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The 2023 Decentraland Music Festival is Underway.

5 Stages with over 80 Musical Performances.

A 3 Day Music Festival that brings together creators from around the world. As I am writing this I am currently at MetaTokyo with peeps in Japan. Exploring the latest in Japanese Pop and virtual culture as the MetaTokyo stage returns for its second year.

Last Night was at MetaMorphic Stage built by House of Tang with the DCL Babydolls and Tangpoko.

Reading from the event description as it says it best,
Be transformed by this gamified art installation and soundscape, all about metamorphosis. Match the music hidden within an immersive garden to transform the resident caterpillar into a butterfly, and watch as her whole world changes. This metamorphosis not only “highlights the individual’s development within the game but also echoes the broader, cyclical nature of life and regeneration”.

This is my second time attending the full Music Festival in Decentraland and it’s such a cool experience.

Anyone can join the festival at Decentraland.org. You can enter as Guest and hop right in. 

I am also streaming on Twitch each day of the festival – check it out @BleaceArt, would love to answer any questions you may have about the event or virtual events in general. Afterwards I will be uploading clips to the Bleace YouTube Channel, where you can find countless other videos I have uploaded about virtual reality there! 

But events like this get me so excited about the possibilities, not just inside Virtual Reality but mixing it with in-person events. It’s not a replacement for reality, which the fear mongers love to say it is, it enhances reality and our experiences. I am able to be in a virtual space with others no matter where they are in the world and we can watch a Live Performance from someone who can be anywhere in the world and be singing in any language. It exposes you to art and artists who you wouldn’t have otherwise. It bypasses the algorithm and connects creators directly with like-minded people.

At this festival, there is a wide range of musical acts, it’s not just one genre, it’s any genre you can think of and more! 

There is a Soundscape stage where you can wade in a flowing river with surreal interactive objects that make sounds or beats, from alarm clocks and musical instruments to cascading waterfalls. Explore every corner of the landscape to find more instruments you can use to make your own music. Then bring your instruments into the river to activate them with the rhythm stones - adding their sound to the collaborative music loop. Every sound you add can be heard by everyone else in the Soundscape, opening the possibility of improvised performances with players across the world.

Then you have Tower Craft where you can build with friends in a collaborative way, create a unique stacked tower inspired by stacked cairns and carved sculptures from many global traditions. Then watch as your tower is installed as a waymarker across the festival site.

In that way the virtual music festival is a mind-expanding experience for all who attend and I really can’t recommend it enough, especially to people who love to create as Virtual Reality has the power to enhance any creation that you are currently working on. 

It goes beyond just watching a Live Stream and interacting with a given community, there is a sense of presence that is felt in these virtual spaces, getting to dance with others at a concert or party, with a Live DJ giving shout outs and engaging with the crowd just like you would see at a real concert.

For those who have never been to a virtual concert, I say, before the defense mechanism kicks in to dismiss what I am talking about, or the fear mongering of some dystopian future, give it a chance and see what the space has to offer.

I have to just say the Decentraland community is just so supportive and loving to others, accepting of all people from anywhere in the world. In Decentraland people can express themselves in ways they aren’t able to in real life, IRL. This is a beautiful thing to witness, creatives able to express their talents and experience their art in ways they can’t in this reality.

Brings up lingering questions about what this reality even is! we can only see visible light, which is so small on the spectrum of light rays, broaden your mind! Again, when is the last time you tried something for the first time? Where is that long forgotten childlike wonder?

Dive deep into the unknown, you never know what will happen, what effect your energy will have, where the rabbit hole will lead. Dive Deep and let imagination seep in and sweep you away.

The Music Festival brings together creatives, powered by the Decentraland DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), brings together musicians, digital artists, 3D artists, architects, programmers, digital fashion designers, video editors, graphic designers, and more all coming together to bring an experience unlike any other.

As I said in the previous episode, I recorded this right after, had to double up this week to make up for last week and to stay on schedule to get to 50 episodes by the end of the year.

I appreciate you taking the time to listen to this episode and hope you will venture into Virtual Reality or at least check out my Live Stream or YouTube Videos.

Let’s Go Further Together One Step at a Time!