I may or may have not transcended in the back of a cave…
Hidden in the crevice of a cave in the middle of Philadelphia’s Fort Mifflin – a site once part of an active military base during the Revolutionary War turned into a landmark historic attraction – ambient music plays from 2pm to 2am for the city’s largest electronic music festival, Making Time, which took place last month. The room, hosted by the local internet radio station Great Circles, is surprisingly where I spent most of my time during the three-day event.
The floors are covered with pillows, prepared to be filled with fatigued festival goers eager to decompress. As one of them, I saw rare performances by international stars like Daniel Avery‘s live ambient set, but I also experienced incredible moments created by local talent: DJ Papaya enraptured me with their wonky psychedelia, Universal Cave comforted me as their members traded off time on the decks to deliver a delightful blend of oldies from every genre you can think of, and Chuck Van Zyl spinned soulful selections to close out the whole festival. A perfect ending to a weekend of music discovery.
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The Great Circles Zone is only one of the five – six if you include the modular meadow – places you can go to catch music at Making Time. There are also two main stages, the Transcendental Zone and the Majestic Zone, that are separated by a small bridge and massive arch that spelled out the festival’s name. Sharing the cave with Great Circles, Resident Advisor curated the Futuristic Zone in the opposite room, contrasting the sonic soothing with rowdy rave music. Finally, on the top of the hill at the very back of the festival grounds, New York’s beloved radio station, The Lot Radio, led a stage in collaboration with local party Subsurface.
Similar to my time at the Great Circles zone, I was able to catch sets from DJs all over the world. Seeing France’s Simo Cell at The Lot Radio Zone was the perfect way to start off Making Time. His set not only brought the spectrum of electronic music genres closer, it was also the set that brought most of my friends together – a phenomenon that wouldn’t happen for the rest of the festival. Only three hours off the Amtrak from New York City, it almost felt like kismet that my first Making Time began at The Lot Radio stage with friends, reminding me that I’m never too far away from home.
“You came at the right time,” QRTR tells me. “I’ve never seen so many people here.” The Philadelphia-based artist wasn’t there to perform (she made her Making Time debut last year), but instead I spotted her in the crowd supporting another local artist, JEWELSSEA. QRTR moved to the city from Brooklyn just two years ago, a decision she made after attending the festival for the first time. “I never thought of it as a destination for me but I was like, ‘There is something going on here in Philly,’” she told me in late 2022, during an interview at another festival, ironically. As a trusted friend and source of inspiration, I made it my mission to come to Making Time and see what had her gushing about Philadelphia.
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While it was short, my time in Philadelphia had me devoid of the homesickness I usually get when I leave New York City. It wasn’t just because the crowd at Making Time was filled with baggy pants and tote bag-wearing clones of music lovers you’d find on the intersection of Bushwick’s Myrtle-Broadway on any given Thursday through Sunday night, either. The lineup curation was just that close to perfect – I never felt bored. The music was ongoing, too. Perched at the W Hotel for the weekend, there were times I didn’t even have to leave the building to hear a great set because the festival hosted warmup parties on the roof. How could I resist listening to JEWELSSEA play The Avalanches while swimming in a heated pool before making my way back to Fort Mifflin?
But there’s a scene in Philly beyond this three-day gathering in the fall; it’s just not as visible. JEWELSSEA, who is not only a DJ and producer, but has also thrown parties herself says that just because the parties aren’t all promoted through sites like Resident Advisor, it doesn’t mean nothing is happening.
“The first party I ever promoted was definitely super word of mouth,” she tells me. “Going out to the parks all the cool kids hang out in, telling the bike messengers and skaters and graffiti artists to come out to a warehouse. It’s still like this for the most part. I think one person might see something on instagram and then reach out to their circle of people. Instagram is definitely a huge part of it. Flyering is also pretty common; the parts of the city people frequent are pretty small, so it’s easy to come across ads. The scene of musicians/artists/designers is tight-knit. Clothing stores/brands are promoting shows just like the DJs are promoting their wares, it goes hand in hand.”
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The problems with liquor laws in Pennsylvania clubs make it so that you’re not able to serve alcohol past 2am. But, she adds that the “afters scene is bustling, almost more than the real club scene it seems, sometimes.”
“Philly’s music scene is bubbling with creativity from every corner of the pot,” JEWELSSEA says. “It really is a melting pot of sounds. We have such a rich history across so many different genres. You’ve got producer collectives like Working On Dying making a lot of the pop and rap hits you might hear on the radio. A lot more than you think. And then those producers are coming out to raves, taking inspiration from the underground electronic scene, and bringing that to the rest of the world. There’s DJs in punk, metalcore, hardcore bands you name it. The sound is being exchanged from everywhere.”
Dave P., the charismatic founder of Making Time, who has been running the party for 24 years with an infectious cult leader-like charm, believes Philly’s scene is the brightest it’s ever been. It’s just the lack of resources that are dimming its light. “It’s not easy here,” Dave P. says. “There are more innovative and creative promoters, and more talented and exciting producers and DJs, than ever before, but proper venues are really limited. Most of the venues we do have here are pretty conservative, so underground DJs and promoters don’t really have a home to showcase their music.”
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Plus, the venues they do have are often sabotaged by developers. Last year, the city got hit with a round of noise complaints that resulted in a few venues and parties shutting down. He continues: “Condos are being built all over the city, sometimes in areas where prominent venues have existed for decades. That really limits space for creative and cultural centers, like nightclubs and venues, because of the impending noise issues and complaints that arise due to all this new development.”
Despite Philly’s limitations and road blocks, the festival founder is excited about the scene’s development. He’s also proud of Making Time’s role in it. “I think people are finally recognising Philadelphia for that and I think Making Time is a big part of it,” Dave P. says. “No, we don’t have as many nightclubs or as many resources as New York or DC, but that has forced us to be more creative, and innovative, and we’ve created something truly unique, truly special, and truly TRANSCENDENTAL.”
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Words: Arielle Lana LeJarde
Photo Credit: Calvin Leon