The woods of the Pocono Mountains got here alive once more in early-August as Parts Music & Arts Competition returned for 4 days of unfiltered artistic weirdness. The impartial tenting competition has steadily grown into one of many East Coast’s most beloved locations for digital dance music followers, proving that its community-first ethos stays on the very core of its success.
For Parts co-founder Brett Herman, the journey so far has been something however linear or predictable. “I was within the movie business and kind of simply fell into doing occasions out of ardour,” he informed EDM.com in an unique sit-down interview on the competition’s grounds.
What began as a sequence of underground Brooklyn events in unassuming places like warehouses, film studios, church buildings, and eating places ultimately matured right into a waterfront competition on the Gowanus Bay Terminal in 2013. From there, Parts migrated to Hunts Level within the Bronx and later to sprawling summer time camps earlier than lastly settling into its present residence on the Pocono Raceway in 2022.
That newest transfer, Herman defined, unlocked the size that Parts wanted. “We’d truly checked out [the Raceway] in 2016, and it was simply form of too sprawling and massive for the place we have been then,” he stated. “However revisiting it in 2021 and 2022, it appeared good. I want we had began right here, as a result of it’s completely unbelievable.”
The competition’s identify, initially supposed as a placeholder, has grow to be its defining artistic framework. Fireplace, Earth, Water, and Air every form the respective stage design and music programming. “It’s a large canvas that our total artistic and creative staff can play with,” Herman stated. “What does an Air stage sound like, really feel like, seem like? What’s a Fireplace stage?”
That artistic philosophy carries into the competition’s lineup. Every stage leans into a unique sonic world, and Herman resists the thought of a singular “essential stage.” As an alternative, it’s up for debate amongst attendees as to which ingredient feels central to their very own expertise. “In some people’ eyes, their very own essential stage is what they see and really feel. Which is nice,” he stated.
The 2025 version expanded additional throughout the Raceway grounds, pushing its footprint wider than ever earlier than. The phases have been pure spectacles in themselves: the Water Stage designed as a large octopus with lasers firing from its eyes, the Fireplace Stage roaring with pyro and open flames flickering across the DJ decks, the Earth Stage pulsing with glowing, intricate design and lasers, and the Air Stage feeling like a whimsical treehouse suspended within the forest.
Thursday’s pre-party drew its largest crowd but, with over a 3rd of attendees arriving early. B2Bs began the occasion throughout the grounds on the Water Stage: Cozy Kev & Medication Place, OkayJake & STVSH, Eater & Flozone, and Distinct Motive & INFEKT, whereas Wenzday, J. Worra, and Odd Mob introduced the grooves to the Air Stage. Tape B and Levity, members of EDM.com‘s Class of 2024 and 2025, respectively, capped off the night time with a hotly anticipated B2B.
Friday rolled into a superbly stacked schedule. Kaskade delivered a crowd-favorite golden-hour “Redux” set that landed completely because the solar dipped behind the Fireplace Stage, whereas Chase & Standing tore up the Earth Stage with an electrical drum & bass showcase. Again at Fireplace, Tape B, Levity and Crankdat every performed solo units earlier than reuniting for a short however long-awaited “Crankity B” reunion. Rezz closed the Fireplace Stage with a shadowy, hypnotic set, whereas over on Earth, ILLENIUM lit up the entire sky with an emotional, firework-filled finale.
Saturday on the Fireplace Stage was a marathon for the books: SOFI TUKKER into Max Styler into Mau P into Sara Landry, an epic run that by no means let the power drop for a second. Over on Earth, EDM.com Class of 2025 star ALLEYCVT saved the group shifting earlier than DJ Diesel demanded mosh pits (and acquired them), setting the stage for Zeds Useless’s high-octane headline slot. The Water Stage shook all day with heavy bass from DRINKURWATER, MADGRRL, Cyclops, Reaper, LAYZ, Deathpact and Wooli, whereas the Air Stage turned playful throughout Mary Droppinz’s set, which felt like a forest occasion hidden within the bushes. For a lot of, a serious spotlight got here with Tipper’s Sunday set, one in all his ultimate performances earlier than his retirement later this fall.
The 5 themed villages, impressed by Herman 20 years of attending Burning Man, turned late-night hubs the place renegade phases and pop-ups stretched the competition deep into the morning hours. “We’re by no means one to inform folks when to go to mattress,” he stated with amusing. “We would like folks to be contributors, not spectators.”
That spirit was on full show. Fairly Lights and Levity drew in crowds for shock renegade units out of U-Haul vehicles tucked away within the Vibe Villages, fueling the form of late-night mischief that has grow to be core to the Parts expertise. Round each nook, small moments created lasting reminiscences: stumbling upon two large robots hugging within the woods, discovering a hidden inflatable nightclub tucked away within the Vibe Villages, or selecting up the telephone in a sales space labeled “Speak to God” and listening to a voice reply on the primary ring.
Past the villages, the primary phases additionally held surprises. Digital Riot and Barclay Crenshaw each stopped by for sudden units, reminding us that at Parts, something can occur. “There are such a lot of small discoveries that I believe are sometimes extra memorable than a few of the key attracts,” Herman stated.
Whilst manufacturing scales up, Parts maintains its popularity as a competition of discovery. “We like it when people say, ‘I noticed them again after they have been taking part in for a tiny crowd, and now they’re headlining a essential stage,’” Herman gushed. It’s a cautious curatorial philosophy that retains the lineup contemporary and reinforces Parts’ popularity as an area for discovery.
On the similar time, the staff continues to engineer spectacular theatrical endeavors. Previous editions featured BMX bikers flipping over fire-breathers and wakeboarders launching into the Gowanus Canal. This yr, members of Pink Bull’s skydiving staff parachuted from a airplane onto the competition grounds at nightfall, leaving jaws on the ground simply earlier than the night time’s headliners took the stage.
What units Parts aside isn’t simply its programming or its manufacturing, however the truth that it has survived as an impartial competition in a panorama more and more dominated by giant company gamers. Herman was candid concerning the challenges.
“It’s been a extremely troublesome journey,” he admitted. “We’ve had two hurricanes and a pandemic within the final 4 years, on prime of being a small impartial firm in a difficult financial time. We’ve been by means of so much, however I’m actually grateful that the staff we’ve constructed has persevered and can proceed to.”
That perseverance is woven into the tradition of the competition expertise itself. Attendees constantly describe Parts as one of the crucial welcoming communities on the music competition circuit. “For 3 or 4 days, individuals are residing in a bit of little bit of a happier, peaceable, and extra supportive tradition,” Herman stated. That’s the actual takeaway.
As Parts continues to mature and broaden, its organizers face the fragile process of rising capability with out dropping the intimacy and unusual quirkiness that’s integral to the competition’s DNA. If this yr’s near-sellout proved something, it’s that demand is barely rising.
Herman, nonetheless, stays centered on the small particulars: the prospect encounters, the friendships solid, the moments of pure awe and bewilderment that flip one weekend right into a reminiscence that lasts years.
“I hope folks depart having made new associates, having had some bucket-list experiences, heard world-class music, and in addition found music too,” he stated. “An ideal occasion is all concerning the folks, and I believe we’ve put that collectively.”
For followers who trekked to the Poconos this summer time for Parts Music Competition, it’s arduous to argue. Parts as soon as once more delivered a whimsical competition expertise that proves essentially the most memorable moments aren’t all the time those you propose, however the ones you stumble into.
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