On August 26th, director Christopher Louie’s brain-child and three-year project was released via premiere on Netflix. The movie is about a group of early 20-somethings on a crazy adventure to one of the biggest EDM festivals in the world, XOXO. The story follows six different strangers whose lives collide in one crazy, dream-chasing moment. Right at the center is Ethan, a young DJ who gets the call of a lifetime to perform in a last-minute slot at XOXO after his tracks go viral online just days before the festival. And so the adventure begins.
Along with the release, of course, came that of the hand-tailored official soundtrack via Big Beat Records. Pete Tong, who has been at the forefront of the music industry world for three decades served as Music Supervisor for the project. The soundtrack itself is almost an ode to inspiration and drive in its uplifting quality; VICE’S Thump has described it as a “high-gloss soundtrack [that] features the sorts of heavy-hitters that could headline a fest…” Which, in all actuality is very true.
The soundtrack features exclusive tracks by Galantis, Dada Life, Skrillex & Diplo, East and Young, Michael Brun, etc. To say the very least, it is fire, giving you the kinds of feelings director Christopher Louie felt as a young kid getting into the music scene for the very first time. In an interview with Insomniac, Louie stressed that he feels it is important ‘not only to allow potential viewers to “connect with the roots” of the project, but to also let the masses know that Louie “isn’t just some dude who wants to capitalize on the mainstream attention being given to EDM.” That statement was the neon hope in my eyes, because unfortunately, we have all seen and experienced first-hand what happens to all things that get popular, and the many ways good things are killed by the wrong kind of popularity. At its core, EDM is a community of people who are inspired by the commonality of hopes, dreams, feelings and actions that are created within; these things are both true and pure, and they are the things bad popularity cannot touch.
Louie wanted the core of the movie to be about having fun, but the theme that gradually made itself clear to him was “jump up and the universe will catch you.” The soundtrack to the film really rings true to that theme; each song takes you to a different part of experiencing a show, a night out, or a festival with your friends. Its all there.
Buy or stream the soundtrack on iTunes or Spotify and watch the official trailer here.
Follow XOXO:
