In March 2024, amid Antarctic expeditions and exotic locales in his tour, American DJ and producer Diplo (Thomas Wesley Pentz)—tropical house pioneer with Mad Decent and global phenomena like "Lean On" (2015)—became the first artist to perform on Hakuba's snowy slopes, a ski resort in the Japanese Alps where Snow Machine Festival, launched in 2023 as a winter EDM event, drew thousands of electronic music fans. His 60-minute DJ set, captured at Happo-one Ski Area after a six-hour drive, juxtaposed throbbing beats against the icy terrain, with house rhythms echoing folk motifs off the mountains to forge surreal euphoria for an expedition group. As part of the "Higher Ground" series, this event highlighted Diplo's eccentricity as a performer, turning Japan's winter into an impromptu festival oasis.