TomorrowWorld Highlights Growing EDM Following

September 29th, 2013

One of the biggest music festivals in the US this year is taking place on an 8,000-acre farm in south Fulton County.

Most Atlantans who are unfamiliar with Electronic Dance Music — EDM–likely didn't notice. But with the TomorrowWorld festival contracted for the Chattahoochee Hills site for the next nine years, it's likely they will in the future. To hear the audio version of this feature, as aired on WABE/NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, click the “Listen” icon above.

“In our business, EDM is kind of a polarizing term.” explains TomorrowWorld project director Shawn Kent. He says EDM is a broad, umbrella term. It often includes deep, pulsing, repetitive hooks; sometimes though, vocals highlight the music, like in Gareth Emery's Concrete Angel [Disclaimer: This is one of the reporter's favorite EDM tracks, which is why it made it into the piece.] Emery's one of 300+ DJs from around the world performing at TomorrowWorld.

Think you wouldn’t know any?

Turn the dial to any pop station, and just try to escape Avicii’s Wake Me Up.

“People think [EDM is] techno, it’s loud, it’s for my sixteen year old,” says Kent. “As a matter of fact, it’s really grown and it’s a really mature type of music. And that’s one of the reasons we’ve come to America.”

Each year, 180,000 people blanket TomorrowLand in Belgium. But this is the first version ever in the States. 150,000 EDM fans are expected in Chattahoochee Hills.

And to say what they’ll experience is elaborate would be an understatement.

For weeks prior to the gates opening, workers were everywhere. Crews erected massive stages and even put down a temporary bridge over an expansive lake. Huge purple big top tents dot the landscape.

“These tents actually don’t exist here in America,” says Kent. “We’ve looked around for them and there’s really kind of a European tradition to have such wildly-colored tents.”

Organizers crated the tents, and literally tons of other props, across the Atlantic via cargo ship.

Kent declined to talk financials, but says it costs into the millions of dollars to put this on.

If TomorrowWorld escapes many Atlantans, it doesn't escape all. “Tiesto. Chuckie. Afrojack. We’re really looking forward to learning about new DJs as well,” says Chris Griswould, who dropped $900 for a VIP pass. (The highest end passes top $5,000.)

A local DJ himself, Griswold says he’s not surprised to see what was once just “trance” music evolve into a pop culture movement.

He was a bit taken aback to see the biggest EDM festival to hit the US fall in Atlanta’s lap.

“But I understand why they would do that,” Griswold says. “We have an International airport, and they’ve also had a couple of very similar but smaller-scaled festivals on this same site.”

Organizers say the airport is one draw.

The expansive, private land, is another.

Atlanta beat out 100 global cities. And if you’re bummed you missed this year, don’t worry. You’ll have at least nine more chances.

TomorrowWorld signed a 10-year contract for the site.