Duke Dumont Brings Union to Life

By Ryan Hayes

Duke Dumont’s sophomore album Union was written as a cohesive listening experience, capturing the beauty found in live events—an emotional imprint every music lover has felt. On Friday night, Union’s ethos was seamlessly translated into Duke’s live show. Duke’s production style has always hit especially hard in a live setting—sonically euphoric, washing over you in torrents of serotonin—and the Union additions only amplified the resonance of his set.

It was a night of deep, rhythmic progressive house guided by a piano backbone. Hypnotic and rolling, his set omitted (mostly) the bombastic, formulaic nature of the current flavor of commercial house. It’s the inescapable groove he infuses into his productions that mesmerizes fans, setting Duke apart from the herd.

Although it sounds obtuse to say when the event was held at the Forum and not a tiny club…there is a distinct element of “underground” surrounding Duke as an artist. His no-frills persona gives the music room to breathe and attracts an audience less focused on capturing everything on their phone. He’s never going to have the highest-grossing house tour of all time, but those who get it love him. His set was a masterfully curated love letter to his house sensibilities and the fans who hold his catalogue in reverence.

A moment of collectivism swept through the Forum as Duke transitioned into “The Chant.” Originally released in 2023 on For Club Play Only Pt. 8, the track is a standout on Union—steeped in unifying high energy, celebratory synths, and paired Friday night with black-and-white gothic church visuals and lasers that created peak raver escapism.

His set was bookended with blocks of original productions. He opened with two of his more commercial offerings, “Need U (100%)” and “Won’t Look Back.” The last 35+ minutes were pure peak energy: back-to-back originals including a slew from Union, finishing with the one-two punch of “I Got U” and his timeless masterpiece “Ocean Drive.”

The night was a vibes-based affair delivered in a tight package. The hour-and-a-half runtime stifled some of the creative freedom his three-hour Malkin Bowl sermon allowed. A slow build that ebbed and flowed was exchanged for higher production value and a much steeper tempo on-ramp.

Regardless of the format, Duke Dumont doesn’t disappoint. His set was cohesive, held together by the artistic vision behind Union. Rumor has it another album is on the way in 2026…whenever he’s back in town, I’ll be there.

The Spirit of Foundation Series Thrives with Three Must See Events

Credit: Timothy Nguyen

By Ryan Hayes

Duke Dumont, Chris Lake, and Eric Prydz bring 2025 to a euphoric close and keep Vancouver’s house heartbeat alive.

Foundation Series has become synonymous with large-scale house music events in Vancouver—spanning the sound’s full gamut of micro-genres, all connected by a through-line of community and a love for the timeless traditions house music is steeped in.

As of now, Open Radius with John Summit and Sara Landry back in May 2025 stood as Foundation’s official end cap, but the Northwest Stage on day two of FVDED acted as an unofficial reunion. With heavy hitters like Disclosure, Lane 8, Gordo, and DJ Heartstring, it was one of the strongest runs of acts in the festival’s two-day stretch.

Although there are no dedicated Foundation events on the books for the remainder of 2025, some of its biggest alums—and a few long-absent members—are set to make their Vancouver return over the next two months. The spirit of Foundation Series always brings the talent and community to create a stellar night out, and these three events are no exception.

Duke Dumont

On November 28th, Duke Dumont touches down in Vancouver for his Union album tour. Although Duke has yet to grace a numbered Foundation Series event, his last foray in Vancouver was one for the books—a three-hour house music sermon through a crisp spring rain at the Malkin Bowl. Union is Duke’s second album, a follow-up to 2020’s timeless Duality. His live sets are layered affairs: warm basslines, hypnotic vocal loops, and melodies that unfold in waves. While much of EDM is obsessed with excess, Duke reminds fans that groove—when executed perfectly—is just as euphoric.

