The World Electronic Music Festival (WEMF) was an

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

event held annually in various locations across Southern Ontario over a period of three days. It was created and run by Destiny Productions out of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. In summer of 2008 Destiny put on what was said to be their last WEMF in Madawaska, however the event returned in 2011 for 2 more years.World Electronic Music Festival
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History

This festival was developed in 1995. At that time it was named "The World Trance Festival" which 2 years later was changed to The World Electronic Music Festival or WEMF. The festival ran from Friday through Sunday on an annual basis from 1995 to 2008 with attendance reaching 25,000 at its peak. With the popularity of dance music waning in the late 2000s, the festival took a 2-year hiatus in 2009 & 2010 to focus on CEMF but returned with a bang in 2011 and sold out its visually stunning but remote 5,000 person venue. * WEMF (Destiny 10) 1995 took place at

Mosport International Raceway Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi-Race track, track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. The facility features a , 10-turn road cou ...

in the center of the large race track from Friday, July 14 to Sunday July 16. A tornado ripped through the middle of it, destroying one of two sound stages and many people's tents went airborne. However, nobody was hurt and the festival continued the next day after repairs were made to the remaining stage. The first year featured John The Dentist, Evil Eddie Richards, Dr. Trance and many more. * WEMF (Destiny 15) 1996 took place at a campground in Oro Medonte Township near

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

from Friday July 12 to Sunday July 14 and was a co-production with Toronto's Industry Nightclub. * WEMF (Destiny 20) 1997 took place on private land just outside Orillia, Ontario * WEMF (Destiny 25) 1998 took place at Christian Island near

Midland, Ontario Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of Central Ontario. Located at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, ...

from Friday, July 17 to Sunday, July 19 * WEMF 1999 took place at White Sands, Sauble Beach near

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attractio ...

from Friday, July 16 to Sunday, July 18 * WEMF 2000 took place at Dunnville Airport in

Dunnville, Ontario Dunnville is an unincorporated community located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada near the historic Talbot Trail. It was formerly an incorporated town encompassing the surrounding area with a total populat ...

from Friday, July 14 to Sunday July 16 * WEMF 2001 took place on private property in

Bobcaygeon Bobcaygeon is a community on the Trent–Severn Waterway in the City of Kawartha Lakes, east-central Ontario, Canada. Bobcaygeon was incorporated as a village in 1876, and became known as the "Hub of the Kawarthas". Its recorded name ''bob- ...

, Ontario from Friday, July 21 to Sunday, July 23 * WEMF 2002 took place on private property in Bobcaygeon, Ontario from Friday, August 2 to Sunday August 4 * WEMF 2003 took place at Trudeau Park in

Tweed, Ontario Tweed is a municipality located in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, in Hastings County. History The Municipality of Tweed is an amalgamated municipality comprising the former Village of Tweed and the former Hungerford Township and former Elzevi ...

from Friday, July 25 to Sunday, July 27 * WEMF 2004 took place at Wasaga Beach in

Wasaga Beach, Ontario Wasaga Beach (or simply Wasaga) is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Situated along the longest freshwater beach in the world, it is a popular summer tourist destination. It is located along the southern end of Georgian Bay, approximate ...

from Sunday, July 25 to Tuesday, July 27 * WEMF 2005 took place at the Orangeville Fairgrounds in Orangeville, Ontario from Friday July 8 to July 10. * WEMF 2006 took place at Trudeau Park in

from Friday July 21 to Sunday July 23. * WEMF 2007 took place at the Niagara Regional Exhibition (NRE) in

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

from Friday July 20 to Sunday July 22. * WEMF 2008 took place at Madawaska, Ontario, from Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20. * WEMF 2011 took place at Madawaska, Ontario from Friday, August 12 to Sunday August 14. The lineup was announced in stages, with the portion first portion of the headliners released on April 15, 2011, and the second portion released on May 13, 2011. Highlights included

Rusko Rusko () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipali ...

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...

, Zeds Dead,

Pendulum A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward th ...

Andy C Andrew John Clarke (born 7 April 1976) is a British DJ and record producer and is co-founder of RAM Records, a pioneering label in the drum and bass genre. Music career Early years Andy C was a DJ in his own right but gained a strong reputa ...

Noisia Noisia (stylised as NOISIΛ; "VISION" turned upside down) was a Dutch electronic music trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands. They produce a wide variety of music including ...

