With “never stop raving” as its motto, MAYDAY will be spotlighting the values of the electronic music culture in the halls of Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle on 27th April– and among those appearing is none other than Armin van Buuren, voted No. 1 DJ worldwide
“Rave is an attitude towards life” – a statement which has embodied the MAYDAY festivalgoers for 22 years and which puts all-important values like love, tolerance and respect right up front. And to make sure it stays that way, the maxim this year is “never stop raving”. Over 50 international DJs and LiveActs will be converging on Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle to fire up the anticipated 25,000 visitors on 5 floors with the entire gamut of electronic music. The line-up will feature the “best DJ in the world” Armin van Buuren from the Netherlands, Gareth Emery and Carl Cox from Great Britain, techno legend Sven Väth and Mayday father Westbam. What’s new is the date: MAYDAY is being staged this year on 27th April.
Whether as in the past on the 30th or as it is this year on the 27th April, the MAYDAY spirit is still the same: freedom, party, fun, tolerance and respect – for 22 years these have been the values which are the essential message of the “Mother of all Raves” as well. “Ravers are well-known for being very peaceful and friendly towards each other when they get together. That’s what makes the scene what it is. And once you’ve been a part of it, you’ll never want it any other way,” says Oliver Vordemvenne of the event-organising agency I-Motion.
“Rave is an attitude towards life” – a statement which has embodied the MAYDAY festivalgoers for 22 years and which puts all-important values like love, tolerance and respect right up front. And to make sure it stays that way, the maxim this year is “never stop raving”. Over 50 international DJs and LiveActs will be converging on Dortmund’s Westfalenhalle to fire up the anticipated 25,000 visitors on 5 floors with the entire gamut of electronic music. The line-up will feature the “best DJ in the world” Armin van Buuren from the Netherlands, Gareth Emery and Carl Cox from Great Britain, techno legend Sven Väth and Mayday father Westbam. What’s new is the date: MAYDAY is being staged this year on 27th April.
Whether as in the past on the 30th or as it is this year on the 27th April, the MAYDAY spirit is still the same: freedom, party, fun, tolerance and respect – for 22 years these have been the values which are the essential message of the “Mother of all Raves” as well. “Ravers are well-known for being very peaceful and friendly towards each other when they get together. That’s what makes the scene what it is. And once you’ve been a part of it, you’ll never want it any other way,” says Oliver Vordemvenne of the event-organising agency I-Motion.
That “rave” is actually more than the love of electronic music for most of those going to MAYDAY is shown by the numerous Facebook comments: “A feeling going way beyond the musical fascination”, “The sheer bliss of it all and simply feeling free in one big family!”, “My lifestyle since 1992!” or “Rave is Peace, Love and Unity” – these are just a handful of the answers as to what “rave” means. And many of them assimilate these values into their everyday lives: love for their family and friends, respect towards each and every person, tolerance for those who think differently. This attitude towards life is once again unequivocally expressed in the motto “never stop raving”.
MAYDAY is not only known for its positive spirit but also for presenting the top artists of the time. Over 50 DJs and LiveActs will be delivering the entire gamut of electronic music on the five floors “Arena”, “Empire”, “Mixery-Casino”, “Factory” and “Twenty Young Dome”. Half of the artists appearing will be making their debut at MAYDAY this year. Take the young Madrilene Danny Avila, for example, who many critics – wowed by his awesome gigs and productions – see as having a great future in the DJ business. The premiere of Gesaffelstein from France is also creating quite a stir among techno fans in the run-up to MAYDAY.
MAYDAY is not only known for its positive spirit but also for presenting the top artists of the time. Over 50 DJs and LiveActs will be delivering the entire gamut of electronic music on the five floors “Arena”, “Empire”, “Mixery-Casino”, “Factory” and “Twenty Young Dome”. Half of the artists appearing will be making their debut at MAYDAY this year. Take the young Madrilene Danny Avila, for example, who many critics – wowed by his awesome gigs and productions – see as having a great future in the DJ business. The premiere of Gesaffelstein from France is also creating quite a stir among techno fans in the run-up to MAYDAY.
But what has probably got everyone really jumping for joy is the announcement of Armin van Buuren’s appearance – one of the most sought-after artists on the planet and the current No. 1 in the DJ world rankings of “DJMag Top 100”. Other top acts are the acid house legend Mike Dearborn from Chicago, Carl Cox from London, Ferry Corsten from Rotterdam, Gareth Emery from Manchester, Sean Tyas from New York and the “hardest couple of the techno scene” PET Duo from São Paulo. Representing the German techno scene in all its glory are Sven Väth, Len Faki, Chris Liebing and Klaudia Gawlas.
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Since not only the artists but also many of the visitors will be travelling long distances to Dortmund, the new date has a number of decisive advantages. For working people, students and those coming from abroad, getting to the venue on a Saturday is far easier to organise than on a weekday. “We’ve had lots of e-mails about this in the last few years. As there’s no real reason not to have the 27th April as the MAYDAY, we’re happy to comply with these numerous requests,” says Oliver Vordemvenne. MAYDAY is sometimes wrongly interpreted as dancing to mark the beginning of May. In actual fact the event was staged for the first time in Berlin in December 1991 to help save the radio station “DT64” – and “Mayday Mayday” was meant as a cry for help. In Poland, for example, MAYDAY has been held in November for over 10 years now,” notes Vordemvenne, adding that the plan is to stage the MAYDAY event on the last Saturday in April in the coming years as well.
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