities - the Folk Festival Music Store, concerts; artist development and others. With its commitment to the community, the high caliber of its productions and the enthusiastic response of the thousands of fans who attend year after year, the Winnipeg Folk Festival has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence.

[ [http://www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca/pages/misc/history.php?pageID=history History – The Winnipeg Folk Festival] ]

1980s – Winter Music Conference

The Winter Music Conference is a weeklong electronic music event, held every March since the mid-1980s across various clubs in Miami. It is aimed at professionals such as DJs, record label representatives and promoters. The event is attended by a who's who of the electronic music scene, and it is a sought-after place to network, premiere tracks and showcase skills.

The event is also considered a mecca for clubbers, who flock to attend non-stop parties with many of the world's most renowned DJs.

The Winter Music Conference also features the International Dance Music Awards.

1987 – Wave-Gotik-Treffen

Wave-Gotik-Treffen (From German, “das Treffen” translates to "the meeting") is considered the largest gothic festival on this planet. This Festival is held annually in Leipzig, Germany where hundreds of artists and band from various genres perform at different venues throughout the city over a span of four days.

With only a few hundred visitors in attendance, a Treffen was made in 1987 in Potsdam. The poor attendance is largely due to laws of the German Democratic Republic made this kind of event illegal.

After the re-unification of Germany in 1992, the first official Wave-Gotik-Treffen was held in the Eiskeller club in Leipzig. Since then, number of spectators has grown tremendously and famous bands have at least played once at the Treffen.

Ironically, the Festival suffered financial loss during its largest venue in the year 2000 and opposite to police expectations, no rioting of any sort occurred and the remaining visitors in a way that has been compared to the Burning Man celebrated the final day of the festival.

1987 - The SXSW Music Festival

The SXSW Music Festival was first held in 1987 in Austin, Texas. Austin was chosen as the site of this Festival in order bring in business and to celebrate the city, in addition to the isolated nature of the Austin music scene.

According to SXSW.com, "the goal from the beginning was to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers." Many upcoming indie bands have been showcased at SXSW and now are on the verge of breaking big. The SXSW Festival has also done a lot of work to launch, and bolster, a large number of careers.

With over 1,000 performances in the SXSW Music Festival annually, SXSW is one of the biggest industry festivals and showcases in the US.

[ [http://altmusic.about.com/od/concertsfestivals/p/sxsw.htm Festival Profile: The SXSW Music Festival] ]

1989 – Love Parade

The Love Parade is a popular festival and parade that originated in 1989 in Berlin, Germany, and has now spread throughout the world.

It stems from the spirit of a changing Europe, four months before the demolition of the Berlin Wall. The Love Parade was started by Matthias Roeingh aka "Dr. Motte". It was held as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through music.

The parade was held on the famous Berlin "Kurfürstendamm" until 1996. There are similar festivals in other cities and different versions of the Love Parade have been popping up around the world in places. After touching base in the American Continent for the first time in Mexico in the fall of 2004, the Love Parade was held in San Francisco, marking its second expansion into North America.

1990s – ID&T

ID&T is a Dutch entertainment enterprise founded in the early 1990s. This enterprise is also organizes the largest dance events in the world.

ID&T stands for the initials of three founders of the company - Irfan, Duncan and Theo - all residents of Amsterdam. These three were experienced in the art of organizing house, techno and trance parties and when they created ID&T, and their goal was to organize the largest events in the Netherlands and the European electronic dance music scene. Their first big event was "The Final Exam", held in the Utrecht Conference Center, with more than 10,000 people in attendance.

1991 – Mayday Festival

The Mayday Music festival debuted in 1991 and is one of the oldest and most reputed electronic music festivals in Germany. Mayday's history is rich in debate, excitement, major artists and changing trends, as the event has been a pioneer of large-scale rave parties. With superstars such as Yello, Spoon, Sven Väth, Carl Cox, Moby and Marusha having performed at Mayday over the years, Mayday's long line of legendary events is keeping the early days' spirit alive at the present time. [ [http://www.365mag.com/index.php?pg=news&recnum=3047&Title=Mayday+Festivals+Explosive+Line-Up+on+365MAG+International+Music+Magazine MAYDAY FESTIVAL’S EXPLOSIVE LINE-UP] ]

1991 - The Zimbabwean Music Festival

The Zimbabwean Music Festival definitely has grown and evolved over the past ten years. Their first concert called the “Northwest MarimbaFest: A Celebration of Zimbabwean Music” was organized in 1991 by a committee that included active leaders in the Seattle community, among them Mary Berg, Larry Israel, Claire Jones, David Long, Jan Maraire, and Sheree Seretse. This concert was to celebrate the first annual Shona music day. On November 9 1991 the community gathered at this one-day event whoch consists of workshops and an evening concert. The evening concert included two bands – Boka and Kudana.