, Calvin Harris,

Infected Mushroom Infected Mushroom is an Israeli musical duo formed in Haifa in 1996 by producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani. They produce and perform psytrance, electronica, dream trance and psychedelic music. They are one of the best-selling groups in I ...

Caspa CASPA or the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants is an application service for graduate-level PA programs. Similar to the Common Application used by some undergraduate institutions and the American Medical College Applicatio ...

, and

Mark Breeze Mark Breeze (real name Mark Brady, born 1970), also known as DJ Breeze, is a British DJ and producer of UK hardcore music. He is best known for his collaborations with Darren Styles as Styles & Breeze. He is also the founder of the label Inf ...

. Tickets were on sale beginning Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 11 A.M. EST via www.wemf.com and were offered at escalating prices over time ($25 Increase per 1000 tickets). The talent lineup and budget was alleged to have been substantially increased for the 2011 festival to justify the substantially higher costs relative to previous years. * WEMF 2012 was announced December 17, 2011 and returned to Madawaska, Ontario, from Friday August 17 to Sunday August 19. Headline artists at WEMF 2012 included Wolfgang Gartner, Zeds Dead, Moby, Chase & Status, Pendulum, Andy C, Infected Mushroom (live), DJ Hype, Thomas Gold, Datsik, The Crystal Method, Krafty Kuts, Dub FX, Felix Cartel, 12th Planet, Christopher Lawrence, John 00 Fleming, Trolley Snatcha, Harvard Bass, Adventure Club, Ed Rush & Optical, MC GQ, Figure, The Killabits, Torro Torro, Adam K, Jelo Bad Company Keys & Krates Mimosa, Two Fresh, Jeft Tale and many, many more over 3 stages. The production was their most ambitious yet, with 2 massive main stages and a 3rd tented area. Renegade, or Community stages are purchasable prior to the event by contacting WEMF through their website: www.wemf.com. WEMF was produced by festival founder, Destiny with help from Toronto's EMbrace Presents and the EDM division of Live Nation, Electronic Nation. * Destiny, the founders of WEMF, became part of Toronto's Digital Dreams Music Festival in 2013 and continued to work on that festival for 3 more years While there have been many rumours of a WEMF reunion of some kind, Destiny has stayed quiet on the subject while still throwing events in downtown Toronto to this day.

Past Headliners

WEMF 1996 - The first festival was held in association with the UK's Outer Limits. Headliners included Paul Edge, Platipus Records, Colin Favor, Brenda Russell. WEMF 1998 featured 6 main stages of music * Destiny (trance): Jon The Dentist, Chris Liberator, M-Zone, Deniro, Mark EG, Christopher Lawrence, LL Bishop, Shane Morris, Matt Booker, Robert Oleysyk, Dave Trance, Mistress Barbara, The Alliance & Tweek (Live P.A.) + locals * Next Junction (drum'n'bass):

Nicky Blackmarket Nicky Blackmarket (born Nicholas Andersson-Gylden) is a British drum and bass DJ and record producer. Blackmarket is regarded as one of the pivotal figures in the early jungle/drum and bass scene. He has been playing drum and bass all over th ...

, L Double, D.Bo General, R Notorious J, The Substitution Crew: DJ Lorne / DJ Starchild / DJ Kpakpa, MC Flex / MC Mis-ty, Athena Produce, Adaire, MC Blaise + locals * Hullabaloo (hardcore): Vinyltrixta, Spinback, Jimmy J + locals * Return To The Source (psy trance): Medicine Drum, Cosmosis, Ceiba + locals * Speed (techno): DJ Traxx, Dietrich, Altitude, Adam Marshall + locals * AM Trip: Dreamstate (Live P.A.) + locals WEMF 1999 featured 6 main stages of music: * Destiny (trance): Jon The Dentist, Chris Liberator, Mark EG, Mark Tyler, Shane Morris, Commander Tom, Andy Trex, Christopher Lawrence, Scott Stubbs, Dave Trance, Xotec, Flex, Max Graham, Vapourspace + locals * Dose (house + breaks): Dubtribe (Live), John Kelley, Daeman, Eric Davenport, Nigel Richards, Vitamin D, 3PO, Melting Man + locals * Hullabaloo (hardcore + trance): Vinyl Groover, Druid, M-Zone, Madam Zu,

Mc Magika MC Magika (born Birmingham), is a British MC, music producer and rave promoter. He was regularly featured at many of the big UK raves in the mid to late 1990s including Dreamscape, Helter Skelter, Fantazia, and on the dance music compilation ''D ...

