For weeks leading up to the event, social media was ablaze with excitement as people exchanged plans for the evening. The event sold out long before Halloween and people were desperately trying to find last-minute tickets. Upon arriving at the venue, it was clear that Muzik was more than prepared for the party. It was truly impressive how quickly and efficiently security worked to get everyone inside. Once through the door, you could hear the thundering bass of the music and the echo of voices cheering as Wolf Pack was just finishing their set. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike discovered Wolf Pack at Tomorrowland 2 years ago, so it was fitting to see the duo open for the event.
Next up on the decks was young Swede, Otto Jettman, better known by his stage name “Otto Knows”. He instantly got the crowd going by opening up with Dada Life – Kick Out the Epic Motherf**ker. With Muzik‘s updated sound system, you could literally feel the bass vibrating through your body as you danced carelessly to the beat of the song. Opening with such high-energy, it was obvious that the rest of his set would be filled with fun upbeat house tracks and the ever-so-popular hard-hitting big room sound. Looking around the venue, you could see everyone happily singing along to the set and dancing with friends as time melted away. To change up the pace, Otto Knows even dropped Chris Lake’s Ohh Shhh and everyone seemed to love the moombahton toned track at 127bpm. No matter what he played, you could see people belting out the lyrics and jumping up and down all over the dance floor.
Finally, it was time for the headliners of the evening: Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. With chart-topping tracks such as Mammoth and Wakanda, it is safe to say that the brothers have played a significant role in bringing on the new age era of Electronic Dance Music over the past few years. The duo is known for their explosive sound and ability to feed off each other’s energy during sets and their set at Day of the Dead was no different. Their set featured a wide variety of tracks ranging from their own bangers to classic favourites such as Pendulum – The Island. They even managed to slip in a Hardstyle track which I could not ID. The dance floor remained full throughout their set, and from the way the crowd was reacting you would not have guessed that it was a Thursday night. Spiderman was fist pumping, skeletons were singing, and vampires were shuffling. When the duo played their fun and upbeat TomorrowLand 2013 anthem Chattahoochee the crowd chanted back “wah-hah-ha” as the song played. What impressed me the most about them though was their constant interaction with the crowd and their ability to get everyone pumped up and dancing. Although big room house isn’t my go-to style of EDM, their energy was infectious and I still had a lot of fun.
Spending my Halloween at Muzik for Day of the Dead ended up being a great decision. Despite being sold out, the venue was still spacious enough for people to move around freely without feeling overcrowded. For those were unable to make the event, I’d have to say you missed out on quite the Halloween. Good thing there’s always next year!
Jennifer Kim – EDM TOR