[ [http://www.zimfest.org/history.html Zimfest History] ]

1992 – Street Parade

The Street Parade is the most attended technoparade in Europe. It takes place in Zurich, Switzerland. Comparable to Berlin's Love Parade, the Street Parade is as of 2004 one of the largest techno parties in the world and the largest annual event in Zurich.

Inspired by the Berlin Love Parade, Zürich mathematics student Marek Krynski requested for the authorization to organize a demonstration in support of love, peace, freedom, generosity and tolerance in June 1992. The actual parade took place in September 5 1992 with about 2000 ravers dancing through the streets of the city in broad daylight behind two Lovemobiles.

The Street Parade was almost banned in 1994, but the strong protest from media, fans and artists triumphed over the city officials. In 2007, the Street Parade, with the "Respect" motto, attracted almost a million people despite the bad weather forecast.

1992 – MarimbaFest

Just like the Zimbabwean Music Festival, the MarimbaFest also began in Seattle in 1992. However, the founders of this Festival passed the torch to other organizing groups in other marimba-playing communities around the Pacific Northwest.

The MarimbaFest Statement of Purpose states that the festivals will be not-for-profit events created by volunteers. The main goal is to bring the Shona music community together, fostering the continued growth of the community, and providing instruction in marimba, mbira, dance, vocals and hosho. The statement of purpose also documents the idea of staging an annual concert/dance with performances by all established marimba and/or mbira groups who wish to participate. Over 100 participants from around the US participated in the 1992 MarimbaFest.

[ [http://www.zimfest.org/history.html Zimfest History] ]

1993 – Arvika Festival

Although the Arvika Festival has been labeled as a goth, synth and techno festival, it is actually so much more. It takes place during three days in the middle of July, from Thursday to Saturday, with camping available from the beginning of the week. The non-profit association "Galaxen" (Swedish for "The Galaxy") arranges the festival.

Since the nineties, Arvika lines up an extensive list of release-styled bands, from the tiniest demo acts to the giant pioneers from the days of old. The idea is to offer a complete, quite well-balanced and enormous band package; from small to big, from unknown to well-known, local and international, soft and hard and so on – Resulting to a balanced genre balance of synthpop, EBM, trance, indiepop and so forth.

[ [http://www.releasemagazine.net/Spotlight/spotlightarvika.htm Arvika Festival – Release Music Magazine Music Spotlight] ]

1994 – CzechTek

The CzechTek is a more underground teknival held annually on the weekend at the end of July in the Czech Republic. The locations are usually announced a day before the event on Czech rave websites.

With little or no organization at all, the Festival still attracts thousands of free tekno dancers from several European countries. It makes an open invitation to all performers, soundsystems, performers and all human beings with positive thinking.

1994 – Dance Valley

Dance Valley ("The Woodstock of Dance") is an annual dance music festival held in the summer in Spaarnwoude, the Netherlands. The first edition was in 1994 when 8000 people attended and has grown rapidly since then, both in duration and number of visiters.

While Dance Valley is a pure dance-music event, it caters to a wide audience by not limiting itself to a specific style though its heart is (as with most Dutch events), in trance. It has featured both famous and not so famous DJ’s and big names in mainstream dance music, Electro, Eurodance, Hardstyle and Experimental styles.

1994 – Sónar

Sónar LogoSónar is a three day-three night annual music festival held in Barcelona, Spain starting on a Thursday in the third week of June. It is described officially as a festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art.

The official website describes the festival as 'Three days and three nights in touch with the most up-to-date developments and featuring the most relevant national and international artists.' 'Sónar is the essential meeting point for an alert public, cutting-edge artists and the most influential professionals from the sectors of music and modern arts.'

The festival's lineups tend to favour Electronica – which includes Techno, House, Electro, IDM, Hip hop and various other experimental and Avant Garde types of music. There are many international acts, as well as a selection of Spanish artists.