, Mc Stixman + locals * Syrous/Renegades (drum'n'bass): Mickey Finn, Ray Keith, Brockie, MC Det, MC GQ + locals * Moon Shadow Collective (psy trance): Psychopod, Frank E, Eon Ion, Tim Shuldt, Avatar + locals * Speed (techno): Andrew Weatherfall, Silicon Valley, Daz Quayle, Mike Shannon, Vortex, Algorhythm + locals WEMF 2000 featured 6 main stages of music: * Trance: Paul Oakenfold, Hardware, Mark EG, John '00' Flemming, Chris Liberator, Christopher Lawrence, Commander Tom, BK, Andy Farley, Marco Dux Baby, Scott Stubbs + locals * Drum'n'Bass: Darren Jay, Mickey Finn, Swift Skibadee, MC GQ + locals * Hardcore: Sy, M-Zone, Orange Peel + locals * House/Breaks: H Foundation, Problem Kids + locals * Techno: Thomas Krome, Disco D, Joel Mull + many more headliners * Psy Trance: Hallucinogen, Agent 1475 + locals WEMF 2001 featured 8 main stages of music: * Destiny trance stage: Nostrum, Commander Tom, Jon The Dentist, John '00' Flemming, Chris Liberator, Fergie, Andy Trex, Darren Pierce, Christopher Lawrence, Scott Stubbs, Benji Solice + locals * Dose house/breaks stage: Bassbin Twins, H Foundation, Olav Basoski, Czech, 3PO, Chris Anderson + locals * Syrous/Renegades drum'n'bass stage: Ed Rush, Optical, Ray Keith, Digital, Spirit, Dieselboy, Skibadee, MC MC, Rhyme Tyme, Rage + locals * Hullabaloo hardcore stage: Scott Brown,

Breeze Breeze often refers to: * A gentle to moderate wind * Sea breeze, an onshore afternoon wind, caused by warm air rising over the land in sunny weather Breeze or The Breeze may also refer to: * Breeze block a concrete masonry unit made from recovere ...

, Devastate, Storm, MC Whizzkid + locals * Eclipse psy-trance stage: Orion, Jean Borelli, Taka, Lori The HiFi Princess, Jamin + locals * Flux booty/hard house stage: DJ Funk, 420, Bam Bam, Alex Peace, Josh Da Funky 1, Rip, Paradigm, Frankie Vega, The Zelch Brothers, Major Malfunction, Xotec + locals * Techno stage: Punk Floyd, DDR, Christian Smith, Geezer, Murphy, Patrick DSP, Scorpion, Grooverobber + locals * Neksis chill tent: Czech, Rob Theakston, William Van Loo, Echo + more WEMF 2002 featured 6 main stages of music: * Destiny trance stage: Christopher Lawrence, Graham Gold, Lange, Commander Tom, Chris Liberator, Yves Deruyter, Jon the Dentist, Lee Mullin of Hybrid, Pulser, Tim Lyall, Vinylgroover, Club Ra Tour featuring Scott Stubbs & Duane King + locals * Afternoon performances live on the main stage: The New Deal, Liquidfied, The Aponauts, Hibernate, Prine nebula, Rhythm Mercenaries, West Magnetic, The Lou Cypher Project * Syrous/Renegades drum'n'bass stage: Terry T, DJ Souljah, MC Fearless, Demolition Man, MC Dyer, Million Dollar Dan, Godfather JD, DJ Prophecy, Teebee, Shakka Zulu a.k.a. Golden Child + locals * Dose/Backbreakers house/breaks/techno stage: DJ Hyper, Simply Jeff, Czech, Chris Anderson, Grooverobber + locals * Hullabaloo hardcore stage: DJ Brisk, Kevin Energy, DJ Kaos, Simon Apex, MC Storm, MC Ethos + locals * Eclipse/CIA goa-trance stage: Shakta (Live PA), Mindfield (Live PA), Shape Shifter (Live PA), Digitalis, John Phantasm, Matt Boom, Ben Mindfield, Hugh Sharpe, Jamin, Steve-o + locals * Phlux urban beats stage: DJ Bam Bam, Alex Peace, DJ Assault, Josh "The Funky 1", DJ Rip, DJ Trajic, Jes One, Xotec + locals

References

External links

World Electronic Music FestivalDestiny Productions
{{Electronic music festival Music festivals in Toronto Electronic music festivals in Canada 1995 establishments in Ontario Music festivals established in 1995

History

Past Headliners

See also

References

External links