Electronic festivals are, more often than not, pure spectacle—an event rather than a concert. Frost Electronic Music Festival was no different. Lights, lasers and ravers filled the Midland Theatre in Kansas City for a long night of non-stop electronic music coming in every flavor.

 

Dubstep was well represented on the mainstage by Jeff Abel aka Excision, as well as throughout the venue’s three other rooms. Electro-house showed up in the form of Steve Aoki. Aoki put on a frantic show that featured his remixes of well-known tracks along with original compositions. Infected Mushroom’s brand of psychedelic trance did not go over as well with the nearly 2,000 in attendance, however. Whether due to the fact that they didn’t take the stage until after 1 am, or the fact that they came after the more danceable Aoki and Excision, the group just didn’t have the same connection with the audience.

 

The only part of this festival that seemed odd was the choice of venue. It just feels slightly weird to watch people in Deadmau5 masks and animal costumes get down in a large historic theatre. And after making the extremely long trek to the attic to check out the trance of local duo Brian Flinn, one might have been feeling far more inclined to lie down than to get up and dance. The Midland will, nonetheless, continue to be the showcase for the best local and national music as well as theatrical productions.

 

As long as the acts keep the music going it hardly matters what is occupying the stage, whether that be physically skilled dancing ladies or balloons. Organized by Global Dance Festival Midwest, the lineup of 25 electronic artists certainly delivered the most important part of an event like this, a strong feeling of community and togetherness in a part of the country where that isn’t always easy to come by. | Bruce Matlock