The company that brings us an array of spectacular rave events every summer gets this year started in So. Cal. with the fourth annual Beyond Wonderland. Insomniac’s first major event of the year will be held at San Manuel Amphitheater just outside of San Bernardino, CA on March 16th and the line-up looks to amaze.

Beyond Wonderland 2013

The company that brings us an array of spectacular rave events every summer gets this year started in So. Cal. with the fourth annual Beyond Wonderland. Insomniac’s first major event of the year will be held at San Manuel Amphitheater just outside of San Bernardino, CA on March 16th and the line-up looks to amaze.

            Some huge names will be gracing this year’s stage, like Afrojack and David Guetta, some stars return, like Arty and High Contrast, and others go Beyond for their first time, like R3hab and Crizzly. The line-up also includes the always lovely Rebecca & Fiona, the party-starter Marcus Schultz, and the Dutch house master Chuckie. I would most suggest any potential wonderland attendee make sure to not miss the DJ set by Hospital Records’ Camo & Krooked. The Austria DnB duo never disappoints on stage and while they haven’t released many tunes since their last LP Cross The Line in late 2011, the live style is anything but stale.

            The presence of Austin product Crizzly will likely not dissuade dubsteppers from feeling unsatisfied by the dearth of wobbly artists in this year’s line-up, however for fans of a larger scope of bass music there will be plenty of funky drum’n’bass to groove to. High Contrast and Delta Heavy bring a very danceable change of pace to the four-on-the-floor dominated line-up with their liquid DnB, while Camo & Krooked will undoubtedly provide plenty of heavier, up-tempo bangers.

            If trance and progressive house is your game, this festival was built with you in mind. Dash Berlin, Arty and Steve Angello always give audiences brain-melting sets with their flowing melodies and sweeping hooks. Not to mention the incredibly sexy pair of Swedes Rebecca & Fiona, who, in my opinion, give the twins of NERVO a run for their money for the title of most attractive act in house music.

            For those EDM fans who live at 128 but also crave grimy and grinding bass, the inclusion of R3hab and Bassjackers will make your day. 2012 was R3hab’s year. The heir apparent to Afrojack’s dutch-electro empire rose from relevant obscurity with massive commercial remix success and original dance floor anthems like “Chainsaw Showers” and I don’t see any reason he’ll be less dominant in 2013. I’ve seen R3hab at Beta Nightclub in Denver a few times, and while a club set is not a festival set, I can guarantee his A-game will be brought. Afrojack and Chuckie will bring a Dutch flare to the line-up, and along with being two of the best DJs around, they both have a host of fresh original tunes to drop at every show.

            The atmosphere at Beyond Wonderland represents a stark contrast to Insomniac’s various Electric Daisy Carnivals. In essence, the event is a tribute to the biggest EDM festival in the world, Belgium’s Tomorrowland. Beyond Wonderland is run with surreal theatrics in mind, from the bubble-blowing, animalistic dancers to the pieces of modern art made from fire, this So. Cal. event is about more than just music. Anyone in the area with an interest in art, music or counter-culture would be remiss to not attend.