I have been to many music festivals around the world, but BPM was definitely the most epic of my music experiences.

The BPM FestivalåÊis a 10-day, electronic music festival that takes places along the beach on the Mayan Rivera in Mexico. During these 10 days, music lovers and professional party-goers from all over world gather toåÊenjoy non-stop parties with the best DJs and labels from all corners of the globe, all with a backdrop of the most beautiful sun, white sand and the crystalline waters of the Caribbean.

Day 1

Jan. 8 I arrived at the Cancun International Airport after passing a very particular custom process in which you press a button that results in either a green light in which you are free to go, or a red light which means security is not quite done with you yet. Luckily, my light was green and I was picked up at the airport by an old friend who invited my friends and I to spend the afternoon at his hotel in Cancun.

After enjoying a proper Mexican dish, stiff mojito and floating in the ocean, we were ready to drive 40 minutes down toåÊPlaya del CarmenåÊand fully dive into the BPM magic. I arrived at theåÊSci‰ÛÒTechåÊShowcase party at Blue Parrot. Sci-Tech is an electronic record label created by D.C.‰’s own,åÊDubfire.åÊThe evening begun with the performances of Toronto native,åÊCarlo Lio, which slowly warmed up the crowd with pulsing deep tech-house, followed by a raw live set of Sci-Tech‰’s latest‰’s project SHWDED.åÊSkyler TaugheråÊor SHWDED is half ofåÊShdwplay, a musical project from LA that merges minimal and punk sounds. Taugher prepped the anxious crowd with a hybrid of melodious synchs and deep tech-y grooves, which served as perfect foreplay before all-star DJ Dubfire jumped on the decks and took the crowd to pure ecstasy.

The night quickly turned into morning and I begun my second day in Mexico dancing on the beach and witnessing the first sunrise of the journey.åÊAfter a few hours of sleep, I was recharged and ready to see my favorite DJs, Luciano.

Day 2

During the summer I had the chance of seeing Luciano play anåÊoff-SonaråÊsecret party at theåÊEstacion de Franca in Barcelona.åÊHis sets are close to a double rainbow — pure magic. Luciano becauseåÊhe pours every ounce of his soul with every spin and turn and,åÊlike no other DJ out there,åÊeffortlessly interacts with the crowd. Towards the end of his set, I got closer to stage and just like a typical fangirl, I shouted at him, “You made me believe in music again, you made me believe in music again.” He sent me a heart and in that moment my life felt complete…

As if this epic evening turned epic morning wasn’t already enough, I could have sworn I saw photographeråÊTerry RicharsonåÊrolling deep with a spectrum of supermodels.åÊAfter leaving the Blue Parrot, which by day two had become my sanctuary, I was surprised to be re-meeting the Swiss-chilenean music God, this time playing at more intimate set at aåÊCoco Maya, a club not far from Parrot. As of today, this day is by far the best day of 2013.

Day 3

The party never stopped at playa and by Thursday I felt as if I was in a lucid dream. A three hour-nap was necessary to continue on this music journey and I moved on to the next pit stop, tINI & the gangåÊparty atåÊCanibal Royal. I had the pleasure of meeting tINI when she played an amazing intimate set at Eighteenth Street Lounge in D.C., and in Mexico she was as rad and charismatic as I last remembered.

This party was like a big family reunion of D.C. house heads along with new friends made over the last few days. Enzo Sirangusa commenced this special party with his signature dubby sounds turning the energy to a more housey upbeat mood. By the time the sun set, German sweetheart tINI made every joint and bone shakeåÊout of control with her genius mixes of electro hip-hop and powerful house beats.

At the end of the evening my body was too tired to continue and I relied on Morpheus for a six hour-slumber rendezvous that gave me the energy necessary to take on the last few parties of the festival.

Day 4

Time flew and Friday had arrived, which meant one of the most anticipated parties of the festival:åÊSashaåÊandåÊCassyåÊLive at Kool Beach. Cassy played an impeccable set that made me shake and shake to the point that I momentary lost track of to whom I had given my iPhone to charge.

Beats and bliss were still on the BPM menu for the final two days and so was the legendaryåÊLee Burridge‘s “All Day I Dream‰ÛåÊparty at Mamita’s. Lee Burridge elevated our feet touching the sand and put our heads and hearts to the Mayan clouds. This party was one of the main highlights of my time in Playa. The venue was decorated beautifully with colors and drapes that moved to the rhythm of the wind and Burridge’s signature dreamy acid house. This music legend truly knows how to move the masses and put a smile on their faces with his smooth sounds.

By the end of the evening I had felt as if I had fallen in love…

Day 5

That Saturday night was one of those times that I wish I had a clone. Two major parties were happening at the same time:åÊScissor and ThreadåÊpartyåÊandåÊCrosstown Rebels. Since I was so pressed to seeåÊDamian Lazarus,we chose the Crosstown RebelsåÊ“Rebel Rave‰” at Blue Venado,åÊa hacienda 30 minutes outside of Playa, deep in the jungle of Mexico.

