BY CHELSEA ALGEA Staff Reporter

Picture hundreds of young, sweaty and spirited people dancing for hours to music loud enough to burst eardrums. That’s exactly what a night of being lost in Electronic Dance Music (EDM) feels like.

It’s no secret that in the past few years, EDM events and festivals have taken over the music scene. Bringing the right group of people to one location, who all love the same music, is said to be an unforgettable experience.

Donna Steffensen, senior exercise science major, is an avid event and festival-goer and EDM junky.

With so many upcoming events such as Coachella, Life in Color and Paradiso to attend in the next few months, Steffensen cannot get enough.

“These events bring people together,” Steffensen said. “So many people laughing, dancing and hugging; it’s incredible.”

The EDM scene has a lot of speculations of heavy drug usage, but drug use is a huge part of other music scenes as well. With the death that occurred at last years Paradiso Festival, the drug speculations only got stronger.

“People began to notice drugs were involved with the scene,” Hannah Baumeister, senior and sociology major, said. “It has begun to turn into a scene entirely revolved around drugs instead of around music and love. That’s where it’s going wrong.”

Baumeister first started listening to EDM as a freshman. She met many different groups of people by getting into the scene. She’s even made lifelong friends, and she thinks people are in the scene for the wrong reasons.

“For those who are only going for the drugs, they need to find a new scene,” Baumeister said.

Even with all the speculations and misunderstandings about the scene, it’s obvious that EDM is a type of music for people to have fun to.

“It’s a time and place where we can all reunite and let loose and truly connect,” Trevor Schultz, undeclared junior, said. “It’s about music, love and mutually respecting your fellow human beings.”

Schultz grew up playing video games and was always fascinated by the electronic sounding soundtracks.

“I have a theory that because our generation grew up while video games were becoming popular, it plays a huge part in shaping our interest for electronic sounding music,” Schultz said.

Chris Hashimoto, senior and exercise science major, was not a fan of EDM when he first listened to it.

“I’m heavy into rap and R&B,” Hashimoto said, “but after my first event, I haven’t looked back.”

Hashimoto reluctantly bought his ticket to go to USC Event’s Resolution three years ago because all of his friends did, but he’s more than glad he did.

“The rush you get when you are in the middle of the crowd, with the bass hitting your eardrums, is an irreplaceable feeling,” Hashimoto said. “They aren’t just selling tickets; they’re selling memories.”

There are many subgenres of EDM, and it’s not hard for people to like the music too. Since Hashimoto’s favorite music genre  is rap, he found his favorite EDM subgenre to be Trap, which mixes the styles of both Rap and EDM.

“I love the bass,” Steffensen said. “I feel like the bass in trap music is 100 times heavier and more fun.”

Apart from the people and the music, event and festival marketers know how to sell to their market.

“The fact that these events look so big and expensive makes us think it will be worth our time and money,” Jason Feller ,senior GIS major, said.

However, Feller thinks that companies like USC are marketing their events for younger audiences.

“I see myself growing out of the scene pretty soon,” Feller said. “Each time I go to a festival, the people look younger and younger. I see these festivals as a good opportunity to have fun and let loose while I’m still young.”

Going to festivals and events seem to be the hip thing to be attending nowadays. Schultz thinks everyone wants to be a part of the mainstream.

“I think a lot of people try to fit themselves into the scene just to be cool. People just want to fit in and be a part of something popular,” Schultz said.

It seems as if EDM is just a trending music genre, but in actuality, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Music festivals overseas are a even bigger deal than in the U.S.

Past all the speculations and rumors, EDM is the type of music that can bring the most diverse groups of people together to have fun. It’s all about having fun, enjoying the music and making memories.