Awesome People We Met at Dreamstate SoCal 2016

Trance music tends to bring out the best in people. Over the course of the weekend at Dreamstate SoCal, we ran into loads of Headliners who made us believe that by warming up our hearts and making our souls smile. We walked away from the two-day trance-a-thon with a long list of new friends and awesome people we can’t wait to see again. Here are a few of them we’d like you to meet.

Name: Drew
Age: 33
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Occupation: College dean
Number of Dreamstates: First one
What are you most thankful for? Events like this that bring people together—I live for it.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? It’s somewhere you can be yourself without anyone judging you. That’s why I’m out here dressed to impress.

Name: Ariel
Age: 27
Hometown: Indiana
Occupation: I make clothing and go-go dance.
Number of Dreamstates: 2
What are you most thankful for? The rave scene, because I make costumes for festivals and dance, so this is making my dreams come true. This community and its people are so supportive. It’s just making me be able to have the life that I want, which is awesome.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? I think it’s just a state of bliss where you keep questioning, “Is this real?” “Am I awake?” But you know you’re lucky enough to be here experiencing something so beautiful.

Name: Jonathan
Age: 19
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Occupation: Aspiring trance producer
Number of Dreamstates: 1
What are you most thankful for: Everything—Dreamstate, my rave family, and these tacos… These chicken tacos are only $4 and they fill my tummy, which is unheard-of festival pricing; that’s what I’m thankful for.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? No judgment, and amazing vibes from everybody.

Name: Georgina
Age: 31
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Occupation: Barista, going to school for ultrasound
Number of Dreamstates: 3
What are you most thankful for? Trance music (duh!). My family and friends. My rave family is a big part of my life; they’ve been there for about 15 years.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? Letting yourself go, allowing yourself to be in the music, just a sense of unity. We live in a pretty progressive place, but some aren’t so lucky, so we’re trying to spread [the united feeling] around.

Name: Mabel and Amanda
Age: 22 (Mabel), 23 (Amanda)
Hometown: Sinaloa, Mexico (Mabel), Los Angeles, California (Amanda)
Occupation: Restaurant manager (Mabel), going to school to become a dialysis technician and RN (Amanda)
Number of Dreamstates: 2
What are you most thankful for?
Mabel: For my family and friends, of course, and for having a job.
Amanda: My mom. She recently passed away, but I feel like she is giving me the strength to be here. She wouldn’t want me to be depressed. I’m here; I’m good. It’s better than being home. I love this music; it’s my life. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Trance music is healing.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you?
Mabel: It’s like being in heaven.
Amanda: We look at this world, at reality, and we just get to escape and be ourselves. With so much going on right now, it’s nice to get away, to express yourself, put your wig on, and be happy.

Name: Rick
Age: 25
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Applications engineer
Number of Dreamstates: 3
What are you most thankful for? Being alive and being able to enjoy the scene—I’m about eight or nine years in now. The trance scene is coming back now, which is really cool.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? You have to have an open mind. Some of the best nights I’ve had are losing my friends and meeting new people. Don’t try to have a plan.

Name: Lorena
Age: 26
Occupation: Customer service for health insurance company
Number of Dreamstates: First one
What are you most thankful for? Family, my dog, and love—I have the perfect boyfriend. He’s here with me tonight. We can do whatever we want together, and it’s a good time no matter what.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? Being present in the moment; you don’t have any other concerns. You’re there experiencing whatever’s going on.

Name: Tara
Age: 23
Hometown: La Verne, CA
Occupation: Student at UCSB, going to law school to be an environmental lawyer
Number of Dreamstates: 1
What are you most thankful for? I’m most thankful for my family, [the fact that] I get to see my twin sisters soon, and I’m thankful I get to be here.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? Enjoy the people around you—feel the music and enjoy yourself.

Name: Ritz and Lily
Age: 26 (Ritz), 27 (Lily)
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada (Ritz), Santa Maria, California (Lily)
Occupation: Vendor at a casino (Ritz), cosmetologist and a lab technician at Firestone Winery (Lily)
Number of Dreamstates: 2 (Ritz), first one (Lily)
What are you most thankful for?
Ritz: My family. You don’t appreciate them until you realize they are the most important people in your life.
Lily: My husband, my son, mother, father… I can go on forever.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you?
Ritz: It’s something you don’t see in your everyday life.
Lily: It feels like you can let go of all the bad things in the world. For a second, you can completely forget everything and pretend there’s peace all over the world and everyone’s getting along.

Name: Alejandra
Age: 22
Hometown: Maywood, CA
Occupation: One year away from graduating with a Health Science degree with an emphasis in healthcare management.
Number of Dreamstates: First one
What are you most thankful for? For being alive and all the people who love me. And for trance; everytime I’m sad, I listen to trance and I get so happy.
What does being in a “dream state” mean to you? It means you’re happy and feeling the music, and you’re living in the moment. It’s about being in the moment and feeling all the love.

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