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Sup everybody? Wish yonder! Not even a full week after EvolveFest was the next stop on our festival tour, Catskill Chill. The Chill took us up north into the Catskill Mountains in New York. Placed in a quaint and quiet camp ground, this festival felt more intimate than any of the other one's we've been to prior. As the festival moved forward, the Electric Ghost Punk team had some of the most memorable moments and eye opening experiences than ever before. And it was all thanks to the team over at Velour Music, Brotherly Love Productions, the team at Catskill Chill, and of course, Break Science.
Before you continue, relax, push the play button, and carry on.
The following is what went down at Catskill Chill.
Although not the biggest music festival we were attending (just around 5,000 people), all the EGPunks were very excited to be going to this event. It was the first time the main players would all be together in one place, and to top that off, I was getting to meet Brower for the first time as well.. Me and Fitz had headed there together, while Zodd and Brower came separately. This allowed us to settle in and figure out where we wanted to set up shop. After all Fitz has his ENO hammocks and it's always nice to find a relaxing area to set them up and catch some sleep or hang out. After walking around a bit with nothing but our backpacks on we sat down on a small hill overlooking a lake. As we sat there, I began to write a bunch of notes on who we wanted to see, and a basic game plan for the day. A few people came up to us just say hi and introduce themselves, the breeze was cool, and the scenery was perfect. It was "chill", and perfectly so.
As the day kept flying by, and there was no word on Zodd or Brower, so me and Fitz decided to go and check out the music as it began. After walking through the main camp grounds, there was a check point to approach the stages. It was past here where the stages were set up, as well as the main vending area. These grounds provided a central meeting area for people to eat, smoke hookah, enjoy music and be centralized to the middle of what's going on. After this first day of interaction with so many amazing people, my entire weekend had been put into motion to meet and connect with so many talented, intelligent, creative people.
Essentially, that's how The Chill felt. It was a small community, all surrounding the love of music, and how we all communicate with it. After watching Lettuce from the side stage and coming back with them afterwards, the band took a seat at the green room house. Even Adam Deitch was saying "I wish I could continue playing... I don't want to stop the music". If a drum set had been handy you can bet Deitch would jump right on it.
We actually had the opportunity to sit down with Adam to talk about his projects. He has been the drummer for Lettuce for many years, and like other members of the band (Kraz) he has a side project that's been popping for a couple of years now, Break Science. Currently releasing music under Pretty Lights Music, Adam and partner Borahm Lee break it down for you. Their live performance is so ridiculous. People in the crowd go nuts, with the beats breaking down from effervescent flows, to funky glitchy beats, right back down to the flow again. It kinda felt like the room went from jumping dance party to very sexy party in the drop of a beat.
Here's what down in the interview: (Push Paus3 above, and play below ;)
A few hour after that interview is when they went on, and they tore the house down. The set was intense, and ultimately packed out the stage area so much it spilled out into the common grounds. It was glorious. There were multiple sets that went down that weekend that I consider some of my personal favorites and bests. With so much talent, it only made sense they'd all bring it. The soul, the funk, the jam, and the heart pounding beats...
McLovins by Zodd
Crowd for SoulLive by Wish
Break Science by Zodd
And when you weren't checking out the music at one of the three stages, you could be eating some bbq, or some fresh oysters (might just be my favorite person ever), or hanging out by the lake, meeting new people, buying new wares, exchanging ideas, learning about crystals and healing... the list goes on. The point is, between seeing amazing talent like Break Science, The McLovins, SoulLive, Lettuce, Horizon Wireless... among many more, meeting all the incredible people from all over the world, and feeling at home every night wrapped up in a hammock or cuddled with my friends. If you didn't know, now you know. Catskill Chill is where you want to be.
Woah, Literally that is all I can say at Alpha Data, new melodical onslaught of an
EP release that had just dropped hot off the internet presses earlier this month. "I Am the One Who Knocks",
contains four new banging tracks from the man, James Ristvedt. I was
blown away at the releases intensity and the direction he's going in
is a lot more consise composition wise and his production style on this
end is getting alot more varied as it seems he is flexing his new skills
in all directions, using new samples, meatier melodies, and more distinct
drum play that is evolving the Alpha Data sound we all knew and loved
into something a lot more substantial and long lasting than his previous
efforts. He has been pouring his all into the Glitch Hop scene as of
late with frequent releases all over the community such as his new remix
of Madeon's Icarus, and his
remix of Papa Skunk's Loud Noises.
