At festivals, all eyes are on the DJs – the ones orchestrating not just the music, but also the entire pulse of the crowd. While they are immersed in the spotlight, another group of artists – videographers – work within every crevice of the festival to translate an audial experience into a masterful visual keepsake. In 2013, Australian-born, EDM filmmaker Wissam Abdallah lived a dream – traveling around the world to film some of the biggest musical events and some of the most wondrous sights on earth. Having amassed over 50 terabytes of footage during his adventures, Abdallah shows an immense amount of artistic restraint and humility in creating a mere two-minute compilation of his yearlong adventures.
From the brilliant Titian red of the confetti to the close-up beads of sweat rolling down a raver’s face, Abdallah conveys memories through exquisite details and shows he’s fearless with his camera. Intertwined with intense action shots of safari animals are a slew of festival footage from Tomorrowland, Sunrise Festival, Stereosonic and more; the only thing remotely ‘cliché’ about Abdallah’s film is perhaps the song – but it just seemed fitting, ‘I’ve seen the world, done it all…’ Abdallah has big plans for this year, and it’s time for us to further our attention beyond just the musicians in the EDM culture we treasure. People like Abdallah allow our feelings of inexplicable joy to be roused over and over, shared again and again – and for that, thank you!
