Korea has been getting a lot of big name performers and electronic groups coming through in the past few years. Within the past few years performers like Armin Van Buuren, Above and Beyond, Lady Gaga, MGMT, Deadmau5, Justice, Fat Boy Slim, just to name a few, have performed live in Seoul. And in the coming months Korea will host Eminem, Radiohead, Tiesto, and Skrillex. As Korea becomes more recognized globally, it makes sense that A-list performers will now consider doing a show in Korea when they do their East Asian tour; adding Seoul or Busan to the traditional list of Tokyo, Taipei, Shanghai, and Singapore. As a testament to Korea’s growing popularity as an entertainment hub, last evening Sensation: An Ocean of White came to Ilsan, a suburb of Seoul to the northwest. This is the first time Sensation has ever been performed in Asia, and they chose to have their debut performance in Korea. And we were all super lucky for it.
Sensation is more than just an electronic concert. It is an experience.
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Sensation: An Ocean of White, is, appropriately enough, an ocean themed event. And because it is an “Ocean of White,” Sensation has a strict dress code – everyone must be dressed completely in white. Inside the event, the setup was incredible. There was one DJ stage shaped like a column of frozen ice, topped with many giant glowing orbs. The the DJ platform slowly rotated inside the stage 360 degrees so the DJ was able to perform to the entire audience. On either side of the circular stage there was a runway where performers came out every so often to enthrall us with bubbles and balloons. On the runway itself and in front of the stage were water fountains that shot in the air, which sometimes shot out fire too. Oh, and on the ceiling was about 10 giant jellyfish equipped with LEDs, strobe lights, and flood lights.
There were five DJs, but only one of them – Freddie LeGrand – had any sort of international recognition. But while Sensation could have benefited from several top-10 DJs, having that level of performer quality was not essential. Sensation was an experience in of itself and the DJs were just only one part of the entire package that Sensation delivers.
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The Subway of White
The event began even more it began during the trip to get the event. To get to Ilsan, one has to take line 3 out of Seoul all the way until it terminates at Daehwa Station. It’s a 70 minute subway ride from Goseok Terminal. But the subway ride itself set the tone of the night. In my group there were four of us all decked out in white clothes and other accessories like white hats, shoes, ties, headbands., and in the case of one of my friends a white Panda bear cape. We made quite a spectacle on the subway loaded with regularly dressed subway commuters. But as we got further away from Seoul, the normal crowd started to dissipate in favor of packs of white dressed festival goers. By the time we arrived in Daehwa we had already exceeded in making Sensation 2012: Northbound Line 3 Subway Car of White. At Daewha we all got out and joined up inside the Station, which was flooded with people all dressed in white. By the time we arrived at the venue, Kintex, it was mobbed with thousands of people all dressed up. We had arrived at the Ocean of White, and the night had not yet begun.
Once we got inside we were given a bracelet that had a large plastic piece attached to it that acted as our festival ticket wristband. But it was really bulky and had a cloth cinch that you affixed to your arm or wrist. It was kind of strange; it looked like a GPS armband or anklet. We had no idea what role it would later play in our night.
At 10:30, the event began. There was a 5 minute countdown on the screen followed by indoor fireworks and flames and explosions. The first performer was named Mr. White. He played a set consisting of generic, formulaic house – a little disappointing for such a large scale event. But we were later to see that the event was organized as though once was going deeper and deeper underwater: Mr. White was just the surface level.
Once Mr. White was done and the second DJ started, things got crazier. The second DJ’s set was far more interesting, but what really got the night going was the Sensation trademark effects. As the second DJ began, inflatable balls the size of a car fell on the crowd. We spent the next ten minutes launching these balls in the air, which were changing color all the time. On the catwalk came the dancers who were immersed in these balls from the waist up. Fireworks started going off again. A rush of water from the jets in front of the stage shot up so high it nearly hit the ceiling. The dance floor went absolutely berserk.
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By the time Freddie Le Grand went on in the third DJ slot, I thought I had seen everything Sensation had prepared for me, but I was thankfully mistaken. Immediately after beginning his set a wall of golden sparks shot down on either side of the catwalk. Just after that, two stunt men came from the ceiling on either side of the stage who each had a pinwheel attached to their backs that fired out even more golden sparks. The giant jellyfish on the ceiling were pulsating different colors from green to red to blue. This was plenty enough to overwhelm the senses, but then we all noticed that the whole audience was glowing green. This was because the festival bracelet, which seemed really clunky and strange at first, revealed itself to be a remote controlled green LED bracelet, which for the rest of the night would shine and glow intermittently during sets. It was incredible.
Sensation lasted until six in the morning, but each hour revealed new surprises. It was a complete event; not just a a concert, but a carnival of lights, sounds, performers, and people all joining together to create an unforgettable experience. It is truly a one of a kind event, a totally unique festival where we all joined together clad in white to push our sense to the limit.