It's hardly a secret that the popularity of electronic music is growing exponentially in the US. From new bursts of dubstep to archetypal, Midwest-born styles like techno and house to Euro permutations like trance and IDM, the overarching handle for all of the unclassifiable genres and subgenres is EDM, or electronic dance music.
Each year the Northwest's most stunning concert venue sees its fair share of electronic music grace its stages, but this summer the Gorge Amphitheatre looks increase its offerings with the first-ever Paradiso Festival, which is being billed as "the largest electronic dance music event ever staged in the Pacific Northwest," on Saturday, June 23rd.
The PacNW has a proud tradition of supporting electronic musicians, especially with Seattle's Decibel Festival now in its ninth year and the swelling numbers of electronic artists appearing on mainstream festival bills, including Coachella and the upcoming Lollapalooza. Last year, Bumbershoot had a Decibel-curated stage (which featured several PDXers) in the EMP Sky Church and the connection will continue again this year with the Bumbershoot After Dark series of electronic sets organized by Decibel.
Portland's MFNW includes more and more electronic acts each year, and this September Girl Talk will headline one of three coveted nights in Pioneer Square with Portlanders Starfucker and AU. Plenty of other homegrown fests are also in their nascent years, like Closer (also this weekend) in its second and What The Festival in its inaugural year.
The Gorge's Sasquatch! may have expanded its electro offerings with each year, but the Gorge needed its own dedicated electronic fest. In the absence of last year's touring Identity Festival—purportedly the first electronic touring festival, which skips the NW this year as it has five fewer dates than last—Seattle's United State of Consciousness, or USC Events, led by Chad Anderson decided to organize its own—with a little help from Live Nation.
Welcome to Paradiso.
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