Dreamstate SoCal 2023 was a sight to see. The Queen Mary Waterfront served as the new location for the festival. Even though Trance fans had loved the NOS for the event, The Queen Mary was truly a fresh sea breeze. From Trance to Hard Techno, and many subgenres, the lineup was at its best. Moreover, the Hotel provided amazing after hours ’till 8 am. What a way to end the weekend partying on a “haunted” ship. Insomniac has utilized the venue in the past for Day Trip, and there were concerns about a bigger-sized event. Regardless, the event ran without any significant issues.
The New Venue
Long Beach was the host of this year’s Dreamstate. In order to get to the venue, many shuttles were dispatched throughout the weekend. It was a seamless process getting to the venue. Once you arrived, security had metal detectors and it appeared to run smoothly. The Void was the first stage you encountered, and it definitely had some of the best sets, including Fatima Haji, Trym, Marlo, and Klangkuenstler.
As you made your way through a short tunnel, you got to admire the Pacific coast, and three more wonderful stages. The Sequence, The Vision, and the mainstage, The Dream. The layout was a simple and short walk. The Queen Mary was right by the mainstage, adding a wonderful landscape. As the sun set, the venue came alive with incredible production, visuals, lasers, and top-notch performances. Leaving the festival was only kinda bad if you stayed until the end, since the line for the shuttles was hefty. Nevertheless, you could walk the bridge back Downtown and enjoy the scenery, and get back to the parking lot or take an Uber easily.
The Production
Each stage felt like a mainstage. The vibes were awesome as expected, the sound system remained consistent without any sound bleeding. Each VIP section had great food alternatives, separate trailer bathrooms, and the mainstage had its own kandi-making station. There were Art installations everywhere, and so many picture worthy opportunities. My favorite was a spinning light wheel that you could walk under and felt like a portal into a different dimension. Definitely reminded me of a Burning Man type of art work. There were plenty of water stations, med tents on core locations, and ground control/security inspecting the festival grounds. On day one there was some congestion taking the bridge back to The Void stage due to having the tunnel be one-way. However, on day two, they had opened the tunnel both ways and that eased up the traffic.
Trance, Techno, Taste
Dreamstate is by far one of Insomniac’s best productions, and a lot can be attributed to the talent. Big names like Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Cosmic Gate, Fleming & Lawrence, Vini Vici, and many others graced us with legendary sets. Many artists showcased pure Trance, while mixing in some great Techno, Melodic Techno, Hardstyle, and Progressive. Indira Paganotto and her Psy-Techno set with crazy transitions and intense High Tech. Fatima Haji, Klangkuenstler, and Trym displayed nonstop energy with some of the best Hard Techno. In Addition, Lane 8 & Yotto invited us into a beautiful melodic journey.
Final Notes
Insomniac knocked it out of the park yet again making Dreamstate a must for ravers. Even if Trance is a more niche genre in the US the quality of music and people in attendance is very rare, as music festivals grow and become more mainstream, which makes it harder for PLUR to stay a priority. Thus, Dreamstate shows that a smaller intimate event can be fun, spiritual, and safe.