> I'm feeling strangely connected during these times of disconnect. 

Is it ironic to say that I feel more engaged with electronic artists during this pandemic? As the weeks in quarantine pass (very slowly, but surely) and with festivals getting cancelled left and right, the electronic music community is still finding ways to thrive. As mentioned by Colin Joyce, despite all genres of music stepping into the realm of internet performance, live streaming has served as a lifeline for the dance music community (because club culture and festivals played such a large role in the listening experience). I guess this means it's going to be virtual raves > Zoom lectures soon?

Despite being an avid fan of electronic music, I still have yet to go to a rave (I know, I know...I'm a fake fan). However, with the option to watch my favorite DJs live without the hefty ticket price and the struggle of shopping for the perfect outfit, virtual festivals are providing fans with the flexibility to attend festivals from just about anywhere in the world. To illustrate, the 2019 Lost Lands music festival hosted in Ohio that featured prominent artists like Excision, Slander, Illenium, and Zeds Dead, will now be hosting an online Couch Lands music festival with the same 2019 line-up (that you can literally watch from the comfort of your couch). This allows international fans to tune-in to the fun, expanding the reach of the rave community.

The first time I really felt this sense of online community was with Digital Mirage, which ended up raising over $300,000 for career musicians and music industry workers. With what I've learned so far in this class, generating these funds has become more crucial in terms of supporting smaller businesses within the music industry (props to Proximity, Brownies & Lemonade, and Keel). As mentioned by Lisa Kocay, the virtual music festival was able to attract over 1.1 million attendees and 4.1 million playbacks (and growing). It was hard to avoid seeing snippets of artists' galaxy-lit bedrooms to beach view set-ups, and pictures of my friends' quarantine rave outfits on Instagram that weekend. Fans were able to temporarily place their worries aside and appreciate the music together virtually (that means there were others dancing to tracks like "Feel Good" by Gryffin in their bedroom at the same time - so it's slightly less embarrassing). 

Social distancing doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be "socially" distant, and the electronic music community is proving just that. Here are some Digital Mirage sets that I personally enjoyed: 

Here are some upcoming virtual events:  

1. Escape Halloween Virtual Rave-A-Thon (April 17-18 @ 8pm PT)

2. Beatport ReConnect (April 17 @ 8pm GMT)

3. Can’t Be Cancelled Virtual Music Festival (April 17-18 @ 12pm)

4. Couch Lands Virtual Music Festival (April 17-19)

5. Earwig Music Festival (April 21 @ 6pm EST)

> Music is a form of escape and healing while in self-isolation. 

I remember watching Jhené Aiko's "Waking Up With..." video by ELLE on YouTube roughly a year ago where she mentioned how sound can be a form of healing. I was mesmerized when she demonstrated this through using her crystal singing bowls. And as mentioned by Kristin Corry, Jhené used the sounds of these crystal alchemy sound bowls in every single track on her recently released album Chilombo (no wonder each track hit me straight in the feels). Delving deeper, Mellgren mentions that these sounds "...break up the stress, anxiety, and muscle tension in the body. It slows down your brain waves and gets you in a meditative state where healing can occur." However, musicians don't need to implement crystal sound bowls into their music for their content to serve as an outlet for healing while in quarantine. 

I've personally been listening to a lot more "chill" music (like alternative R&B) while I've been indoors, and this has been a trend with the rest of the United States and abroad too. Genres that are utilized for more social settings like latin, rap, and pop have also dropped in streams compared to rock, R&B, and country according to Quartz. To ease the stresses of COVID-19, it seems like audiences are leaning more towards music as a form of relaxation while at home. Jennifer Wilson says that music has played a part in coping with pandemics throughout history, and - fun fact - apparently during the plague people used to host in-person dance parties to accept that life is really too short. 

Some artists are taking part in releasing more content to boost positivity amongst their fanbase. One of my favorite DJ's, San Holo, has been pushing his "Stay Vibrant" campaign alongside his Stay Vibrant music project. He has been emphasizing this idea of a percentage (↑%) where he encourages his fans to indicate their level of "vibrancy" for the day (his twitter currently shows 77%). As San Holo mentioned on Twitter, he hopes to release weekly tracks for his current project, which rely purely on grassroots marketing, to boost his fanbase's % in the midst of this pandemic.      

Many fans are expressing how San Holo's new releases have already helped them to feel extra vibrant while in quarantine! Here's his latest: 

References:
 
Grant, G. (2020, March 16). Dance Music Community Responds to Coronavirus Quarantine [Livestream Tracker]. Retrieved from https://edmidentity.com/2020/03/16/coronavirus-quarantine-livestream/

Hissong, S. (2020, April 7). 'Hey Siri, Play Songs to Calm Me Down': What the World Is Listening to Amid COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/streaming-moods-genres-coronavirus-979334/

Joyce, C. (2020, April 13). In a Time of Isolation, Dance Music Offers Community Through Streaming. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4ag9qd/in-a-time-of-isolation-dance-music-offers-community-through-streaming

n/a. (2020, April 11). These are the musicians being listened to more (and less) during the pandemic. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1834538/these-are-the-musicians-being-listened-to-more-and-less-during-the-pandemic/

Wheeler, S. (2020, April 9). "Coronavirus Will Never Stop the Rave": How People Are Finding New Ways to Party Online. Retrieved from https://mixmag.net/feature/online-party-sesh-zoom-club-quarantine-rave

Wilson, J. (2020, April 14). The Morbid Comforts of Pandemic Playlists. Retrieved from https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-morbid-comforts-of-pandemic-playlists/?utm_brand=p4k&utm_social-type=owned&mbid=social_twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social