1995 – Convergence (goth festival)

Convergence is the annual net.goth party run by and for members of the alt.gothic and alt.gothic.fashion newsgroup, and other related Usenet newsgroups. Started in 1995, it gives a chance for net.goths and others who normally only meet on the Internet to come together in real life. It is a unique event that combines the features of a music festival and a fan convention.

Though a small permanent steering committee exists to provide guidance and determine the selection of bid sites, each Convergence event is organized and run by an ad hoc volunteer committee. Committees typically consist of residents of the host city, a large percentage of whom are expected to be active participants on alt.gothic or related net.goth groups.

1995 - 10 Days Off

Started in 1995, "10 Days Off" began as a 10-day long Belgian celebration of techno music which has since grown to be a yearly club event. Acting on the idea of Rudy Ackaert, 10 days off started with a small "trial" event and grew into one of the biggest techno events in Europe.

To date, this Festival is an experience for those who enjoy electronic dance music, up-and-coming artists, DJ's, and live performances - taking place in the space of several concert venues in the cities of Ghent, Belgium and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

1995 – Futuresonic Festival

Futuresonic is an annual festival of art, music and ideas. It occupies the orbits of both digital culture and music and features art and music events, exhibitions and live performances in up to 30 different venues and locations across Manchester, UK.

Futuresonic was established in 1995 with the first major festival in September 1996. Futuresonic is presented by FutureEverything CIC, a non-profit creative 'community interest company'.

[ [http://www.futuresonic.com Futuresonic] ]

1995 - I Love Techno

I Love Techno is an international techno event that takes place in Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium. Famous national and international DJs perform every year at this event, and due to the sudden growth of the party, the event had to move to Flanders Expo. The event took place the first time in 1995 at the Vooruit in Ghent and attracted 700 people. Since then, I Love Techno has become one of the biggest techno events in Europe.

1995 - Nature One

The Nature One is a large open air Techno festival, featuring many renowned DJs from Germany and all over the world. In significance it's not as big as Mayday nor as old, however, the number of visitors had surpassed the Mayday.The 1995’s theme of "Open Air Rave", was the first Nature One Festival held at the US Airbase Hahn. This event featured 38 DJs and live acts with an attendance of 13,000 fans.

1995 - Nocturnal Wonderland

Nocturnal Wonderland is a massive electronic music festival originally based on Alice in Wonderland with the first one being held at the National Orange Show, San Bernardino (California) in 1995. The event was a huge success with an estimated 20,000 fans in attendance.

In its early years, Insomniac, the production crew responsible for Nocturnal Wonderland, did not have a steady venue for this event – so the event moved around from year to year. The styles of music heard are extremely vast and vary in range from year to year.

Now in its 13th year, Nocturnal Wonderland has been steadily growing and brings the biggest names in music and dance to a great number of musical enthusiasts.

1997 – Fuckparade

The Fuckparade is a techno demonstration in Berlin which stemmed in reaction to the music restriction and commercialization of Love Parade. The first Fuckparade demonstration was named Hateparade (to show the difference to the "Loveparade"), and was held on the 12th June 1997. The name of this demonstration was misinterpreted by some press as "March of Hate”, hence it was changed to "Fuckparade" – which has nothing to do with the literal meaning, it just being the short form of "Fuck the Loveparade". Beginning 2005, this Festival occurred annually aiming to prevent the commercialization of culture, music and public space, as well as to prevent the abuse of the right for demonstration and free speech by commercial events, especially the Loveparade. The most played styles of music in the Fuckparade are Gabber, Speedcore, Techno, Punk, and House.

1997 - Monster Massive

The Monster Massive Music Festival is a yearly electronic music rave held the weekend of, or the weekend prior to Halloween night. The Festival is Halloween themed and many of the attendees dress in costume. Sources claim that a sold-out Monster Massive in 2006 is one of the biggest dance festivals in Southern California and North America.

The Festival was founded by Go Ventures and commenced in 1997 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena where all subsequent Monster Massive festivals are held annually

1998 - Together As One

Together as One is another creation of Go Ventures, but this time, teaming up with Insomniac. The Together as One is a once a year electronic music festival held on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles, California. The promoters of the two organizations launched their joint venture in 1998 and a commemorative compilation CD of the music played in the festival was released by Moonshine Records that year.

1998 – Creamfields Dance Music Festival

The Creamfields Dance Music festival features DJs and live acts and is held annually on the UK's August Bank Holiday weekend in England. The festival began in 1998 and is run by the Cream clubbing brand supporters.

