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Photos and article by: MELISSA HIRSCH 12/9
Time flew Saturday night at Frostbite. The 7th annual wintertime event featured five stages worth of local, national, and international talent. A concert-goer could stage-hop all night and never see the same performer twice. I set out that evening to photograph the enormous group of DJ's, dancers, hula hoopers, and, perhaps most interestingly, the large community of fans who battled the cold to participate in the enormous party.
Four winter-storm-themed satellite stages presented a total of over 40 local DJs. A few attendees expressed their confusion about which of the smaller stages was which, and although there were several signs which displayed the scheduled artists, I agree that more clearly identified stages would have improved the event.
The lack of ID didn’t seem to matter much, though. The local performers were enthusiastic, and, when they had a crowd, their audiences seemed satisfied. There were a few standouts in my mind: a party formed for Jaeda on the Hard Storm stage with her drum and bass set, while DubWood attracted a healthy crowd in the Snow Bass area. Rather than use the stage, he stood with his audience and used a giant touch-activated screen and projector to perform. DubWood switched back and forth between his control panel and hypnotizing visuals while his captivated audience watched, heads bobbing. Other popular performances included Mr. Audity, Mastermash, and Mike Alchemy (the latter two of which performed together).
Meanwhile, Basshunter never made it to the Frostbite Arena (the main stage). A sign at the door explained his unfortunate absence was due to visa problems. Lawrence & Celauro moved from the Ice Breakers stage to fill in; they were in obviously good spirits, and the crowd showed no signs of missing Basshunter. Hadley followed performing live, bringing with her one of the most interesting moments of the night: she covered Nero's Promises. A copella. I was impressed by the mere boldness of the the move, but I sensed the rest of the audience was more skeptical.
DJ Micro's performance included the frequent and unpredictable use of the "Pause" button: a move that consistently provoked both a cry of excitement and/or anger from the crowd and a smile from Micro. Mirco was incredible to watch from my surreal position on stage. His pleased, relaxed demeanor (much like Trajikk's) was contagious. He was incredibly comfortable with my (and my camera's) presence, as were DJ Trajjik and Lawrence & Celauro.
For me, the high point of the night was during Cazzette’s remix of “Niggas in Paris.” I crouched immediately in front of the giant bass-producing speakers while clutching my camera, my entire body booming. The speakers against which I leaned with my camera were large enough to produce vibrations that could be felt several feet outside of the sizable main stage area. I began to wonder if it was safe to be so close to such powerful machines. As if the intense vibrations weren't overwhelming enough, white confetti suddenly exploded from somewhere offstage and flurried down on the young, dancing crowd. The dancers and performers let loose, laughing and hitting giant balloons at the crowd while bright strobe lights pulsated several times a second. These moments felt important. Memorable.
Larger events like Frostbite threaten to be formulaic and impersonal. But, I didn't feel any isolation Saturday night. Snow brings a kind of closeness to one’s community, which only enhances the feeling of unity essential to the rager culture. The intimacy in the air, the throbbing soundtrack, and the camera pressed against my false eyelashes brought me peace with time's otherwise alarming passage.
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