Chris Lake

Next up, Chris Lake—the founding headliner of Foundation V1.0—is making his return on December 19th for his Chemistry album tour. This year, Lake has been on a production tear with “Toxic,” “La Noche,” his remix of “Galvanize,” and a flurry of instant classics from Chemistry—“Ease My Mind” and “Savana” are both essentials. He effortlessly straddles underground grit and mainstage accessibility; a dichotomy of rhythmic chaos that ensnares audiences. Surrender to the spectacle—the Chemistry tour promises to be an expertly curated journey. This one’s already on its way to selling out, so jump now.

Eric Prydz

The final Foundation headliner to make his grand 2025 return is Eric Prydz, who brought a landmark year one—filled with eight events—to a euphoric close nearly two years ago at the Pacific Coliseum. This time around, Prydz is heralding a Foundation reunion on December 27th for day two of Contact Festival, joined by Cloonee, Chris Avantgarde, Spencer Brown, and Karsten Sollors.

Few artists in dance music command the kind of reverence Eric Prydz does. His legacy is steeped in legend, built upon live moments passed down by attendees over decades. Prydz specializes in meticulously crafting sets that feel both monumental and intimate. His ID-riddled shows are instantly mythologized by fans—a reminder that Prydz doesn’t chase the future of electronic music; he builds it, one flawless progression at a time.

With Duke, Lake, and Prydz all returning within a single month, Vancouver’s year-end feels less like a collection of standalone shows and more like a spiritual continuation of Foundation’s story. Each artist represents a different facet of house music’s rich tapestry, and together they form a blockbuster close to another stellar year.

Foundation Series lives on through these three events. The community is thriving, and the unmistakable pulse of house never fades.

See you under the neon sky.

FVDED 2025: A Festival Balancing Legacy and Discovery

By Ryan Hayes

After a landmark rebirth in 2024, FVDED’s sophomore pure EDM venture was a success. It may never recapture the high that last year delivered—a perfect confluence of rising stars and true legends—but 2025 settled into what I can only hope is the event’s new normal moving forward: a finely curated balance of golden-age icons and genre-diverse artists you should be listening to.

For aging ravers with expendable income still flourishing in the scene, FVDED is where discoverability meets nostalgia. A trip well worth the post-festival exhaustion.

To move past the event’s shortcomings: sound in the Northwest Tent wasn’t loud enough, and you had to be in the exact right spot to avoid bleed from the other stages. This was a problem in 2024 too, and it’s largely the result of hosting a large-scale event in Holland Park—it’s just not big enough. Maybe the stages can be shuffled further, but the issue will likely persist.

Still, FVDED’s location is also one of its greatest strengths. Every stage outside the mainstage feels intimate. Experiencing acts like Disclosure, RL Grime, Rudimental, and Lane 8 at the Forest Stage and Northwest Tent felt like a rarified experience for artists of their stature.

Outside of sound issues, there were times when the mainstage lineup lacked flow—HoneyLuv into Juelz, for example—especially when stacked against Day 2 at the Forest Stage or the Northwest presented by Foundation, both of which were arranged to near perfection.

Highlights:

Any festival you can walk away from with new heavy rotation additions to your playlist is a huge win. Shoutout to D.O.D, Goddard, Rudimental, and Levity for all entering the pantheon of Spotify mainstays.

D.O.D was the first must-see artist of this year’s FVDED. Day 1, 5:30 p.m., and the Northwest Tent was already wildly overflowing. His unreleased remix of Sweet Nothing—which Harris has been rinsing in Ibiza—was pitch-perfect for a hot summer afternoon. Even with a tight hour slot, the set built and progressed, culminating in twenty minutes of pure house euphoria.

Zingara has mastered chill-meditative bass. Torrents of low-end BPM washed over a transfixed audience, and I expect her to rise up festival ranks in coming years.

RL Grime brought mainstage headliner energy to the Northwest Tent and had the crowd feral from the first drop. As one of trap’s early pioneers, his prowess hasn’t faded—resurrected, the golden age of EDM was alive and well during his set.

