Beyond Wonderland is a psychedelic experience

In its eighth year as an eclectic electronic dance paradise, Beyond Wonderland brings throngs of young, scantily clad, vibrant ravers to San Bernardino in a two-day festival experience with a diverse lineup of DJs, featuring household name artists Alesso and Tiësto.

Despite the looming rain and chilly breeze, more than 70,000 EDM fans eagerly flocked to the NOS Events Center, an outdoor fairground decorated in an Alice in Wonderland-like fashion, which boasted curious decorations like climbable teacups, a larger-than-life cards display, a glowing clock and flaming lily cups at the center of the venue’s lagoon.

Loud, heart-thumping beats constantly emanated from the venue’s five stages, enticing attendees to dance even out of sight of a performance. Yet, the magic of the rave experience is created through a ubiquitous energy at the heart of a raving crowd and its PLUR mindset, a rave concept that embodies peace, love, unity and respect to create camaraderie among all festival-goers.

Friendly signs on totem poles like “Lost? Come dance with us!” and strangers’ openness to sharing gum, water, kandi bracelets and even kaleidoscope goggles revealed the compassionate side of festival culture often overshadowed by drug abuse and overdoses.

Day One

Dark clouds and an ominous breeze hinted at a chance of rain on Friday night, yet attendees remained undeterred. From bare shimmering bodysuits to lit-up fur coats, festival fashion was not sacrificed for a few drops of rain.

Beyond’s multiple themed stages allow for a diverse showcase of DJs spanning across genres and maturity in the industry. The Wide Awake Art Car, a whimsical outdoors set-up next to the lagoon, highlighted up-and-coming artists like female DJ Wenzday, LondonBridge and I_O.

Queen’s Domain was undoubtedly one of the most popular stages of the night with its lineup of notable DJs Seven Lions, Elephante and Dash Berlin. In the early evening, however, French DJ Mercer delivered repetitive beats and minimal engagement with the crowd, causing audience enthusiasm to dip before k?d (pronounced kid) performed his showstopping set with breathtaking, anime-inspired visuals that pulsed to the beat of his songs.

The most memorable sets of the night, like k?d and Seven Lions’, combined a layer of visual stimulation to the DJ’s auditory creation through the use of laser beams, flashing rhythmic lights and flickering full-screen graphics.

Later in the night, Dash Berlin integrated an array of pop tunes in his set, remixing songs like Clean Bandit’s “Symphony” and Skylar Grey’s “Coming Home.” Dash produces work that falls into the trance genre of EDM, which utilizes melodic techno beats and soft female vocals, creating an ethereal experience for audiences seeking a slower tempo to which to dance.

Other EDM genres like trap, hardstyle and dubstep elicited faster, psychedelic beats to the delight of many. Kayzo, one of the last DJs of the night, delivered hard-hitting beats that defy genre, as he fused together different elements of trap and hardstyle into his songs. During his set, attendees packed themselves into the Mad Hatter’s Castle stage to escape the midnight downpour. Kayzo’s rapid, unpredictable sounds elicited a viral energy in the crowd, as people headbanged to the bass or moshed — jumped — violently into one another to the beat of the music. Kayzo’s set suffered minor technical difficulties due to the sudden rain, which continued into early Saturday morning.

Day Two

The second night in Wonderland was colder, although there was no chance of rain. The heated energy inside the tents quickly warmed up any attendee drawn into the crowd. Queen’s Domain and Mad Hatter’s Castle once again were popular stages, featuring trap and electro DJs like Flosstradamus, Alesso and DJ Mustard.

DJs Kuuro and Yultron lit up Queen’s Domain with their vivid sets earlier in the evening, with Kuuro delivering a darker, goth cyberpunk vibe through his flickering graphics and Yultron encapsulating the crowd’s enthusiasm through bright neons and psychedelic visuals.

Yultron, a Chinese American artist from Los Angeles, portrayed cultural symbols in his sets, from swirling sushi and dancing cartoon Asian men to a full-screen graphic of maneki-neko, a popular Japanese cat figurine that symbolizes good luck. His music, however, consisted of modern remixes of different sounds. He remixed NBC’s The Office theme song, Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble,” RL Grime’s “Core” and DJ Porter Robinson’s “Shelter” — songs varying across genres and moods that showcase Yultron’s distinctive sound and talent. Throughout various sets, the crowd chorused “woo woo’s” to the beat, and DJs utilized familiar rapid beats, similar to a horse galloping, in the background of their musical transitions.

Other DJs like Mr. Carmack, an artist known for mixing hip-hop and dance music, utilized 2017’s top hits to pump up the crowd, such as Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty” and Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow.” R3HAB delivered similar club-like beats fused with well-known vocalists such as Rihanna and Ed Sheeran (Sheeran’s “Shape of You” was remixed with a trappy beat).

Yet, Alesso and Flosstradamus were the highlights of the night, with Floss delivering hard, traphouse beats compared to Alesso’s house and pop blend. Alesso’s surreal graphics and musical pauses created a surreal mood during his set, allowing the audience to cease its dancing and take in the music before continuing. His transitions effortlessly bring the crowd from one song to another, with his best performances featuring popular songs the crowd can sing along to, such as Coldplay and The Chainsmoker’s “Something Just Like This” and Alesso and One Republic’s collaboration “If I Lose Myself.”