1998 - Hradhouse Festival

The Hradhouse Festival is an annual festival of electronic dance music that takes place in Boskovice, Czech Republic. In its nine years of existence, the festival has become a fixture on the Czech music scene and in the process has grown from a small summer underground party to an event of international importance. It is a significant event for the region as it reinforces the region's importance as a major center for dance music as opposed to the more established scene in Prague.

In 1998 the festival took place for the first time at the romantic Buchlov castle, set deep in the woods. It was the first time that dance music and effects had been used in such a setting and it set a trend for future events. From then on, the organization of a party at the castle was a mini-revolution in its own right.

1998 - Infest Festival

The 2006 Infest Festival is an annual three day music festival held at the University of Bradford Union in the United Kingdom, featuring alternative electronic music acts from genres including industrial, EBM, futurepop, synthpop and power noise. The event takes place on the August bank holiday weekend.

The Infest Festival was born in early 1998 through the efforts of three students of the University of Bradford (Gareth 'Gadge' Harvey, Chris 'Crusty' Molyneux and Max 'Maxi Slag' Niblock ) and the Students' Union Entertainments Manager. The visualized a one day event show for local goth bands in West Yorkshire and this vision spiraled into an altogether bigger beast when the Students Union agreed that funds could be found to book some much bigger acts - most notably gothic/deathrock band Alien Sex Fiend. The response to the first Infest Festival on the 14th and 15 August 1998 was very positive and energetic. The festival focused more towards the electronic side of the goth and industrial scene the following year.

1998 - New West Electro-Acoustic Music Organization (NWEAMO)

The New West Electro-Acoustic Music Organization (NWEAMO) – whose mission is to forge connections between the composers, performers and lovers of avant garde classical music and the DJs, MCs, guitar-gods, troubadours and gourmets of experimental popular music – produces an annual international festival of electro-acoustic music.

The Festival was founded by composer Joseph Waters in Portland, Oregon, in 1998, run by a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the promotion of music that involves the creative use of computers and electronics, and presents a yearly themed show.

1998 - Ultra Music Festival

The Ultra Music Festival is an outdoor electronic music event held annually in Miami, Florida during the Winter Music Conference which occurs annually during the month of March. It is a 14 hour show that takes place across 12 different stages featuring over 200 artists, DJs, producers and promoters.

The first Ultra Music Festival was held in 1998 on South Beach, Florida. Due to massive attendance, beach permits were exceeded, hence the venue locations was moved to Bayfront Park. The event featured top DJs and artists as well as specialized music areas showcasing Drum and Bass, House, Techno, Electro, Breakbeats, Trance, and other various styles of electronic music.

1998 - Carrboro Music Festival

The Carrboro Music Festival started out in 1998 with a handful of dedicated volunteers who are optimistic that a music festival with no money is feasible. Under the leadership of Elizabeth Boisson, along with Committee members Janet Callahan, Berkeley Grimball, Catherine DeVine, James Harris, Jackie Helvey, Mike Nelson, Janet Place, Joy Preslar, Samia Serageldin, Richard Taylor and Gerry Williams – the Carrboro Art Committee had a lot of confidence in the giving nature of the local music community. Through the generosity of countless musicians, the support and encouragement of Carrboro Mayor Mike Nelson and the Board of Aldermen, a small amount of funding from the Town, and many donations from Carrboro businesses and individuals, the Carrboro Music Festival was born.

The festival started out as part of the French celebration known as Fête de la Musique - a free festival of music celebrated worldwide on the summer solstice.

[ [http://carrboro.com/carrboromusicfestival/ Carrboro Music Festival History] ]

1999 - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a one to three-day annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California. The event has a daytime desert setting which drops drastically after sunset; and features many genres of music including alternative rock, hip hop, and electronica as well as large sculptural art.

The first Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was held on October 9th and 10th , 1999, three months after the disastrous fire and riot-driven 1999 Woodstock Festival.

1999 - All Tomorrow's Parties

Named after a song by The Velvet Underground and Nico, All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place in England geared towards post-rock, avant-garde, and underground hip hop, along with more traditional rock fare, but presented in an environment more intimate than a giant stadium or huge country field. It was founded by Barry Hogan 1999 and was first held in April 1999.

1999 – Maschinenfest

The first Maschinenfest happened in 1999 in Germany and has become a yearly, three-day underground music festival featuring industrial, power electronics, and other alternative electronic performers who include both independent and signed bands.

