In the past few years, I have come to unveil parts of myself that I never knew they existed. One of those new grounds that I uncovered in the process of self-discovery was my attraction to EDM, which was something I had not expected, given my classical musical education, which relied mostly on acoustic instruments and elegant vocals.

With that context in mind, my attraction to EDM or electronic music notwithstanding its genres rocketed, thanks to a close friend of mine who acted as a catalyst and infused that music even more into my system. Therefore, I thought of sharing a recent experience that rocked Beirut’s Forum de Beyrouth to the core and pushed me further into the world of electronic sounds.

It was while I was driving on a cold January day that a billboard, bearing a name and a face I recognized, immediately caught my attention and (surprise, surprise!) brought that same friend I mentioned above back to my mind. It was an event that was described as massive, given that it featured a renowned DJ-Producer and was set in one of the biggest venues in Lebanon; Forum de Beyrouth. So I picked up that same friend, headed to the nearest Virgin Megastores ticketing box office, and bought a couple of tickets for the event that would take place on February 12, 2016.

D-day was upon us, so, we put on our clubbing shoes (those that could withstand the tedious trials of having crowds step on your feet and alcohol poured all over the place) and set forth to Forum de Beyrouth for one of biggest nights ever.

Once inside the venue, we were greeted by a couple of jolly fellows selling popcorn of all tastes, beautiful girls distributing colorful shots and ushers trying to organize the crowds that were pouring in though the hanging black fabric that separated the entrance from the actual party inside. We could sense the enthusiasm and excitement (maybe some wooziness too) as the warm up set delivered by DJ Mass shook the premises and as the huddled bodies heightened the low temperature of February. It took the electro house musician, record producer and music executive Steve Aoki quite a while to start his set and with every passing minute, my eagerness to watch one of the most coveted DJs spin his beats, increased exponentially until his sleek, long, black mane sprung into the colorful lights and the music pulled the masses into a state of frenzy. I got to say that the man I saw behind the equipment was as crazy as one could ever be, in other terms Aoki was acting Aoki-ish or just plain crazy, which, in fact, spiced up his remixes.

It would only be fair to say that the light show and screen visuals were impressive given the fact that Steve Aoki’s set lasted only for a couple of hours, upon the end of which I felt the need for more, and with my needs left assuaged, my disappointment in the very little time Aoki gave us grew as the crowd grudgingly left the venue, some putting on their shirts back as a cold drift whipped through the separators.

My point here is that this is a new addiction I am developing most notably thanks to the fact that I am attempting to become an autodidact in terms of music production myself. Additionally, this summer will witness yet another great event featuring one of my favorites: Avicii, which is sure to bring down the house and set the capital on fire specially that said artist has one of the most Shazamed songs in Lebanon Wake Me Up. I will surely not miss out on the July 23 event and will hopefully bring you pictures and videos from the venue.