Welcome to MP3 Tours: An inside look at dance music’s most exciting tours in real-time and exclusive interviews with EDM’s biggest superstars about life on the road, behind-the-scenes antics and what makes each show unique. Everyone loves a good rave — but GREAT raves keep the world turning. Learn how your favorite artists are redefining what it means to RAVE.

Historically, The Glitch Mob has been known for grand spectacle and massive live production, but this tour is much more stripped back. Your most recent album, Ctrl Alt Reality, shares a similar change of pace. What inspired this new creative direction? 

We just wanted to take it back to basics. Keep the focus on the music, the sound system, the vibe of the room and the energy of the people there. No gimmicks, no fluff. CTRL ALT REALITY is a reflection of that. The production is not over the top and overproduced. It’s raw, it’s unpolished, but there’s nuance. There’s character. There’s vibe.

Has this tour changed your relationship with performing? Or maybe The Glitch Mob’s relationship with your fans?

During the era of The Blade, the focus was very much on the spectacle of The Blade. The technical accomplishment of The Blade. Obviously the one-of-one nature that made it so only we had The Blade. It was a moment in time. There was an emphasis on a larger-than-life “show” or “spectacle”. As a result, when your production is massive it’s only natural that you need to be far away from the crowd. This makes it hard to connect with the audience.

Obviously the audience gets to experience a larger-than-life spectacle but when you’re performing it’s hard to feel the people in the room. CTRL ALT REALITY is our love letter to warehouse rave culture where it’s about the tunes, the sound system and the vibe of the people in the room. It’s an intimate atmosphere. It’s not about your visuals or your lighting package or your skills to hype the crowd when you’re standing on the DJ table. And with this tour we wanted the focus to be less on us and more about the experience of creating the vibe and the moment with everyone in the room. That’s why we have put a strong emphasis on 360’s. It’s an intimate vibe. You can feel us and we can feel you. We vibe off of each other. 

The Glitch Mob on EDM’s Minimalism Movement Heading Into 2023

What sort of feelings do you hope fans come away with after attending this tour?

That everyone felt included, safe and free to be themselves. 

Are there any essential pre-show rituals The Glitch Mob has been enjoying during this tour?

This tour we have been hangin’ in the crowd, dancing and just soaking in the vibe like everyone else.

What’s been your favorite experience on this tour so far?

Asia was incredible. 10 out 10 on all levels.

The Glitch Mob just announced a show at The Caverns in Tennessee this August. Do you have anything special planned for that one?

A ton of unreleased music.

I imagine the touring landscape has changed drastically since The Glitch Mob started touring in 2007. How have you seen life on the road evolve throughout the past 16 years?

Things are always evolving but the love for sharing music live with everyone remains the same. Grateful to still be playing music for everyone and grateful to still be loving it.

What’s the must-have item on The Glitch Mob’s rider this year?

Artist riders can often be extremely wasteful. In an effort to be more mindful, our rider this year is just water and sour Haribo gummy bears.

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