Youthquake: How MDLBeast’s Soundstorm Is Becoming A Driving Force In The Kingdom
Change is afoot in KSA and MDLBeast’s Soundstorm is quickly becoming a driving force, ushering in a new era for young Saudis ready to make up for lost time…
She comes alive at night – or three nights a year, to be more specific. As the sun dips behind the horizon in the outskirts of Riyadh, daytime slowly melting into golden hour, she rouses from her long slumber, welcoming all those who seek to celebrate what was once forbidden. It’s a pilgrimage many young Saudis are eager to make, as they arrive dressed in their festival finest – cargo pants and glitter, fur jackets and bandanas, crop tops and abayas. For the next few nights they can be whoever they want to be, enveloped in the safety of a dream world governed by EDM.
MDLBeast’s flagship festival, Soundstorm, claims to be the loudest festival in the region – and while that may be true, it’s better described as the biggest hub for KSA youth culture in the Kingdom. A haven for those who subscribe to the radical change Saudi Arabia has been ushering in throughout recent years. Back for its third installment, the three days of festivities took place in the suburb of Banban, installing itself as a temporary village of sorts – one which could rival Tomorrowland and Coachella. With over seven difference stages, 200 performers (including Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Tiësto, Amr Diab, Myriam Fares and Marshmello, to name just a few) and 600,000 attendees, Soundstorm is quickly establishing itself a must-attend for music festival goers – and not just ones located within the Kingdom.
Food stalls and seating areas were in abundance, along with pop-up shops, experiential activations and street performers – some gliding just above the crowds with the help of balloons or stilts, their illuminated costumes billowing in the cool night wind. Those who opted for Premium or VIB – Very Important Beast – tickets could traverse the festival grounds via an elevated walkway, a highline which boasted superb views of the main stage, pyrotechnics and nightly drone shows.
Artwork by local creatives was etched onto the sides of temporary structures, elaborate graphics painted onto shipping containers that made up the walls of the four Underground stages. A larger-thanlife neon angel at the entrance welcomed those who wish to party; Solomon, Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones all held court here throughout the weekend, as young men and women in LED glasses shuffled along to the hypnotic beats.
The three other stages – Big Beast, Down Beast and the Dance Tent – were scattered throughout the property, each one subscribing to a slightly different energy and audience. Post Malone, Swedish House Mafia, and DJ Khaled and Friends (Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, T.I., Future and Rick Ross joined him on stage) took over Big Beast (the ‘main stage’), performing their sets to thousands of fans, while the likes of Zedd, Steve Aoki and Benny Benassi pumped up crowds in the Dance Tent, a true raver’s paradise. Jorja Smith, Rae Sremmurd, Elyanna and Saudi singer Tamtam serenaded audiences at Down Beast, a stage overlooking a grassy pitch that, while slightly smaller than Big Beast, was certainly no less grand.
Undoubtedly, the performers could feel the electric energy radiating off the crowds, the enthusiasm of young people in full force; they too appeared to understand the monumental role Soundstorm plays in the history of Saudi youth culture.
The event was a homecoming of sorts for DJ Khaled. During his set, the American-Palestinian producer and rapper told the audience that his parents wept when he revealed to them that he would be going to Saudi Arabia. He fell to his knees whilst performing God Did with Rick Ross; while the Grammy award winner clearly is a pro at connecting with his fans during a concert, his debut Saudi performance seemed to move something within him on almost a spiritual level. He took pauses in between his words at times, taking in the audience’s roars of excitement – and he wasn’t the only performer who was blown away by the love he received on stage. Post Malone couldn’t stop grinning between songs. It too was his first time performing in KSA and, from the looks of it, he appeared to be a bit overwhelmed at times, his heart bursting with appreciation for his fans. Bruno Mars promised the fans he would be back “real soon.”
It’s refreshing to witness artists from around the world be humbled by the love of their KSA fans, but especially so when dance music stalwarts appear so aware of the crucial role they play in the youthquake currently occurring throughout the Kingdom.
“When it comes to Saudi, I’ve been very involved since day one,” says David Guetta, who played at the inaugural Soundstorm in 2019 and took to the stage twice at this year’s festival, performing a future rave set with Morten Breum, his fellow founder of the new EDM genre. “I’m a little bit obsessed with youth – I’m having a hard time with getting older, I have to admit – this country… 70 or 75 per cent of the people are under 30… the efforts that are being made to make young people happy here… I think it’s amazing,” he adds.
“It’s beautiful to be here,” concurs Morten, revealing he’s always had an interest in music from the region. “A lot of these people have never been able to come to a festival before and one of the most important things I want is our music to be heard all over the world – and also in Saudi Arabia. To be here and to share these moments with the people here, it’s just incredible.”
“When I started with house music… it was a very, very small scene,” David recalls. “I was one of the artists that made the music cross over and I’ve witnessed it grow into something huge – and I love this feeling. I feel like I’m witnessing history in motion. And this is so special – it feels like being part of something that is bigger than me because, you know, it’s not only playing music, but it’s playing for people who haven’t been able to dance for the last tens of years. It’s crazy, this takes [on] a whole different meaning.”
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s January 2022 issue.
