Last weekend, Dreams Festival (formally known as “Digital Dreams”) took over Echo Beach for its fifth year. The festival included three different stages, top artists from around the globe, and a two day dance experience for Toronto’s biggest electronic music fans. With Friday headliners MK, Above and Beyond, and Andy C at the main stage and fan favourites Green Velvet and Thomas Jack at the Waterfront stage, vibes were positive, drinks were flowing, and the weather was, well, unpredictable.

One of the first acts worth noting, What so Not, came on late afternoon on the main stage. This Australian producer has seen a lot of success in the past few years, collaborating with artists such as R.L Grime, Major Lazer, and Action Bronson. What so Not shared a new song with the crowd, played a remix of Stranger Things and then slowly drifted into his more iconic dance tracks that were very much hip-hop influenced. The crowd was trickling in at this point but the weather was unfortunately going from bad to worse.

Just as the long-time artist and former Swedish House Mafia member Steve Angello took the Echo Beach stage, the rain started to pour forcing everyone to take shelter (if they could). Huddling under a tree by the stage, we watched Angello from a distance while quickly getting soaked to the bone. Like any artist would, Angello played on and did his best to distract the audience from the brewing storm.

We made our way to the Waterfront Stage to see Australian tropical house DJ Thomas Jack. The stage was set up into a tropical rainforest (how appropriate) and the sun started to come out as he began to play. It was an intimate setting and his set list was quite different from what we were used to. It seems that Jack is trying to become a little more hard-core with his music then his usual tropical, free-spirited self. It was a refreshing change which we were interested to hear more of, but as everyone was getting ready to dance the night away, Jack got a message from the event organizers that the entire festival had to take cover in the Molson Amphitheatre because we were due to get a massive thunderstorm.

Obviously, this was not the ideal situation, but safety first. As thousands of people piled into the empty seats and waited under cover for the storm to pass, we slowly started to realize that the announcement was a bit late, and the storm they had predicted probably already happened (we were under that tree). However, it is worth noting that while this could have been an event disaster, everyone was cooperative, helpful, and very positive. It did not ruin the vibe and everyone respected the situation and each other. It was refreshing to see and be a part of.

After everyone was let back into the festival, we ran over to see fan-favourite Green Velvet back at the water stage. A veteran house DJ and lover of spinning in Toronto, Green Velvet brought everyone back into the festival spirit. Above and Beyond was the final act of the night. They are a progressive trance group from London, UK, consisting of three members but only two members at a time will tour so that the third can be at home with their family. Above and Beyond have been around since 2000 and it is obvious that they have quite the fan following. Though their set was a little intense for some, it was hard not to become entranced into their music.

Although the weather was not ideal and some things did not go as planned, day one was a success and the dance community and city came together to put on a great festival. We wonder what they will dream up next year.

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With a major venue change from Toronto Island to the East End of the city in Woodbine Park, many festivalgoers didn’t know what to expect (other than a ferry-free commute). The festival grounds had three major stages: Main Stage, which delivered big acts like Odesza, Tame Impala, Grimes, and The Cure; Bollywood Stage was a tribute to the arts and culture of India and hosted Tom Trago, Lee Foss, and Art Department; and lastly, for all hard-core electronic fans there was The Big Top stage, which was located in a tent and hosted the likes of Thugli, Shaun Frank, and Thomas Jack. The festival also set up an intimate party tucked away on a hill called Sunday Best Balearic Bar, which embodied the spirit of an ‘Ibizan’ summer providing specialty drinks and DJs, like Martin Davies and Mojo Filter, spinning tropical-themed tracks.

One of the daytime highlights for Saturday was Caligornia’s Giraffage (Charlie Yin) whos pop-infused electronic beats immediately shook up the Big Top. Yin not too long ago came through Toronto with Small Magic which clearly created a positive residue of a fan base in the city. Yin’s set was fun, energizing and entertaining with dashes of surprising throwbacks like “Who Let the Dogs Out” between the usual remixes of Miley Cyrus.

The evening line up at the Main Stage was perfectly executed, starting with Jamie XX, the producer, and at times vocal, half of The XX. Since breaking out into the music scene on his own in 2009, Jamie XX has been nothing but a beacon of success among the niche electronic music groups. His 2015 album, In Colour, brought him up to the mainstream and consequently to the main stages of mass festivals. His set was diverse, upbeat, and as always featured a combination of his original tracks and some unique remixes.

Next on the program were Odesza, one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend. The duo, made up of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, created an extremely devoted fan base since their inception in 2012 by releasing a bulk of their music for free and well, just being insanely talented all around. Mills and Knight took the stage just as the sun was setting and put on a performance showcasing their usual live drum set duo. It was undoubtedly a highlight of the weekend.

Wrapping up the first day Tampe Impala lit up the Toronto’s East Side with a performance people will not want to forget. Without a doubt this was the most attended set this weekend from the beginning to end. Between last year’s Currents and 2012’s Lonerism Tame Impala have an incredibly strong following. Whether or not Impala are on your repeat playlist or you’ve just heard (seen) “The Less I Know the Better” you too will feel the band’s all-encompassing live set, it’s the kind of sound you will randomly wake up with on a Tuesday morning and skip to work to.

One of the most awaited acts on day two was tropical house DJ Thomas Jack known for his island-like vibe mixing in live instruments like the sax and the flute. Performing in the Big Top, which created a more intimate, a bit sweaty vibe, Jack appropriately played some of his most popular remixes like “You Were Right,” and “Is This Love,” as well sharing some of his new work with the excited crowd. Always a pleasure to watch, he was a perfection addition to Bestival and epitomized the true relaxed and positive spirit of the weekend.

Canadian songwriter and producer Grimes preformed Sunday evening as one of the closing acts of the festival. Those familiar with Grimes knew what they were in for, those who were not were surprised, shocked, and entertained. Joined by dancers and additional singers on stage Grimes played a variety of her old and new tracks while fighting through a gnarly cold. Needless to say being a bit under the weather effected the set but her limitless energy compensated where the voice was lacking.

Sunday being an overall lighter day was mostly spent relaxing on the grass and dancing to electronic beats of Catz and Dogz, Unlike Pluto, Lee Foss, Classixx and Tchami. While the more mature crowd were singing along to The Cure, Dubfire closed out the weekend at the Bollywood stage with the fire flares shooting out of elephant tracks bidding the crowd goodnight.

More image from Bestival Toronto can be found on Facebook. 

photos by Erik Shaw

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