Traditionally the festival has been in October, held in a bunker deep underground Aachen, Germany. The venue has posed some problems with heat, humidity and air circulation, as well as condensation dripping on to the gear of the performers, but the atmosphere of the bunker has proved quite fitting to the genres of music played throughout the festival.

1999 – San Francisco Electronic Music Festival

The San Francisco Electronic Music Festival founded in 1999 by a Founding Steering Committee of which included eight Bay Area electro-acoustic music and sound art practitioners - Miya Masaoka, Pamela Z, Steev Hise, Dan Joseph, Ed Osborn, Christopher Salter, Carl Stone, and Donald Swearingen.

The San Francisco Electronic Music Festival’s mission is to provide a highly visible public forum for the diverse community of composers and sound artists working with electronic-based technologies in the Bay Area. Designed as an annual multi-day event consisting of concerts, installations and discussions, the primary focus is on independent artists whose innovative aesthetics challenge academic and commercial standards.

Since the first festival in 2000, SFEMF has presented works that span the sonic spectra from ambient to rhythmic and atonal to melodic by participants ranging from new and emerging young artists to respected pioneers of the electronic music field.

[ [http://www.sfemf.org/about.html About SFEMF] ]

1999 - Club Transmediale

The annual Club Transmediale Festival is a music and visual arts event held in Berlin, Germany. Begun in 1999, the festival originally focused on electronic music, but has since evolved to cover a wide range of genres under the banner "festival for adventurous music and related visual arts."

The first Club Transmediale Festival was organized in 1999 by Jan Rohlf, Marc Weiser and Lillevän Pobjoy (Rechenzentrum), Remco Schuurbiers and Timm Ringewaldt and was billed as a fusion of electronic music, video, motion graphics and visual art, connecting club culture, contemporary art and academic context.

Club Transmediale quickly grew into an independent entity held over periods of up to 13 days in 2003 with many satellite events around the city of Berlin, including performances and large scale installations. The festival is now produced and curated by DISK - Sound and Image Initiative, founded in 2005, an independent collective of artists and curators.

2000 – Zimfest

After two years of careful planning by over 15 volunteers, Zimfest 2000 happened in Eugene Oregon. This festival showcased upcoming musical extravaganza at an unprecedented prefestival concert that included the legendary Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited. This Festival included three days of workshops, afternoon and evening concerts, a special Zimbabwean dinner, cultural discussions and community forums, an extensive marketplace and a reunion with friends — now spread internationally.

[ [http://www.zimfest.org/history.html Zimfest History] ]

2000 – M’era Luna Festival

Based in Hildesheim , the M'era Luna Festival is an annual alternative music festival. It has substantially grown since its recent beginning in 2000 and is now a fixture on the European festival landscape. The second to largest European wave and gothic festival (the largest being the Wave-Gotik-Treffen) attracts about 25,000 fans every year to celebrate a melancholic-dark weekend.

A fashionable outfit with a touch of medieval, maybe some leather, is as popular as black clothing. Or white if necessary. Most fans show themselves in the same individual and artificial way as the artists on stage.

[ [http://www.last.fm/event/73619 M'era Luna Festival 2007, Hildesheim] ]

2000 – Chillits

Chillits is a small, exclusive, annual ambient music festival held every September at a private retreat center in Willits, California. It was started by the Cloud Factory community in 2000, but has since expanded and taken on a unique character.

Most of the DJs and live musicians who play at Chillits would be considered "amateur," in the sense that they do not attempt to make a living from playing music. And due to the size of the venue, attendance at Chillits has always been extremely limited. Ticket distribution is largely based on participation: collective members and others who involve themselves in the responsibilities and tasks made necessary by the planning and execution of the event are awarded the right to buy a pair of tickets. Basically, if you work it, you can attend.

2000 - Detroit Electronic Music Festival

The Detroit Electronic Music Festival is an electronic dance music showcase held in Detroit each Memorial Day weekend since 2000. In subsequent years, the Festival featured performances by musicians and DJs, and emphasized the progressive qualities of the culture surrounding electronic music.

The first Detroit Electronic Music Festival was held in 2000, established by Carol Marvin and her company Pop Culture Media. The Festival was intended to give Detroit and its overlooked history of electronic music major exposure both locally and nationally.

Patterned on high-profile dance music festivals in Europe, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival had free admission and attracted many international attendees. Each festival has been held at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit, and has been sanctioned and financially supported by the City of Detroit. The city's support for the festival has been seen by many as the first high-profile acknowledgement and celebration of the city as the birthplace of techno music.

