Max HeyraudWe asked some of our favourite artists from Ireland’s electronic music community to share a standout offstage festival moment that helped shape their artistry. Here’s what they had to say.
Electric Picnic 2024 was my first camping festival and I absolutely loved exploring random stages and falling in love with genres I’d never heard before, it reminded me of how powerful music can be in creating unexpected connections inspiring me to approach my sets with more experimentation and diversity. I’m making my festival debut this Summer and I really hope I can give others that same sense of discovery, sharing the music I am so passionate about.
I can’t say there is one singular festival moment, but I can definitely say there is a recurring theme that has helped shape me as an artist. Every festival I have ever gone to over the years, there has always been unexpected moments where it feels like the music hits you deeper than you ever thought you could feel. It’s a marriage of sound, people, place and time. Everything just slows down and the connection feels more intense and real than ever before. I think festivals are one of the few places you get this. The energy is communal. The experience is tribal.
I know I can’t control all the other variables that help create these moments, but I channel those memories, that energy and those feelings into my music all the time. You want to touch people’s emotions. And festivals have always given me that experience.
A special off-stage moment that shaped me as an artist wasn’t just a single experience but the overall feeling of what festivals represent. I’ve always had a deep passion for music it’s something I’ve always truly understood and connected with. Festivals bring that to life in a way that’s immersive, turning music into a full sensory experience where you can see and feel the energy.
Witnessing firsthand how festivals bring people together and how they create a sense of unity has always inspired me. That’s why I strive to be inclusive with the music I play I want to create moments where everyone feels connected. my goal is to share that with people
I believe that when a DJ can bring people together in that way, it creates an incredible bond through music nothing else ever matters and I’ve always enjoyed experiencing that feeling myself there’s no feeling like it and I guess I wanted to somehow spread that feeling I crave each summer.
Being able to connect with utter strangers and allowing the music to do the talking for you I wanted to have some part in spreading that around, it’s an endless supply of joy.
Sunil Sharpe 2021 – AVA festival shaped me majorly, I had just started to Dj and I felt extremely inspired and invigorated after that set, it was my first time seeing him play and I will never forget it!
A moment off-stage that shaped me as an artist would be just taking a moment to look at the crowd and seeing just those pure moments of true happiness, as well as how the worries of the outside world are flushed away by whatever tune is coming from the speakers. It makes me happy that I get to do that for people.
Tommy Holohan at rave in the woods [Electric Picnic] 2018, hearing him blend so many different genres with techno was mind-blowing & helped me realise that was possible – I think that’s shaped my productions & sets.
Paudie
Fuinneamh 2019. Still to this day the best festival I’ve ever experienced. From the energy in the crowd to the lineup and the start of so many friendships in the scene that inspired me to do what I’m doing.
Cover Photo Credit: Wibez Photography