Imagine Music Festival 2023 had plenty of crazy and over-the-top moments and sets over the course of the weekend. One of the most high-energy experiences was on Sunday night, where Monstercat took over the Aeria stage with Israeli duo Infected Mushroom. The duo is known for pushing the psytrance style into the mainstream EDM sound. The incredibly rhythmic and psychedelic sound was a sure-fit for festivals in the States. They’ve been at it since the late 90s, so it’s easy to imagine a crowd-pleasing set.
A Psytrance Paradise
This set personally had my favorite crowd of the night. Even with all the headbangers, good vibes, and screaming fans at the other sets, Infected Mushroom’s crowd still went the hardest. With over 25 years of history, they played fan favorites left and right. Personally, I heard a couple favorites, including No Comment’s remix of “Suliman” and “Cities of the Future.” The number of times I’d hear screeches in the crowd when a new song played was amazing; it was like everyone around me was getting what they wanted.
An interesting part about this set to me was how their DJ sets and live sets differ. I saw them a couple years ago in Atlanta performing a live set, but the memories are fuzzy due to time. The Aeria stage being the smallest stage didn’t help matters much, but you could still not stop the energy from this duo. They effortlessly traded out the benefits of a live show with the benefits of a DJ set. Each hit just kept coming, full force, taking no prisoners. I genuinely think the DJ set format was the best option for them. You can fit more into a shorter amount of time, and that certainly doesn’t stop them from singing over a few tracks.
Overall, this was one of the best sets of the entire event. It is amazing that both times I’ve seen Infected Mushroom live, they’ve destroyed my expectations. I do not know when I’ll be seeing them again, but if I check my local EDM show listings and find their name on that list, it is an instant buy for me.