2000 - How Weird Street Faire

The How Weird Street Faire is an experiment in creating peace by the World Peace Through Technology Organization. It is a meta-community formed of the diverse music, art, political, and social communities of the entire San Francisco Bay Area, working together and finding similarities instead of differences.

The How Weird Street Faire attracts a wide range of people; from children to senior citizens, and everyone in between. There are artists and activists, families and freaks, city dwellers and suburbanites, and people from every part of the world. There is also a wide range of musical and artistic styles represented at the faire. Bringing these all together, in the name of peace, is the experiment. And from the reactions of past participants, it has been an overwhelming success.

[ [http://www.howweird.org/about.html About The How Weird Street Faire] ]

2000 – MUTEK

MUTEK is a new art forms festival started in 2000 in Montreal, Canada. MUTEK is devoted to experimental electronic music, audio-visual spectrum, and digital creativity , and transmedial art.

Frequent performers include Skoltz Kolgen, Atom, Noto, Monolake, Taylor Deupree and Deadbeat, among many others. As of 2005, there have been MUTEK events in Montreal, Valparaiso, Mexico City, Barcelona, Toronto, New York City, São Paulo, and Berlin.

[ [http://www.mutek.org/ mutek.org Press Release] ]

2000 – Qlimax

"Qlimax" is an annual Dance Event, held at the Gelredome, in Arnhem, Netherlands.

It is one of the leading events within the dance community, and one of the major attractions held by Q-dance. The Dutch edition of Qlimax is held in the third or fourth weekend of November every year.

It started in 2000, but since 2003 each edition has had it own anthem to symbolize the theme of the event.

2000 - Ricochet Gathering

Ricochet Gathering is a distinctive collaboration event for electronic music. The name refers to the annual festival, where several artists and crowds of fans gather at unique locations throughout the world. In April 2000, the first gathering was held at the Okefenokee Swamp.

Types of music created at these events vary from old-style retro to up-scale, modern contemporary electronic music. Artists and fans usually have to use a lot of effort to reach the unique locations. Once they arrive, the scenery and atmosphere lets fans and artists to be in a communal setting a few days to enjoy, create and influence electronic music. All of the music created at each gathering is live, unrehearsed, spontaneous and recorded in one take. The Ricochet Dream music label publishes and records the music created at the Ricochet Gathering.

2000 - Sensation (event)

Started in 2000 and composed of just one version, Sensation is a Dutch indoor dance-event that is held in Amsterdam Arena. However, it has now been divided into two versions: Sensation Black and Sensation White. The event was split up to distinguish the music and feeling much more than what one event could accomplish. Sensation Black concentrates more on darker music, such as Hardstyle and Hardcore, while Sensation

Sensation White is typically a house and trance event. Everyone who attends is required to wear all white and the Amsterdam Arena is decorated to match. The slogan of Sensation White is "Be Part Of The Night - Dress in White." The Amsterdam Arena event takes place on the first Saturday of July of every year.

Sensation Black slowly increases the pace, beginning with hard trance, jumpstyle and eventually transitions in to Techno, hardstyle and then Hardcore. Sensation Black is always occurs in the second weekend of July. All attendees are required to dress in full black.

2000 - Sound Summit

Sound Summit is a yearly event that focuses on independent electronic music and hip hop as part of the annual This Is Not Art Festival. In 2000, Sebastian Chan, Kenny Sabir and Marcus Westbury founded this event, which changed partly due to the participation of artists in the Electrofringe festival that occurred in Newcastle around that time.

[Sound Summit [was created to support the growth of independent electronic music and hip-hop in Australia. It is usually composed of a series of artist development workshops that analyze and master production techniques and sound manipulation and focuses on business development covering licensing, royalties, label management, and promotion.

2002 - Electronic Music Midwest

Electronic Music Midwest (EMM), a festival of new electro-acoustic music, was created as the result of a group formed in 2002 between Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), Lewis University, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Founded by Mike McFerron, Connie Mayfield, and Paul Rudy in 2000, this festival was presented at KCKCC under the name "Kansas City Electronic Music Festival." The festival continued at Lewis University in 2001 under the title, "Electronic Music at Lewis - 2001."

Ever since it was founded, EMM has featured over 300 new electro-acoustic compositions. Artists have traveled from all over the globe to share their music with audiences in the Midwest. EMM is dedicated to creating an atmosphere conducive to improving community interaction. Most concerts are approximately one hour long, and artists have an ample amount of time to talk business with one another as well as interact socially with students and audience members.

