The heavy bass rippled through the ground, all the way into the parking lot of the windy, but sunny venue of Shoreline Amphitheater. The second the music hit me as I stepped into Skullcandy Presents: Identity Festival, I felt alive.

The all-ages music festival hosted artists from a variety of sub-genres within the electronic dance music (EDM) community. From dubstep to house, and drum-and-bass to trance, all stages radiated with an electrifying vibe from afternoon to dark.

I began the day with electro artist, Doorly, at the Advent Stage. Even in the smallest set-up, Doorly had the crowd go wild to his remixes of Snoop Dog’s rhymes, layered with heavy bass and distorted vocals. His sound system would go out at times, but the beat always resumed quickly and the crowd back into a frenzy throng of head-bobbing and fist-pumping.

Being in front of dubstep artist Datsik’s set with his intense drops and head-throbbing bass lines was well worth being stepped on the toes and drenched in sweat. The sound system of the main amphitheater gave justice to each beat, with the vibrations hitting not only ear drums, but also chests and heads alike.

The energy of the festival was invigorating. The throngs of colorfully dressed people danced their way from stage to stage. I meandered through the sea of smiling faces and bright colors into the Rockstar stage for drum-and-bass artist Nero’s set.The sun was beginning to set. As free cans of Rockstar were being passed around, the crowd rocked out to Nero’s energetic drum lines mixed with heavy bass. Loud cheers ran out as he dropped his latest mixes.

The main amphitheater had one of the best set ups for a large music festival. While many larger scale festivals and raves only have the main stage area and bleachers behind it, the amphitheater offered a large grass area for the tired to rest.

I found myself ending the day laying on the grass and ending the day immersed in the slow dreamy tracks of trance artist Kaskade. The light and sound system of the stage created a dream-like atmosphere, almost as if the venue was suspended above the ground. Kaskade dropped his classic track 4AM and the crowd rippled into a sea of arms and lighters. LED lights from light shows sparkled in the dark behind the standing crowd.

Besides the windy weather and horrible cell phone connection (it was literally impossible to send out a text message), Identity was definitely a success. Musical talent combined with a great venue made for an unforgettable way to begin the Labor Day weekend.