Rudimental may have been up against Tiësto, but the Forest Stage was where the real ones were. Memories of Chase & Status’ 2024 set came rushing back: the camaraderie, the energy, the fandom. By the time Alibi hit, it was a fever pitch. You could feel the broader tides of EDM in North America shifting in real time. We may be extremely late to the party, but DnB is gaining real traction.

While Day One certainly had its high points, Day Two dwarfed FVDED’s initial offering. Goddard into Levity at the Forest Stage was S-tier programming. Combined, they brought headliner energy early in the day. Goddard delivered elegance and musicality elevating drum & bass in a manner rarely achieved. Levity, though relatively new, are clearly following in the footsteps of artists like GRiZ and Zeds Dead—and I have full faith their following will explode in the years to come.

Loud Luxury are always big, dumb, accessible fun—and this year, they may have outdone Tiësto at his own game.

Subtronics, the reigning king of dubstep, obliterated the mainstage—and my expectations. It was absurd, abrasive, riddled with in-jokes for his diehard fandom, and a pure celebration of the current state of dubstep. Maybe the most important ingredient to the set’s success? The crowd. Easily the biggest I’ve seen for this kind of show—and everyone around me was completely locked into what he was throwing down. The fact that all his merch sold out the day before said it all: people were all-in.

All of this without mentioning the most egregious set conflict of all time: Subtronics vs Disclosure. Turns out, if you’re committed to sprinting between stages, you can experience cavity-shaking bass and groovy-buttery house simultaneously. My legs still hurt. Worth it.

The last time I saw Zedd was at FVDED 2016. I left underwhelmed—his set felt basic and predictable, especially after Jack Ü the day before. Fast-forward nine years, and those same qualities are recast in a new light. Zedd knows exactly who he is: a legacy act. He came loaded with original hits, timeless mashups, and crowd-favorite remixes. The elder raver in me just wanted an hour to live in 2014— and jump around singing like nothing else mattered.  

Final Thoughts

Ten years after its inaugural outing, FVDED has solidified itself as a tentpole event within the BC scene. Mainstream while remaining diverse. Accessible while encouraging discovery. Nostalgic while still pushing underground genres.

For music fans, these events matter. They connect us. A spiritual refresh button that somehow drains your body but fills your soul. As a millennial attendee who’s been there since the beginning, each year gets harder—but, somehow, that makes each iteration more meaningful.

FVDED forever.

FVDED 2025: The Old Guard Reigns, But Subtronics Is Everything a Headliner Should Be

Source: UMF TV

By Ryan Hayes

Beyond Nostalgia: What’s Next

Aside from a very select handful of dance music festivals globally, most lineups still play it safe. Headliners continue to be pulled from EDM’s last “golden age”—a time when the genre’s dominance on the worldwide Top 40 catapulted a handful of DJs to mainstream icon status. That kind of reach will likely never be matched, and those same dozen-or-so acts still sit atop most festival posters around the world.

That’s not to say those artists are without merit—their names hold sway, their hits cut through generational barriers, and their sets have been meticulously honed over decades. They are dance music’s first true legacy vanguard.

But the scene has shifted. Today, it’s increasingly driven by branded niche artist events—where the current generation, no less talented than their predecessors, cultivate fanbases and headline events at unique venues curating genuine experiences. For diehard fans, these shows are priceless. Despite have legions of dedicated fans willing to travel to experience their shows the top of a mainstream festival lineup continues to elude many of these current heavyweights.

Festivals are massive financial burdens on the companies that throw them. Huge gambles banking on corner a market, and that makes risk difficult…but at what point in time does the old guard lose its cache? Or is the only way to continue traditional festivals to have the battle-worn star’s name in lights?

Regardless, shouldn’t the real excitement come from seeing someone fresh—someone pushing boundaries and innovating in real time?

Subtronics is one of those artists.

While he isn’t technically headlining FVDED, I expect—hope—that the audience he draws is as large and ravenous as any top-billed act all weekend.

His sound has evolved, but his signature remains: bass-heavy, tempo-shifting, sonically unique, emotionally genuine—and never taking itself too seriously. The hunger and drive to grow his singular brand is still front and center. And that deserves to be praised.

