When you take your electronic music seriously, it means you're looking for more than just a guy in a mouse costume. If one of your dance floor standards is already an affirming appreciative nod, then your undoubtedly well aware of the Sound in Motion Festival that's arriving in Toronto this weekend (July 11-13), but for the uninitiated, this is where techno, bass, deep house, and jungle all meet up, shake hands then embarrassingly realize they've all actually met while drunk at a party before.

Over three days Toronto will become a stage for some of the most respectable artists in these genres, who will showcase music, art and short films on the subject. Here's five reasons you'll want to skip the cottage this coming weekend.

Interactive Panel Discussion Powered by Sub Pac

Remember those 4-D theatres? The ones you waited in line for on a scorching summer day for 15 minutes of a space voyage or dinosaur attack where the seats moved around and separated all your change and skeet ball tickets from your pockets? Well SUBjectives: The Bass Experience have taken the steps to ensure a much more enjoyable interactive event by incorporating the subpac, a tactile audio device that transports frequencies directly to your body. The new product, which at first glance resembles an orthopaedic back rest, allows you to organically feel bass, kick drums, and 808's without blowing your speakers or eardrums.

Boasting this new technology and panelists Marcus Visionary, Kode 9, Pinch, and Spyne discussing their careers and inspirations, this will be the equivalent of a TED talk for electronic music lovers.

When Two Venues Become One

The Great Hall and Black Box theatre, two of Toronto's best venues, merge into one dark fortress of deep house, bass, and techno for the Friday night main event with a stacked line up of cutting edge contemporaries and legendary acts including Daniel Bell and local scene stalwarts Basic Soul Unit. This could be the closest you'll ever get to Berlin's infamous hedonist techno and house refuge Berghain, with many of the artists having performed there in the past. Just hope that the door policy here isn't as notoriously and erratically strict.

Underground Goes Outdoors

The deep, dark and late night nature of these genres generally find their natural habitats existing in industrial spaces and rooms much closer to the earths core, but the Saturday afternoon free showcase in Coronation Park from 2-11pm will provide an alternative to too many late mornings, or just a place to keep Friday night's party going. Anticipate an ambient live set from sonic engineer DeepChord to transport you to the corridors of an abandoned Detroit train station, and Audio Werner's Panorama Bar approved performance of dance floor friendly techno to keep everyone shuffling behind their sunglasses.

A Pirate Radio Bike Rave

Aren't you sick of biking to parties to solo and dealing with the frustrations of cars not being able to hear your tiny bell when passing? Well then grab your FM radio (people still have those right?) and discover your bikes dub b-side by joining in on this mobile party convoy that rides the minimal waves from Dundas and Bathurst over to the open air of Coronation Park on Saturday. Hopefully some rollerbladers show up too and make it feel like the chase sequence from Hackers.

This is Toronto's MUTEK

If you also couldn't get a ride out to Montreal this year and are tired of hearing about how 'chill' the weekly picnique electronique is, then this is the opportunity to turn your fomo around. With Montreal and Mutek veteran Akufen on board the festivals are sure to draw some parallels. Despite only been on it's second year, Sound in Motion has solidified itself as Toronto's essential destination for fans of techno, dub, bass and jungle, and the only place where minimal sounds are getting turned into maximum fun.

Writing by Aidan Johnston.

Photo by Conrad McGee-Stocks courtesy of Mansion