2002 – TodaysArt

At the end of September each year the TodaysArt offers a program at 20 venues (in- and outdoor) in the center of the city with over 200 artists from more than 25 countries. All of the artists present their own creative visions about what art is today in terms of music, film, video and visual arts, photography, performing arts, theatre, fashion, contemporary dance and other genres.

Distinctive and customized productions and performances by the world's most creative musicians can be anticipated at this 3-night long festival.

The festival originated from a pilot-festival called Sound/Vision, which took place on the Malieveld in The Hague on July 27 2002. Because of problems with the local areas regarding noise nuisance, more editions of the festival could not be organized. With the organization of The Generator Foundation, the pilot outdoor festival Sound/Vision, the festival started to concentrate more towards the development of an indoor multidisciplinary festival in close collaboration with different cultural destinations and sites in the city center of The Hague.

The first edition of the Cultuurnacht was held on September 20 2003 and was an immediate success. With a diverse program, over 5,000 visitors enjoyed the first edition. On September 25th the next edition took place and the development of new locations, acts, musical inspiration, and audience was apparent. Upon further investigation, the organization decided the Cultuurnacht had outgrown its name in 2005. As a result of the increase in global focus, without losing sight to support and encourage local talent, the name was changed to TodaysArt festival.

2003 – Lovebox

The Lovebox weekender is a music festival that is held in the Victoria Park in east London over two days near the end of July. Originally, Lovebox was the name of a nightclub that was hosted by Groove Armada and was also the name of an album by the same band that contributed to the establishment of the musical concept that became Lovebox.

The Lovebox club concept was expanded in 2003, making the event a one-day festival on London's Clapham Common until 2004, but was then moved to Victoria Park in 2005, where it is now held over two days.

2003 - Rock The Bells Hip-Hop Festival

Rock The Bells is an annual hip-hop festival, beginning in 2003, originally held in California, until 2007 when the festival traveled to multiple locations in North America.

The Rock the Bells festival made its first mark in hop-hop history in 2004, as the re-united Wu-Tang Clan performed. This was the last chance for anyone to see the entire Wu-Tang Clan, as Ol' Dirty Bastard died four months later. The festival quickly grew into an unparalleled event, hosting the re-unifications of legendary acts, such as A Tribe Called Quest and Rage Against The Machine, and the endings of “beef” battles between artists, such as that between Nas and KRS-One. Also, MC Supernatural set the Guinness Book of World Record for longest freestyle rap after freestyling for nine hours and twelve minutes.

In 2007, the Rock the Bells festival went national, and toured outside of California. They were joined by the Murs 3:16 Paid Dues Tour. Rage Against The Machine also played in select venues, and Public Enemy teamed up with Anthrax’s guitarist, Scott Ian.

The Murs 3:16 Paid Dues Tour was held simultaneously with the other performances, on a separate stage. This meant that in order to see one performance, one would have to miss another. The Paid Dues stage hosted the performances of MF Doom, Sage Francis, The Coup, Jedi Mind Tricks, Sen Dog, FELT, Living Legends, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, Grouch & Eligh, Hangar 18, Blueprint, and Lucky I Am. The Main Stage hosted everyone else, including Rage Against The Machine, Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, The Roots, Public Enemy, Nas, Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli), Immortal Technique, Pharoahe Monch, and MC Supernatural.

Rock The Bells is “more than a music festival.” It is place for thousands of independent hip-hop heads and backpackers. Following in the deeply treaded footsteps of past hip-hop music festivals such as Cypress Hill’s Smoke Out, Rock The Bells has become the premiere hip-hop music experience in America. It also holds much pride for creating an original, musical environment that is safe and memorable. Past Rock The Bells experiences have included a number of world-class hip-hop acts including KRS-One, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, Hieroglyphics, Busta Rhymes, Cypress Hill, Sage Francis, Jaylib, Redman, Jurassic 5, and Dilated Peoples. Rock The Bells holds true to its core audience and “represents, respects, and recognizes” all of the elements of hip-hop culture by holding emcee battles, turntable exhibitions, and b-boy circles. Rock The Bells has been celebrated by MTV, The Source, URB, Rolling Stone, and L.A. Times.

From the Rock The Bells web page:“The evolution of urban street culture has forged its own unique movement in this world. Finally, there’s an event that identifies and gives voice to the people and ideas that are continuing to shape it. If anyone is looking for a window into the future of this culture, Rock The Bells is as good as it gets.”

