“One like no other. “
This is the philosophy of the Elements Music and Arts Festival.
Taking place in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the festival returns for its seventh edition August 9-11. Elements features an impressive lineup featuring top-notch electronic and crossover music, adding Illenium, Kaskade, Slander, Green Velvet consecutively Patrick Topping, Subtronics, Azzecca, LSDREAM, Bob Moses, Girl Math, TroyBoi, Chris Lake consecutively. Cloonee, Liquid Stranger, The Blessed Madonna, BLOND:ISH, The Illustrious Blacks, Hamdi and The Disco Biscuits.
Each year, Elements applies the DIY mentality of the early 2010s Brooklyn scene to the participatory nature of Burning Man.
“At our core, we are festival enthusiasts and fans and have been lucky enough to travel to incredible occasions around the world where we have discovered much of our inspiration,” says the Elements team, made up of discoverers Brett Herman and Timothy Monkiewicz and the CEO. Dan Slutsky. “We deeply appreciate occasions that leverage exclusive interactive reporting, large-scale conceptual art, whimsical exhibits, and a strong sense of community, like what you discover at Burning Man. We’re working hard to channel those core pillars into Elements, combining our facets favorites from our own exclusive reporting as enthusiasts and putting our own unique spin on it: the weirder and more outlandish, the better.
The festival team emerged in the Brooklyn warehouse rave scene of the 2010s, a time that thrived on creativity and occasional production in a legal gray era. Taking inspiration from party groups like The Danger Party and Rubulad, the Element team used creative venues for their occasions. , such as a deserted grain elevator at the Gowanus Bay terminal, a Thai restaurant, and an old church. These cutting-edge locations have become spaces where synthetic beaches were built, ninjas fought on zip lines, slides cascaded from rooftops, and participants danced. tirelessly until the sun came up. Herman’s trips to Burning Man motivated the team to create art and interactive performances on a larger scale, as well as inviting participants to dress for other themes, allowing them to express themselves.
“For five years, we hosted warehouse parties in Brooklyn, from intimate gatherings of 400 other people to giant celebrations with 6,000 attendees,” the team explains. “We enjoyed doing those events, but we also found that they ended too temporarily and felt compelled to create a four-day camping festival as an extension of that original network. Elements has become the best canvas to make our wildest dreams come true and gave us the opportunity to share them with our network in an absolutely new way.
Un Bosque is part of the Elements Music and Arts festival.
In fact, the team that created the camping festival proved to be an ideal extension of their events and a way to federate their community. As a first step, the team combined three never-before-used summer camps for a musical delight to bring together Elements’ first campsite came to life. They then became the first band to use the Pocono Speedway since the ’70s through the surrounding woods in creative ways instead of the track itself.
Since its inception, the festival’s artistic reach has grown impressively. Elements now features 4 extravagant sets, 3D and projection mapping, interactive artwork, and notable surprises such as pirate ships, water slides, and psychedelic forest art. just some of the pieces that can be discovered at this three-day event.
“[This year] we are expanding the entire festival to create more areas for dancing and relaxing under new shade structures, as well as [adding] a new vendor market, new environments, art and surprises in the forest, sets and much more. more,” says the festival team. “It will feel like another festival, doubling the interactivity and convenience for fans. “
They say attendees shouldn’t miss Elements Plaza, Red Bull Skydive, Vibe Villages and the new Water Stage, The Funktapus. Elements Plaza is “the central hub where all the elements converge,” says the festival team. The domain offers photo shoots, trade displays, a Ferris wheel, food, crafts, a lounge, large-scale art installations and shaded seating. While the team doesn’t need to reveal too much about Red Bull Skydive, they say they brought a skydiving exhibition in 2023 that will see a local team dive into the festival. “Other than Burning Man, we’ve never noticed this happening at a festival, and we’re just as excited as the shoppers who were amazed when those other people floated by. ” the festival with colored smoke follows them,” the team said.
A dragon cuts through the crowd at the Elements Music and Arts Festival.
An airy silk artist plays a set on one of the stages.
As for Vibe Villages, they say, they paint every year with groups of participants who have their own netpaintings of creators. These participants provide a concept to the festival team, bringing their own themed camps into space, creating an “interactive wonderland. “”In camps where festival-goers have the chance to dance with a headliner in an intimate set. The style of the Burning Man themed camp and the participatory spirit sparked this idea. ” We firmly believe that the most productive chances are created together,” says the team.
