Hello rave peeps, this is the one and only AJ Hollywood, back at it again with another event review! This time, we have Ember Shores up on the stage. Ember Shores was a curated event by electronic artist Illenium, who is a marquee name when it comes to rave scene. The second year of this event had many ups and downs, so I am here to talk about it all!
Let's first talk about location...Cancun, Mexico! Having an event like this at a beautiful place such as Cancun, was absolutely amazing itself. Being at an all-inclusive resort, with a beautiful oceanfront, a buffet, and a great ambiance is an absolute luxury. The check-in process was a little long, but not too bad if you had arrived earlier than most of the crowd. Once attendees checked in to receive their wristbands and room key, the fun started to ensue.
Next up, checking out the stage area and exploring around the oceanfront. Now this is mostly a review of the event itself, rather than the things surrounding it (resort rooms, restaurants, gift shops, etc.). The music started early in the day around 12pm noon, featuring many prominent figures in the electronic scene. featuring artists in bass, experimental, midtempo, house, and many other notable subgenres of electronic music. Some of the headlining acts included: Illenium, Subtronics, Dillon Francis, CloZee, Dab The Sky (Dabin B2B Said The Sky), William Black,andmany others.
Speaking of these artists, let's get to their sets shall we? Standout sets of the weekend go to Illenium (especially Day 2), CloZee, Dillon Francis, and of course Subtronics.Out of every set that weekend, CloZee put on one of the most memorable performances that I have ever seen. Picture this: You're on a beach, at a resort, you're witnessing a CloZee set, and it's at night! Not to mention, the stage is facing opposite of the ocean waters and the lasers are elegantly hitting those same ocean waters, with those soulful, blissful, deep bass hitting the feels from her amazing sounds. I do think the fish were pretty scared though!
There were many complaints throughout the weekend, ranging from many of things. There was a long delay in attendees getting their room at the resort, and some were not able to even get a room at all. Also, I was talking to many of the people there that I had met, and they did not like the lack of information regarding stage changes. High winds had caused some stage positioning and production issues, but they were luckily fixed without any additional issues.
Overall, this was a mind-blowing experience and I hope they do more events like this. If there are future dance music events at resorts in Cancun, then I am definitely there. I think it is very unique to have a festival at a resort, with it being all-inclusive and in close proximity of the event. This makes me excited for other events such as Paradise Blue, Sun Soaked, and many others with their futures as well. Hopefully this is a trend that will continue, because I see this being a huge success for years to come.
Photo credit: Illenium and Disco Donnie Team
