Several years ago, dance music had its huge crossover into mainstream America, arriving in a flurry of neon clothes, shutter shades and festival-ready, hands-in-the-air anthems.

Now, many are saying that dance and beat-based music is on the brink of another takeover – this time, in the heavily-populated and amicable terrain of Asia. Promoter heavyweights like Ultra, SFX and Insomniac have all intensified their focus on the area, throwing large-scale Asian events with greater frequency. “Asia is a great market, and I think it’s exciting for the fans to see quality events coming in. I don’t see it slowing down. And we’re not at the end of it – we’re still going, there’s a lot more to be done for us,” Ultra co-founder Russell Faibisch says. The company have thrown over 20 events in the continent, from South Korea to India.

Meanwhile, Taiwan threw its first homegrown dance festival Looptopia in April, and China’s biggest event of its nature, Storm, is reportedly spreading its wings to Australia in 2017. It’s no wonder that Billboard calls Asia the “the world’s largest untapped market for dance music,” while they’ve also just released a compilation of producers from the East to show “how lightning-fast the growth of the Asian EDM scene has been.”

For Australian punters, our proximity to Asian continents means that there are huge implications for dance fans. In particular, Bali is heating up as one of the hotspots to witness world-class acts in unbeatable settings. Years ago, Bali was known as a destination for Aussies to get obnoxiously drunk in Bintang singlets which had been bargained down to half price. Now, some of our leading designers, artists and creatives are heading to Seminyak and Canggu, reviving Australian interest in the city for a different demographic. With dance events now hitting Bali with bigger line-ups, it’s no wonder that many are ditching Australian winters to witness DJs in poolside venues bordered by hypercolour sunsets.

Later this year, the aforementioned Ultra Bali will be hitting Potato Head Beach Club in September, with global stars like Hardwell, Kygo and Zedd leading the charge. The venue has also hosted the Indonesian edition of Boiler Room, where underground heroes like Crazy P and José Padilla played in January.

But while dance music’s behemoth promoters have made their presence felt, the current landscape means that more niche events have also been allowed to thrive. Sunny Side Up offers a more mixed bill for punters in August, bringing the likes of Phoenix, Hot Chip, Big Sean, Snakehips and more to Bali over two days, again at Potato Head.

“We’re excited to host Phoenix, Hot Chip and other great local and international acts in the ultimate exotic setting of Potato Head Beach Club,” Potato Head director Dan Mitchell says. He emphasises that he will use Sunny Side Up to engage with local creatives and draw attention to issues affecting the area.

“We will also unveil an original and exciting art project at the Beach Club, in collaboration with Indonesia’s finest contemporary artist Eko Nugroho, one day before the festival. This installation is our collective effort to draw attention to environmental issues in Indonesia, and Sunny Side Up festival goers will have the chance to view this special art installation first-hand. We hope through this festival, we will not only provide good times but will also inspire our communities to take part in this movement,” he says.

Melbourne-based event For The Love will also be heading to Bali this September, bringing along UK house producer Duke Dumont. Previously, they’ve hosted Hayden James in their 2016 edition – appealing heavily to the increasing number of Australians setting up shop in Bali.

Many people use dance music as a form of escapism. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Australians are heading on a tropical, Balinese vacation to enhance the experience – and hey, if we get to watch TOKiMONSTA drop Tinashe remixes while drinking a cocktail with a tiny umbrella in it, we can definitely see why.

Sunny Side Up Tropical Festival heads to Potato Head on August 11-12. Ticket info here.