Getting there was tougher than expected since the promised free shuttle transposition never really came, so my friend Dianna and I carpooled with a British journalist who was pressed to get to the event and a Colombian doctor who referred toåÊDanny Tenaglia asåÊthe “Bon Jovi of House.‰” This type of dedication is what separates concertgoers from true music fans.

After a bumpy ride down an unpaved road, we arrived just in time to catchåÊMaster at WorkåÊspin house classics followed by a rather obscure and heavy set by Danny Tenaglia. I was truly surprised by the music of choice to receive the sunrise and would have liked something more happy and light for such a beautiful scenery. All in all, the lack ofåÊproper music selection was made up by the vibe of the attendees and beautiful sky of hacienda Venados.

Day 6

And the last day arrived and a bittersweet feeling swept through me. IåÊtried my hardest to remain present and not worry about leaving behind such a happy place. At the beginning of THIS IS THE END party at Mamita’s,åÊI noticed a slight decrease of volume in the crowd and a creeping feeling of exhaustion amongst the attendees.åÊShaun ReevesandåÊRyan Crosson however reinvigorated the last soldier standing with sweet housey notes that were picked up by the one and onlyåÊGuy Gerber.

I’ve seen Guy perform a few times but his set was truly hypnotic. Rocking a sombrero withåÊSeth Troxle,åÊGerber laid out irresistible grooves that evoked emotions of euphoria and melancholy at the same time.åÊAs the BPM zeppelin flew across the sky under a waning moon, feet in the sand, hands raised up high, I shed tears of joy.

I had a last meal at La Vagabunda,åÊmy favorite restaurant downtown, enjoyed margaritas, guacamole, ceviche and fajitas. After such a feast, a power nap was pivotal and we laid by the pool to take a power nap with an alarm set at 4 a.m. to catchåÊArt Department‘s closing set at Blue Parrot.

As you could have guess, I overslept and woke up at 5-ish. My friend and I rushed to the Parrot and after being denied the entry because of the time, like the true ninjas we are, we jumped the fence and caught the last hour of their set, and toasted with O.J. whileåÊTime by Pachanga BoysåÊcrescendoed.

After kissing la Playa goodbye, Dianna and I made our way down toåÊTulumåÊto finish off this epic weekend on the most beautiful beaches of Mexico. After floating in the crystalline waters of Tulum we took a day trip to theåÊMayan ruinsåÊand enjoyed the spectacular scene. It was breathtaking to imagine the people that lived there and how they built such an organized city out of nothing. Being there sparked my imagination: Where did these people get the inspiration to create so much in such a relatively short period of time? It also got me thinking about our generation, what are the things we are leaving behind and will we be remember for … guns and iPhones?

Shortly after we headed out to our last meal under the magnificent Mexican sunset, we saved the best for last: the Touch of Class RecordsåÊlaunch party.åÊTouch of Class is an upcoming music label from San FranciscoåÊwith the guys fromåÊSignal FlowåÊbehind it. The first surprise of this evening was running intoåÊChristopher Wayne Tooker, DJ and label owner ofåÊKMLN Berlin, that I met atåÊSisyphus, a club in Berlin famous for its open air parties, during my last day there during the summer.åÊHis performanceåÊmerges house music, vocals, triangles, drums and even violins. Seeing him again,åÊthis time in Mexico, reassured me that this world is smaller than we think and that magnetism is real.

Right after Tooker finshed jamming out some deep beats something very different and amazing happened,åÊAquarius Heaven was introduced to my life. Damn, I still get goose bumps when I remember this guy‰’s voice. ThinkåÊPrinceåÊmeetsåÊArthur RussellåÊon acid. This beautiful man sang the most soulful vocals my ears heard all week, over the grooviest house notes. Pure gold … had to be Aquarian. Discovering him andåÊNavid Izadi, another singer and rapper, were a breath of fresh air. Trop de class, as the French would say.

With four hours away from my flight back to D.C.,åÊthe amazing Francesca Lombardo from London served up acoustic goodness playing an exquisite setåÊthat accompanied the most breathtaking sunrise of my entire life.

Day 7

Before I knew it, it was 9 a.m. and a cab was waiting to take us back to Cancun. The whole week felt like a dream. BPM was the oxygen my soul needed; All the great music, amazing people and beautiful sceneries were the best way I could have begun this new year. Many thanks to all the wonderful BPM staff that made this festival possible and the amazing people that made this week an unforgettable winter paradise.

Until BPM 2014, the memories that will keep gloomy days away are all of those sunrises in my head.

Check out my YouTube channel where I uploaded videos from the festival!