“Audiotistic Festival” by Drew Howard

So I went to the Audiotistic Festival last Saturday, the promoters called it a music festival, but the patrons called it a rave.  When I first got to college, my attitude toward raves was something like this.

Torero: Hey Drew, you want to go to a rave in LA this weekend?

Drew: uh….no………..?

Torero: Why not dude?

Drew: ……you are a clown..

(end of conversation)

Well I finally went, I went in open minded, and optimistic.  Sure enough, I wasn’t dissapointed.

The Audiotistic “festival” was the most fascinating experiment in human interaction that I have ever experienced.  Walking in I looked around and didn’t think that I saw anyone whom I could relate with.  It turns out, thats the whole point of the experience.  All prejudices dissapear, and 50,000 people interact as members of one common human family for 9 hours, enjoying music and eachother’s company.  I felt connected with the people whom I was with like never before.

On top of acquiring a newfound respect and appreciation for the human life form (no big deal), the music wasn’t bad either.  Audiotistic wasn’t like typical raves, as this one had a hip hop stage.  Luckyiam (Living Legends), The Cool Kids, Talib Kweli, DJ Z-Trip, and The Roots all threw down incredible sets.

I’m not much of a techno connoisseur, but Chromeo and Armand Van Heldan weren’t bad either.

The air was warm and the beats were slappin’, people from every demographic, age group, and gender all celebrated life together for one night. It was truly fascinating and I encourage any and all naysayers to give it a chance.  Maybe I’ll see you there next time?