When many think of an electronic music festival in the U.S., Miami, the Northeast cities, Detroit, and West Coast all seem like prime locations. But, St. Louis? Bringing EDM to the Midwest is not entirely unheard of, and the Pulse Festival is giving the genre the recognition it deserves in Missouri.
As St. Louis’ EDM scene has been growing in recent years, holding an electronic music festival in the city is only necessary. The Pulse Festival is the city’s first. Scheduled for June 9, the event is being held at the Old Rock House Pavilion from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Two stages will feature both mainstream and local artists. For the former, Above & Beyond, Morgan Page, Mat Zo, Alvin Risk, Krewella, Crizzly, and Secret Panda Society are the primary draws, while the local artists include Thomas & Drue, DJ Reece, Emilio Hernandez, D-Caf, super conducter, Arty J, and T. Lectual.
Aside from already-established DJs and performers, up-and-comers from the area are encouraged to submit a recording. Local club Upstairs Lounge is holding a competition for the Pulse Festival, first requesting a demo be posted to Facebook by May 15, and those selected will perform at the club and be judged not only on music but also audience interaction and response.
Local promoter Amin Mohabbat of B&W Productions has been drawing attention to the event and said in a statement: “We’ve seen the scene here grow and grow and grow, and the shows have been selling out. So we just thought it’s time for the first St. Louis (electronic dance music) festival. This will be the first one, and He then added: “Every city has their own electronic music festival. So it’s time that St. Louis has one.”