Under the Electric Sky isn't the first time a feature-length film has attempted to capture the magic of EDC. I should know. I was the giant blue caterpillar and the ukulele-playing clown on stilts in 2011's Electric Daisy Carnival Experience. I may or may not have a cameo this time around, but I've got higher hopes for Electric Sky.
In January, I road tripped to Park City, Utah to sport Flea-inspired, stuffed-animal-covered stilt pants for the newer film's Sundance premiere. My trousers looked like a toy store threw up on them. Pasquale Rotella, CEO of EDC promoter Insomniac, brought his wife, Holly Madison, and their baby daughter Rainbow to the party. I'll never forget the wide-eyed expression on Rainbow's face as she tried to wrap her tiny mind around the Beanie Baby menagerie towering over her.
Madison deserves some credit for Electric Sky's existence. She took Rotella to see Katy Perry: Part of Me, the tour documentary directed by Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth. When the credits rolled, Rotella noted the directors' names and tracked them down. In an arguably synchronistic turn of events, EDM was already on the radar of Lipsitz and Cutforth.
“I'm really proud of how Under the Electric Sky turned out because it truly captures the amazing spirit of EDC,” says Rotella. “If you can't make it to EDC, this will be the next best thing to being there. Anyone that has ever been misunderstood or has looked for a place where they belong should see this movie.”
Rotella has long referred to EDC attendees as headliners. Now, he is turning them into promoters, as initial May 29 screenings are being fan organized via crowd-source screening company Tugg.
The Las Vegas premiere of Under the Electric Sky on Thursday, May 29 at AMC Town Square 18 is sold out, but a wider theatrical release is promised for June. Stay tuned at UnderTheElectricSky.com
