This weekend is the debut of EDM Drive-In, the first full-production drive-in festival to take place stateside in San Antonio, Texas. Over the course of two nights, fans will be treated to lasers, light shows, state-of-the-art visual displays, performers, a drive-through photobooth, fireworks, and more while they enjoy a long-awaited return to the festival scene after a three-month lockdown hiatus.
The June 26th to June 27th event will feature a full drive-up stage and stellar lineup that includes German trance producers Cosmic Gate. Heading into this rave weekend, EDM Maniac had the chance to catch up with the duo as they break the quarantine seal and take the stage for the first time in months. Get ready to dance, because your rave withdrawal is about to be cured!
EDM Maniac: How do you feel about returning to the live music scene after this long hiatus?
Cosmic Gate: Corona hit us as hard and unexpected like anyone else as well, so of course we are nothing but happy and excited to play our first show with live audience again. It’s been way too long! We have been touring for 25 years and working in clubs as resident DJs before, so for about 30 years our shows have definitely been a big and important part of our lives. The DJing, contact to fans, the energy, the travel, the adrenalin, and excitement… all that was so weird not to have. We have been missing it big time! So here we are, Covid hit, and different, changed times asked for creative ideas. All to deal with the biggest challenge the entertainment industry has been facing in forever! And that is why we love the idea and concept of the drive-in party. Be safe, but join your friends, bring a good crowd together, create this unity feeling and share! These are magic moments that only music can create, a feeling that a lot of us have been missing for all these months will return, so we love the whole idea and we are happy to be part of this unique event.
EDM Maniac: The drive-in scene is an entirely unique concept. How do you feel about this transition from a traditional festival to a drive-in?
Cosmic Gate: Yes, a drive-in is absolutely new and unique. Covid-19 challenges everyone in so many ways. We feel this drive-in is a very smart answer to deal with the issue! We can all come together and have a good time, take our rides, and be with our friends. But most importantly, the concert character is still given, this feeling of coming together and be united for one event, but be safe and protected – we support the whole idea 100 % and can’t wait for the show.
EDM Maniac: Speaking of Covid-19, what have you been up to during quarantine?
Cosmic Gate: We, like so many others, had more time at home than never before, but we actually have not been bored at all. New productions and remixes, the weekly radio show, our own streaming events like the Rooftop NYC and Miami balcony rave…just to name a few. All of this is taking time and did not leave us wondering what to do with our time. On top of this, to be honest, for once being able to sleep a decent number of hours, slow down a bit, do normal things like cook at home or just do bike tours for once. It was lovely to enjoy. So in the end, we tried to make the best out of it, recharge the batteries for a restart. Now the EDM rave sure is more than just a first hint that things are hopefully heading towards the right direction for the scene and the entertainment industry in general.
EDM Maniac: Have you discovered anything new about yourselves either personally or musically during this break?
Cosmic Gate: If anything, it maybe was that the whole job, the lifestyle it brings…is such an important part in our very day life. To not be able to do it was pretty hard, simply totally different. To not travel and be on stage, it really showed how much of a passionate thing DJing is for us. So the Covid-break made even clearer and underlined how deep the natural connection between us and the job was and always will be.
EDM Maniac: What are you looking forward to most once lockdown restrictions are fully lifted?
Cosmic Gate: The hardest thing for us right now is not being able to see our friends and family. Because of quarantine and social distancing, we can’t be close, can’t hug them, physical contact is so limited and it’s hard to deal with. So when everything is over, being able to hug our family and dear friends again, is definitely something we look forward to the most.
EDM Maniac: Do you have any new music in the works?
Cosmic Gate: Yes, we have a new collaboration single ready, a new remix, we are working on two new singles and another remix as we speak – news and info about all these will follow soon!
EDM Maniac: What was the inspiration behind your latest track “Universal Love”?
Cosmic Gate: Universal Nation started out as a full-on instrumental, and when we were close to finishing it, we actually felt a vocal would add to it very well. Long story short, we tried several vocals, nothing we really liked, but then we stumbled over Universal Love, which was a great vocal tune from about 25 years ago from a group called NBG from Belgium. We tried the vocal, and somehow, it felt like it was literally written to fit on our instrumental. We could not believe it! We then contacted NBG and they liked what we did with it, so they kindly gave us permission to use it for our release. This is the full story about Universal Love and how the track came to life! We are looking forward to play in out for you guys in San Antonio!
EDM Maniac: What is your favorite festival or event that you’ve ever played (besides the upcoming event this weekend of course!)?
Cosmic Gate: This is a very tough question. We had the honor to play so many outstanding events. Trance Energy, Mysteryland, ASOT, EDC…just to mention a few. Each of these shows is as outstanding, unique and individual as can be. It’s simply an honor to be part of every single one of them.
