We see you coming: “And another one”. In the crowd of electronic music festivals in France, and looking a little wider, those of music with a big “M”, Treesome may indeed seem to be “one of many” in the eyes of some. We are aware that proposing an electronic music event in 2022 / 2023 is no longer revolutionary. For some years now, electronic music has been seen and heard by everyone. As for techno, it has come out of its underground cocoon a little more, to the point of taking over the programming of so-called “generalist” festivals. So why? What can Treesome bring to an electronic world that seems to have seen it all? Explanations by A+B.
The desire to go beyond
It is difficult today, seeing the multitude of proposals for electronic events, to know if we will please. One thing is certain, without pretending to disrupt existing models, Treesome is the result of a desire to be elsewhere. Our objective? To offer the public a musical and social experience in a place that has never been used before: the Saint-Quentin-en-Yveline leisure centre and its gigantic lake (Natura 2000 protected area). A natural, open and sunny place where everything is conducive to letting go.
© Dima Kosh
An opportunity offered to us
Treesome is also the result of a meeting between the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines agglomeration and the festival team. Elected officials coming to meet with cultural actors for the organisation of a major electronic event? The approach may seem original, but that’s where Treesome was born. It was impossible for our team to refuse such a partnership and to remain insensitive to the interest of local councillors in electronic music and alternative cultures (which is still far too rare today). A story that also finds its source in the common desire to work on the subject of ecological transition by setting up concrete actions during the event.
Give pride of place to house and afrobeat
Treesome’s difference can also be seen in the musical programme for these two days. Although techno has a large place in the programme, the team’s main aim is to give certain genres of electronic music the place they deserve within a single event. House music (the third most listened to electronic music genre according to the International Music Summit study based on Beatport sales in 2021) will be king with a stage totally dedicated to it from sunset until the early hours of the morning, the first time this has been done at a large-scale festival. A musical diversity that we wish to push by exploring the almost infinite richness of the afrobeat and dancehall scene, which is still far too little represented in France.
Trying to set up a new model
Spread the word, organising a musical event is not without impact on the environment. While aware of this major issue, Treesome wishes, through the implementation of a new model, to give the public some ideas on how to invest in a new space. This will be reflected on the site by a policy of waste control (ecocups, of course, selective sorting, regular cleaning of the site, installation of water points, individual ashtrays, zero plastic bottles), reducing as much as possible energy and resource expenditure (dry toilets, stages powered by solar panels, short-distance products for our caterers and the pooling of refrigerated trucks) but also the presence of associations (sustainable development, risk reduction in the festive environment, social and solidarity economy) for, we hope, a sharing of ideas.
© Chris Weiher
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