[ [http://www.rockthebells.net Rock The Bells] ]

2003 – SPARK Festival of Music

Currently in its third year, the SPARK Festival of Music brings renowned scholars and performers of electronic music to the West Bank Arts Quarter for an intensive weekend of lectures, performances, master classes, and multimedia installations on the latest in electronic and electroacoustic music and art. Most events are free and open to the public.

"The point here is to bring in [performers] and sounds to stretch people's ears a little bit," says Doug Geers, festival organizer and University of Minnesota assistant professor of music. Electronic music, explains Geers, is "an umbrella term meaning anything that is made using electronic sounds as part of the music." Most rock music is electronic music, he says, "because they are using electronic instruments." As is hip-hop, he says, "because [the musicians are] using turntables, amplifiers, and microphones." Electroacoustic music, on the other hand, is a term for a type of experimental music which combines acoustic music with electronics. "And this music, generally, is sort of related to the classical music tradition," adds Geers, "in that we often write pieces for cellos and violins but pipe them through a bunch of weird electronic sound processors so they sound like crazy Jimmy Hendrix sounds."

This SPARK Festival showcases a range of performers experimenting with unconventional musical devices and lap toppers jamming in a bar to musicians playing traditional instruments in a recital hall and entertainers hosting video screenings in an art museum.

[ [http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/Music_festival_with_electronic_ties.html Music festival with electronic ties] ]

2003 - Pirate station

Pirate station is a large Drum and Bass music festival that takes place annually in Russia. The festival is known to be the largest and most popular Drum and Bass event in the world.

2003 - Reverence (music festival)

Founded in 2003 in Madison, Wisconsin, Reverence is an electronic music festival. Featuring primarily aggrotech, electro-industrial and synthpop bands, it has also included other electronic dance music genres as well.

2004 - C.O.M.A.

Held in Montreal, Canada, C.O.M.A. is a yearly weekend underground music festival that features industrial, power electronics other alternative electronic musicians and DJs.

2004 – Eccentrik

The Eccentrik Festival is a 3-day industrial and goth music festival that takes place in Raleigh, North Carolina. Started in October 2004, Eccentrik features various musical styles including deathrock, gothabilly, industrial, gothic rock, psychobilly, post-punk, synthpop and other related genres.

Its purpose was to bring together different elements of the underground in a single event that would be a celebration of our culture, created by the scene for the scene. It was also a reaction to the more mainstream art establishment.

[ [http://www.eccentrikfestival.com/about.html Eccentrik Festival] ]

2004 - The Glade

The Glade is an electronic dance music festival that originally began as a stage at Glastonbury Festival.

2005 - Blacksun Festival

The Blacksun Festival, which was created in 2005 is a 3-day industrial and goth music international festival that is located in New Haven, Connecticut. The festival presents itself as something more than just only a 3-day long concert, but also as a social event designed to bring people in harmony from different locations around the world that share an interest in goth and industrial music.

Because larger goth festivals take place in Europe, the Blacksun festivals give American bands a closer opportunity to play.

2005 - Distorted Music Festival

The Distorted Music Festival is an annual electronic music festival that takes place in Melbourne, Australia.

This festival is the first of its kind in Australia, featuring electronic artists who are generally considered to be underground rather than mainstream. It consists of the musical genres of breakcore, IDM, noise, industrial, power noise, and glitch.

The reasoning behind the festival is to bring to Australia multicultural acts that would usually never play in the country. The festival also features Australian artists, giving them the chance to play alongside the big names in the scene.

2005 - Global Gathering 2005

Global Gathering 2005 took place on the 29th of July in 2005 and the 30th of July in 2005 at Long Marston Airfield near Warwickshire, England. The festival is held annually organized by the Godskitchen brand.

2006 - Indoctrination festival

In Chicago in 2006, the Indoctrination Festival took place over the course of three days featuring performances in the genres of IDM, breakcore, industrial, and power noise.

2007 - Global Gathering 2007

Global Gathering 2007 took place on July 27 2007 and July 28 2007 at Long Marston Airfield, near Warwickshire, United Kingdom.

2007 - Treasure Island Festival

The Treasure Island Music Festival is a music festival that was held for the first time in September 2007. It took place on Treasure Island, California in San Francisco Bay and lasted a period of two days. Another Planet Entertainment and Noise Pop Industries produced the festival.

References