Decibel Festival ran annually in Seattle from 2003 to 2015, founded by Sean Horton and modeled loosely on Montreal’s MUTEK. It was the largest dedicated electronic music festival in the Pacific Northwest and one of the most internationally focused in North America, hosting over 1,100 performers from more than 40 countries across its 12 editions.
The festival grew from 2,500 attendees at its first edition in 2004 to roughly 25,000 by its final years. It ran across 10–11 venues within a two-mile radius spanning Capitol Hill and downtown Seattle — clubs, theaters, parks, and boat parties. Programming covered the full spectrum of electronic music: techno, house, ambient, IDM, experimental, and everything adjacent.
Decibel was a significant platform for first appearances in the region. Acts that played Pacific Northwest, West Coast, or US debuts at the festival included Amon Tobin’s ISAM live show, ODESZA, Tycho, Lorde, Flume, James Blake, Moderat, Modeselektor, Justice, Nina Kraviz, Nicolas Jaar, Dixon, and Boys Noize. Regular returning artists included Richie Hawtin, Four Tet, Autechre, Flying Lotus, Bonobo, Diplo, Deadmau5, Nils Frahm, Moby, Carl Craig, Derrick May, and Orbital.
Beyond shows, Decibel ran an annual conference with hardware demonstrations, production workshops, and artist talks. The 2013 edition featured lectures from Kode9 and DJ Rashad alongside hardware demos from Ableton and Rane. Recurring elements included a free outdoor showcase — Decibel in the Park — at Volunteer Park or Broadway Performance Hall Park, and boat parties on Puget Sound.
Horton announced an “extended break” in July 2016 after moving to Los Angeles to work with Red Bull. The 2015 edition, which featured Autechre, Marcel Dettmann, Tim Hecker, Jlin, The Black Madonna, Bonobo, and Dan Deacon among others, was the last. Horton called it temporary. It never returned to Seattle. Decibel has since operated as an LA-based events company.