AUM unimpressive due to disappointing DJs

Austin has been home to a thriving electronic music scene for over a decade, but it has remained under the radar ever since Austin's only electronic dance station  went bust about 10 years ago.

That's all changing thanks to a flock of startup electronic music promotional companies that have opened within the past few years.

Austin EDM Underground in conjunction with Electric Avenue ATX signed up over 40 local DJs to perform at AUMfest (Austin Underground Music festival) to showcase house and trance music on April 10 and 11.

AUMfest was held at a 90-acre ranch in south Austin, and DJs were supposed to perform for 36 hours straight, but rain on the 11th forced the festival to shut down early that afternoon.

When it wasn't raining, attendees were able to set up tents and camp overnight at the ranch while DJs performed on three different stages and local artists and vendors sold merchandise, food and non-alcoholic drinks to the crowd.

AUMfest drew a medium-sized crowd throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, the majority of the sets were mediocre, but a handful of DJs stood out like Christian Barbuto and the well-known Andrew Parsons, who has opened for internationally known DJs in the past.
DJs who underperformed had sets that included poor song choices, using a crossfader to switch tracks instead of actually mixing tracks, or simply an overall lack of good timing.

Overall, the festival was a success due to its atmosphere. The spacious ranch was the perfect setting for an outdoor music festival because of its seclusion, and Bassmaxx provided an incredible sound system.

The next event Austin EDM Underground has organized is Moonlight Origins which will take place on the Lamar pedestrian bridge on April 30 at 10:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. the next day and is a free event.