Bass, Chaos & Control: Subtronics Is Built for the Big Stage

Earlier this year, Subtronics took on the Ultra mainstage, a daunting tightrope walk balanced between appeasing 50,000 festivalgoers and staying true to a sound not traditional globally showcased.

Source: UMF TV

He triumphed, unleashing an hour of absolute madness. The key was accessibility, blending mainstream dance anthems like “Levels,” “Satisfaction,” and “Show Me Love” with originals like “Scream Saver,” “Amnesia,” and “Ecstasy of the Soul” (with Zeds Dead). He even dropped hard-hitting bass-infused mashups with iconic pop hits—“Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” and “Where Have You Been.”

It was a set filled with twists and turns, countless remixes and VIPs, and a flood of unreleased IDs. With a track list spanning 46 tracks in 60 minutes—more than 95 if you count the mashups—it was adrenaline-fueled escapism at its best. Musical opium for the masses. And the best showing on bass/dub since Skrillex headlined Ultra in 2015.

Don’t get me wrong—his FVDED set will be aggressive. But his energy is contagious, his stage presence magnetic, and he always pulls back just before things tip into overload. It will be a rollercoaster.

Show up, strap in, and enjoy the ride. No matter what, it’ll be a memory. Subtronics is meant to be experienced in a sea of 10,000+ fans, all-in and going off. Subtronics is what moves the needle—and he’s reason enough to be there, front and center, for another unforgettable year at FVDED.

Open Radius Day One Delivered on Every Front

By Ryan Hayes

Day One of Open Radius was a vibe. The audience’s energy was immaculate—yes it was bolstered by the stellar acts, but the communal umbrella of house music was the driving force behind the event's air of camaraderie.

From traditional ‘raver’ attire to North Face rain jackets and blundstones everyone was welcome. Entry was smooth, the bars/bathrooms were ample, and the food trucks didn’t have outrageous lines. 

The festival's secondary stage, Propagate, dripped with an organic throwback aura. There was a sense that you were with a group of friends experiencing an impromptu party in an isolated location. It was intimate and authentic. Everyone there was looking to get lost in the music and the energy was both welcoming and contagious. 

Nic Fanciulli drew an early crowd to the mainstage. His new single ‘Hold On,’ only released 24 hours earlier was a hit, and everyone was primed for Gorgon City.

By the time Gorgon City was underway the weather had begun to turn. Moody skies, biting wind, and a mainstage backdropped with trees rustling and whispering through gusts of wind—a Vancouver May long special. Despite rain intermittently peppering the audience the crowd swelled undeterred by the weather. House heads were out in force, nothing was going to get in their way. 

Gorgon City’s pacing was on point, and they really ramped up the tempo for the back half of their set. The duo’s original productions ‘Voodoo,’ ‘5AM at Bagleys,’ and ‘All That You Need’ were all high points. Near the end of their set they dropped their newest release, ‘Run It Back,’ and an audible pop rippled through the crowd.  

Summit took the stage just before 8:30pm and hit the ground running; everyone had already settled in and embraced the BPM.

At this point in John Summit’s career there can be no doubt that he deserves to sit atop any festival lineup. His arsenal of modern anthems is unrivalled, his style of house is malleable (trance/DnB/bass all woven seamlessly) and his personality is magnetic.

The Alok remix of ‘Focus’ & the Odd Mob remix of ‘Palm Of My Hand’ crushed. And it was a true moment to see thousands sing along to Delirum’s nearly 30-year-old track ‘Silence.’ Summit’s newly minted remix modernizes the track for 2025 and festival goers have clearly not tired of, or forgotten, the chorus.

The night came to a close with ‘Where You Are,’ ‘Gas Pedal Remix,’ & ‘Go back.’ Two years after its release, ‘Where You Are’ still hits as a euphoric unifying anthem destined to be remembered as a certified top tier classic.

This may only be the second iteration of Open Radius, but the festival already feels fully realized and mature. See you next year. Rain or shine. Count me in.