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Imagine Music Festival celebrated its sixth year with an explosive lineup at Atlanta Motor Speedway. From its inception at as a two-day festival at Masquerade Music Park in 2014, the festival has nearly tripled its audience, now boasting an attendance of nearly 45,000 music lovers and festival fanatics spanning four days. Founded and produced by IRIS Presents, Imagine 2019 has grown both its music and production to a standard that sets the bar for EDM festivals across the United States. From candy-coated shufflers, to cross-eyed headbangers, this festival once again proved it can live up to its reputation.

Continuing the theme of fire and water for this year’s production of Imagine Music Festival, the artist roster exemplified the staggering differences between the two elements. The musical talent brought forth by the event included some of the biggest names in the game, including: Above & Beyond, Alison Wonderland, Zeds Dead, Claude Von Stroke, Tipper, and more. Spanning the gambit of electronic music genres and catering to the tastes of every fun-loving attendee. This massive lineup would not have been possible without the expert stage production and sound engineering that rivals any major music event in the nation.

Six unique stages shone bright throughout the interior of the event, with stage design playing an important role in the experience. Oceania, the largest stage at the event, hosted EDM moguls like Zeds Dead, Alison Wonderland, Matoma, and a surprise appearance by Shaquille O’Neal a.k.a. DJ Diesel. Oceania had physical characteristics that towered over the stage, supplemented by lights, lasers, and high-pressure fog machines. An enormous crown sat over the DJ booth and gave even more purpose to every artist’s spot on the main stage.

Amazonia, the second largest stage at the event, focused its production on visual art, with performances by artists like Detox Unit (visuals by Cullen Hassel), Jade Cicada (visuals by Steven Haman), Tipper (visuals by Fractaled Visions), G Jones, and Louis the Child. It was clear that Music Matters Productions affirmed their presence with incredible sound delivery and dramatic lighting.

Disco Inferno, designed by Algorythm Designs, is aptly named for its pyrotechnics; in front of the stage stood a spire that shot fire more than thirty feet above the crowd. Just behind the stage was a sort of disassembled disco ball that shot smaller bursts of flames. Rusko, Lane 8, Space Jesus, and Dirtybird artists such as Claude Von Stroke, Justin Martin, and J.Phlip put on shows that highlighted their individual talents that took them down the road of fame.

Two stages punctuated the space between the aforementioned three. Six Feathers featuring Darude, among many others, and the Techyes stage, a new addition featuring local underground bass artists, which provided continual entertainment as attendees ventured throughout the grounds.

A particularly welcome part of this year’s festival was the organization of its stages. Sound pollution from other surrounding stages was unheard and almost forgotten. Stage presence was maximized through orientation and spacing, while genre also played a large part in the lineup.

Sunday came to a beautiful crescendo with fireworks over Marshmello at Oceania, while Tipper continued with an array of incredibly detailed and artistic projections beside him at the Amazonia stage. When the music subsided, there was only laughter and talk of unprecedented joy, nostalgia, and absolute satisfaction.

From Imagine Music Festival’s beginnings at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the musical talent in attendance has continued to speak for itself. When Imagine found its new home at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2016, they featured a lineup that consisted of the best of the best of Dubstep, with names like NERO, Caspa, Rusko, Borgore, Champagne Drip, and Delta Heavy. As the years progressed, they have continued to add to their list of stars across the map for EDM: Bassnectar, GRiZ, Galantis, The Glitch Mob, Armin Van Buuren, RL Grime, Alesso, Kaskade, Zhu, Lotus, and Green Velvet are among the many greats that have graced Imagine with their presence. The unique styles of electronic music these artists have brought to the table help define Imagine as the all-encompassing event it is today. Needless to say, year 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (year 6 overall) brought in a delightfully rich variety of music perpetuating its reputation as an event that covers the expanse of music available for today’s avid music lovers.

For our full photo album from the event, check our Facebook page. Article and photos by Dylan Essi and Victor Tranfield.