One of the ways we are privileged by being connected to our local scene is being able to join forces with other amazing people in times of need. As some of you may be aware, on March 22, 2014 a mudslide struck Oso, a small community about an hour and a half north of Seattle, WA. Now that all is said and done, 43 people have lost their lives and many more have lost their homes. The community of Darrington, just east of Oso, has also been largely affected as the slide took out part of Highway 530, the main route that travels north and south, where many of the citizens work. This has meant the commute to work and the need for basic necessities has tripled for many of these citizens, causing an increased cost for gas to fuel their cars and a huge impact on their way of life. The communities of Oso, Darrington, and Arlington to the west of Oso have joined forces to take care of each other, but they need our help. Rebuilding the town will not happen overnight; there are both physical and emotional scars that will take months or even years to repair.

Why are we writing about this and why should you care? One of our writers is from Arlington and has driven Highway 530 countless times in her life, and many of our readers are either from the area or know people that live in the area. Being part of this electronic dance music community doesn’t just involve writing about dance music and going to shows, what really matters is that we take care of each other. And we have found a way to do both. Dance Music Northwest is uniting with Audioh to put on a benefit show that will provide funds directly to Oso Mudslide Relief to help those families who were directly impacted rebuild from this terrible disaster.

This Oso Charity Event will take place in a newly renovated venue, Forum (formerly Jillian’s), on Lake Union and will show love to fans of many varying dance music genres with two separate stages. We want you to have a great time while giving back to the community, so there will be a full bar and many of the other fun features we’ve become accustomed to in our glorious Seattle music scene. Dinka, of the famous Anjunabeats label, will be headlining this event with support from tons of local talent. Dinka hails from Switzerland and is a house goddess, with early support from Tiesto and Above and Beyond to name a few. Local support will come from Audioh (of Foundation and Volume fame), Mikey Mars and many more.

Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the event. We look forward to seeing you there and uniting to kick off a fabulous new venue while giving back to the people of the community we love. In the meantime, check out the Official Facebook Event Page.

For those who won’t be able to make it or just want to give a little extra love before the event, donations can be sent starting on May 9th to osodinka@gmail.com via Paypal. All donations will be going to the Oso Mudslide Disaster Relief Fund headed by Rev. Gary Ray. Make sure you select the “Friends and Family” option to ensure 100% of what you donate goes to the slide instead of getting eaten by fees. The suggested donation is $10, but of course any amount is appreciated. 100% of donations made to the Paypal account and by cash/check/card at the venue will go to the relief efforts, 50% of promotor profits will be directed to the charity as well. Let’s all give big and show that the NW EDM community is awesome not only for our music scene but for our ability to take care of our neighbors as well.

In addition to straight up donation, there will also be the opportunity to bid on some amazing prizes in a silent auction. The grand prize is a meet and greet and seaplane ride with Dinka herself. Many other great items and experiences will be auctioned off, there was so much to talk about that the auction got it’s own page!

For more information on this event, check out the Official Facebook Event Page.