Are Minecraft Concerts the Future of EDM?

Even before 2020, Minecraft was becoming an increasingly influential force in the evolution of underground and mainstream EDM. Back in August 2019, the first Minecraft nightclub opened their digital doors to online audiences in Manila, Philippines. Created by the head of BuwanBuwan music collective and electronic footwork genius Jorge Juan B. Wieneke V, also known as similarobjects, Club Matryoshka was the first of its kind. True to its Russian doll-inspired moniker, Club Matryoshka is a series of seemingly never-ending rooms within rooms, surrounded by digital lakes and mountains, with an epic fantasy dungeon-inspired facade to boot. In this club, visitors can hangout in rooftops, classic nightclub-inspired rooms, and strange time-and-space warping locations – to the tune of contemporary EDM artists from Manila.

During the opening night, club visitors also had the option of throwing potions at each other. It was a risky move considering how Club Matryoshka is set in survival mode, which means that visitors are vulnerable to death and other dangers. However, the digital partygoers immediately started throwing potions that altered perception through night vision or time-delay effects, which enhanced the experience and gave it a more personal, interactive touch. And while Club Matryoshka is not yet a name that’s commonly known in the EDM world, it was the first to explore the limits of the Minecraft universe in the context of the nightclub experience. And since the success of its initial experiment-events, a variety of EDM gigs, releases, and festivals have followed.

Just recently, the Grammy-nominated duo Disclosure celebrated the release of their new album Energy by unveiling the music video for the song Birthday inside Minecraft. The game’s meta-verse proved to be the perfect location to pull listeners into the vibrant world of the album’s themes. Meanwhile, entire music festivals are also being successfully held within the game’s servers. Featuring artists like Aaron Cartier, 100 Gecs, and David Rudnick, Lavapalooza used Minecraft to create a multi-stage EDM festival venue out of a towering stone mountain, beautifully lit with the surrounding flow of lava rivers and falls. Open Pit designer Max Schramp who designed Lavapalooza has since moved on to create more virtual concert venues with giant mushrooms, rainbow flowers, and whatever else can be constructed on Minecraft.

Therein lies one of the key challenges to launching your own Minecraft gig. Given the creative vision that EDM and 3D artists have already put into launching Minecraft concerts, you’re going to want to step up your visuals and dynamics if you want online audiences to show an interest. Furthermore, if you’re a DJ or performer who wants in on the Minecraft party, there are certain technical considerations you should keep in mind. Apart from making sure that you have the Internet speed to be able to host a Minecraft gig or concert in the first place, your own audio rig at home should also be well suited for the job.

Having a Steinberg UR22 USB Audio Interface, for instance, will make it much easier to input high-quality audio from your keyboard or DJ rig onto your computer for streaming. If you also use different instruments along with your voice, you might want to look into investing in a standard studio mic. The AT2020 review on Shout4Music which is made by Audio-Technica, indicates how the mic is designed for the studio market, versatile enough for acoustic instruments, different vocals, or simple vocal clarity over web servers. While these devices are certainly not cheap, having basic studio equipment will make the task of keeping the audio stream consistent much easier down the line.

These are just some of the basic stuff you need to do your own Minecraft concert. Taking care of these fundamental audio concerns from the start will also free you up to come up with more creative ways to customize your own Minecraft concert space. While this pixelated dreamworld is far from the only digital online space that’s allowing EDM artists to break through physical distancing rules and reach their audiences, Minecraft is and will continue to be pivotal to the evolution of contemporary EDM.

written by: Rebecca Juke