All day I dream of a dream with no end. An escape to a paradise surrounded by authenticity. I dream of a place where everyone can gather into a tucked away part of the world where true equality lives. Basking in the glow of the sun until it sets in front of our very eyes. "Come join us! We bring you great music and pure love". This is All Day I Dream, where dreams come true! This is where you come to escape! Leave your pretentiousness at home with your worries. I felt pure joy. I danced with the flowers above me and swayed in the wind just like them. I danced as natives around capture to the sounds of melodic house music. I danced in a place where time did not exist and at any moment I could fall in love with a stranger.
We are who we are until the very moment we stop living in the reality and begin to dream. It is not every day that you wake up into a dream. It was with only a few footsteps into this paradise when I was met with a gust of wind and welcoming shine from above. I was home, I was free. All my thoughts had left me and were replaced by the sounds of Gorge Hewek and Izhevski. The bass thudded against the ground vibrating up into my soul. My heart beat a new drum of rhythm. I smiled on impulse and just stared at my surroundings.
I saw beauty in its essence and I teared up just from the sight of everything. From the flowers to the Neon "All Day I Dream" sign to the water to the sand to the trees, I existed. Do you know the feeling of freedom? Where your body sways in the wind and your feet move to the sounds? True freedom where you could literally be anyone you wanted and feel whatever you wanted? All day I dream is where real freedom goes to live. Everyone gathered around as Gorge and Izhevski destroyed the scene with grace, almost effortlessly. I escaped and believed in love more and more every time the magical duo dropped hit after hit like waves steadily crashing down. And this was only the beginning of it all.
Toes in sand, my eyes saw a sunset of blue and orange. Miami sat off in the distance being separated by water and land. People gathered around the water, the first half of the festival was here. It's something about the water that brings peace, that feeling is intensified when you are surrounded by so much beauty. You breathe it all in, the air sits lightly upon your chest. I was surrounded by so much diversity. Love was in the air.
During Öona Dahl's set I happened upon a tree with two lover's name carved into it. They'll live there forever. Excitement built upon the night as it did upon the day. It was a new scene, the lay of the land was reimagined in front of my very eyes. During Öona's set I asked her how she felt, she said "Free"! She had escaped from time and became a goddess overlooking the masses. She controlled the crowd with every sound. The music got deeper, you could feel the bass in the very ground you stood. It was such a crazed sight to see her blue hair whip in the wind as she swooned the crowd. Even talking to Öona after her set she said that "she felt at home". I agree.
"All day I dream" sat in neon blue shining over the crowd. The sun was replaced by flashing lights and a blue tint. I stood and witnessed a sight to behold. It is as if for one instance I looked at a new sea, not one of water. The people reveled in the moment and took advantage of every minute. We didn't come here to uphold a status or to make an appearance, we came here to dream! I kept pinching myself to reassure that I was living through all of this and just to make sure I was awake, I did this every ten minutes upon impulse. Our family grew within a matter of minutes it seems. Everyone gathered and only a few sat near the ocean. Our little private island wasn't so private anymore. I'm sure all of Miami could hear us if they listened close enough.
Lee Burridge took the stage with a kiss from Öona. The crowd knew what was to come. Almost as if they had been here before. The night grew darker and my inhibitions were casted away like the ships at sea. Everyone lived outwardly, escape had become main priority. Thuds rang out into the air and you could feel every beat. I looked out into the crowd and saw a man in a dress dancing side by side with women of all shades. I reached my hands up to the flowers above and touched my reality. Swayed by the moment, I almost didn't want to let go. I wished time had stood still forever, even in typing this I yearn to relive the experience.
My shoes were destroyed due to all the dancing in the sand. I didn't leave the festival with any on. For the last bit of my time there in paradise I stood by the sea. I looked out and saw cruise ships and the moon. If only they knew what waited for them here across the waters. You could see the flashing lights of blue and red leaking onto the land. I sat and stood in awe of my existence. As lee played in the background I felt every emotion he did. It is with deep breath that I inhaled it all, sucking up all of its essence. All day I dream was a dream I never wanted to stop living. I'm very lucky to have had been there and I'm eagerly waiting to live out my dream again. Do not be afraid to chase your dreams.
Photos: Proxy Matter (FULL ALBUM HERE)
Story: David Buchanan