Finally, The Funktapus, the new aquatic panorama. The level is 75 feet tall and features a 120-foot-wide octopus-themed immersive experience and a 50-foot geodesic dome with 360-degree projection mapping. Festival-goers can enjoy bass music, techno, drum’n’bass, and dubstep at Funktapus. “This will be a fully immersive environment, completely reinventing last year’s aquatic scene, with an underwater design that will turn the water theme on its head,” says the Elements team. “We can’t wait to share it with the participants. “
Beyond music and experiences, the festival team is committed to self-expression and community. In 2023, the occasion featured Art of Change, its socio-cultural programming aimed at amplifying LGBTQI voices. The festival also features fitness and wellness programming, adding yoga. , dancing and sound baths. Plus, it’s solar-powered and offers local organic food provided through Pocono Organics.
“In fact, we believe that those types of immersive, artistic and participatory events have the ability to definitely have an effect on the lives of participants, leaving them with a sense of joy and discovery that can make their lives bigger beyond the doors. to Elements,” the festival team said. That’s why we do what we do: create moments that motivate other people to do what they do in a more artistic, caring, and compassionate way, while laughing at the same time. Community is everything to us and we work tirelessly to continue building as our own while making your comfort, safety, and delight our most sensible priorities. Come and do magic with us, you may not regret it.
Here, Forbes sits down with Girl Math, comprised of Nala and VNSSA, and TroyBoi to talk about their favorite Elements memorabilia, what enthusiasts can expect from their sets, their packaging essentials, and more.
From left to right: Girl Math and TroyBoi.
Lisa Kocay: What are you most excited about about this year’s Elements Music and Arts festival?
Girl Math: “We’re so excited to bring the power of Girl Math to a wonderful festival. It’s been a lot of fun to travel through those festivals together and we know that the Elements audience will surely bring it along.
TroyBoi: “I’m excited about the level I’m betting on this year and meeting some of the artists in this crazy lineup. “
Kocay: What can enthusiasts expect from your set?
Girl Math: “Fans can expect high-energy dance music and lots of smiles. We enjoy betting together, which adds a new point of excitement to the party on our end.
TroyBoi: “I like to take other people on an adventure in my sets by playing with a variety of songs created by me and other artists. If you have come to dance and you like trap, hip-hop, electronic, house, experimental, dubstep , British bass and much more, then my set is for you.
Kocay: What are the 3 songs that fascinate you about the festival?
Girl Math: “The songs we are excited about are all of our unreleased albums, whether collaborative or collaborative. »
TroyBoi: “The 3 songs I’m looking for the most to bet on are 3 of my upcoming songs that will be released this year. There’s nothing better than releasing new music and feeling the audience’s reactions.
Kocay: What are the essential elements of your packaging?
Girl Math: “Chapstick, snacks, and tea. “
TroyBoi: “My packing essentials are my laptop, headphones, USB drives, toiletries, and a change of clothes for after my set. »
Kocay: Who are your 3 must-see artists and why?
Girl Math: “We proposed to review all the bad women ** in programming. You can’t pass with Azzecca, Sara Landry, CloZee and more.
TroyBoi: “Honestly, it’s very difficult for me to choose 3 essential artists because there is a very varied lineup at the festival. I will check each of the stages when I arrive and look forward to finding new artists that I had never noticed before.
Kocay: If you could give one piece of pro advice to a new Elements participant, what would it be?
Girl Math: “Get ready for the cold weather at night. “
TroyBoi: “Get into your rhythm, wear comfortable shoes, stay close to your team, eat food for extra energy during the day, and make sure you stay hydrated. “
Kocay: What is your favorite Elements memory?
Girl Math: “Nala: I enjoyed betting at the aerial level last year. It’s a wonderful environment.
“VNSSA: Honestly, everything about Elements is fantastic, so I can’t pick a favorite. “
TroyBoi: “One thing I don’t forget about Elements Music Festival is the feeling that you are transported to another world from the moment you arrive: the colorful colors, the incredible stages, the art, the happiness everyone brings and each other. nature. I’m looking to relive all that this year.
Here, Forbes catches up with new Elements artists Ahadadream and The Illustrious Blacks.
From left to right: Les Illustres Noirs and Ahadadream.
Kocay: What are you most excited about about this year’s Elements Music festival?
Ahadadream: “[I’m] excited to notice it for the first time. It’s one of the highlights of my festival season. I’ve heard some clever things and the position turns out to be amazing.
The Illustrious Blacks: “We’re excited to release our new single, “Let the Music Set You Free,” produced through Tedd Patterson, as well as the first songs from our upcoming album.
Kocay: What can enthusiasts expect from your set?
Ahadadream: “A percussion and bass driven powerhouse with a ton of unreleased tracks from me, my friends, and upcoming releases from More Time Records. “
The Illustrious Blacks: “Fans can expect natural chaos, natural madness and sexy antics in the Technegro colors. »
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