A crowd full of sweat and void of worries is accompanied by chest thumping drums and brain rattling bass lines. This surely isn’t a place to converse, yet strangers gather and connect through movements inspired by witty transitions and pumping sound waves. This is a place where expression is practiced by attendees and performers alike: the rave.

With names like Fred Again bringing electronic dance music to the forefront of pop-culture there has been a surge in fans of the genre. There may be no shortage of electronic dance music fans but for many years there was a shortage of ways to experience it live within Lethbridge. 

Since the discontinuation of local EDM promotions following the pandemic, the local dance music scene has experienced a drought. That was until local DJ’s Mac Baker and Jeremy Collier took it into their own hands and created a promotion titled World of Spinfluence. The duo began throwing shows in November of 2024, a decision that Collier felt came from a necessity for a safe space. 

“Coming out of COVID, we didn’t really have a dance floor. Like there was no place to be I felt, to like really to express myself,” stated Collier.

In the past year these shows have gained popularity and yielded turnouts that haven’t been seen since before the pandemic. 

The normalization of EDM music caused by these events has led to some attendee’s picking up DJ’ing themselves. Ian Lynn played his first set ever at a Spinfluence event. Lynn shared he was surprised to be given the opportunity to perform after only just learning how to DJ, stating the experience motivated him to keep pursuing his new dream. 

“I think it’s so awesome that I was able to just like do my first set at an event like this, barely knowing how to DJ. That’s awesome,” stated Lynn.

While some promotions may refuse to include inexperienced DJ’s, Spinfluence makes a point of letting beginners play. Collier shared technical skill isn’t that important because what makes their events special is community and creativity. 

“It’s just a bunch of good people surrounding themselves with good people and doing cool things and being creative. That’s why it’s beautiful and that’s why it works,” said Collier. 

As of right now there’s no huge plans for World of Spinfluence. These two are focused on having fun and keeping the community intact.