So in honor of the hard work he's been putting out lately here at EGP
I feel a review of his most recent release track by track is in order.
You can catch the EP and his other releases at his Facebook
or Soundcloud, but for now check it out here and read the reviews!"Are You Watching Closely" is the
first track off the new release that does well to introduce you to his
newer more refined stylings starting off with a lighter melody that
eases you into a comforting space. Don't let that fool you its hard
without being heavy, making a dense entry into his catalogue that you
can drop without being in full blown banger
"Challenge Accepted" is a fitting
drop in from the last track that does not disappoint that whole need
for the bass intensive banger if the last track kept you at a standstill.
Lighter on his melody play that he's well known for its more of melody
disguised under bass and drum play that is more pure Glitch Hop than
most of what he's done thus far.
"I Am The One Who Knocks" [Shoutouts
to Walter White the OG Breaking Bad(ass)]
is the album title track and going by the name fitting enough its the
most badass song on the release.It's my personal favorite of the four it's
the one that shows the most that Alpha Data has been up to progression
wise. It has some of the catchiest melody and sickest drum play I have
heard in a while with distant melodies that mix together well with the
upfront melodies that make a surrealistic head space environment that
definitely catches eyes.
"See Ya In Another Life, Brotha"
is the final track on the release that ties it all together with an
airy vibe that shows his more reserved side, with a more melody intensive
synth play and pianos that is fitting for an end credits on a touching
movie. its one of the best songs I've heard in a while and far outstretches
the confines of the word EDM. It proves Alpha Data's musicianship beyond
EDM and is a promising end for the release as if this is any indication
he will do more in the future with his skills beyond what we have known
already than you can count me and thoroughly excited for any future releases.
What's up guys, it's Fitz. We're a few days away from hitting up CounterPoint Music Festival in Atlanta, GA, this weekend and we're super excited to say the least. I've been passing the time listening to some new music and starting to plan out my weekend, because when you go to a festival with a lineup as crazy as this one you're going to need some prep-time if you want to miss as little as possible.
Thusday is a smaller day when looking at the rest of the festival, but of course CounterPoint cant let you have an easy time choosing between ten acts on two stages. Personally I plan on starting the day off with Nobody Beats The Drum at 6:15 in the evening, followed by Adventure Club at 7:15. My prediction is after that set my night is going to have alot of running cause I want to catch all of the following sets. 8:45 gives you the choice between Run Dmt's heavy hitting psychedelic dub or Beats Antique's unique mix of world music and electronica. The real choice is between Colorado's best saxophone infused electronica with Big Gigantic, or check out Up Until Now, who brings a jamband sensibility to the world of electronic music, and are playing with STS9's David Murphy. Then I'm going to try and split time wisely there, but I wouldn't doubt Dom and Jeremy trapping me over at the beat tent.
Pretty Lights
Adventure Club
Friday is when the festival really starts to come alive as 32 acts come on the four stages. The day looks like its starting with Dr. Fameus, who you may remember as the drummer from the Disco Biscuits at 2:45 in the afternoon on the Blackbeat Stage. ill probably then make my way over to new york rapper Theophilous London before chilling out with chillwave artist Washed Out. after that things seem to be getting a little tight as im trying to catch Mimosa, Tokimonsta and Atmosphere all within an hour and a half, before turning down Crystal Castles and heading over to Archnemesis, which is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated sets and a good way to start off the craziness of friday night. 7:30 youll find me at Feed Me, rocking out to his high energy electro before letting Excision drop one of the most agressive sets of the weekend, with his signiture brand of heavy metal influenced dubstep, but be wary because youre going to need your energy to make it back over to the point stage for the king of festival dubstep, Bassnectar then I hope I have enough energy to make it to R3hab and A-trak afterwards before preparing for Saturday's non-stop party
Com Truise starts things off early in the afternoon at 12:30, but come 1:15 your going to have to choose between jam and electronica heavyweights Zoogma, the heavy hitting deathstep duo Mantis, and trap superstar and ATL native Herobust. Whatever time you have after, enjoy, that because your going to be hard pressed to find time to stand still after 3:30 because saturdays lineup is packed. 3:45 brings you Paper Diamond followed by 12th Planet at the Beat Stage, while Toro Y Moi rocks the Counterpoint Main Stage. Emancipator will tear it up at 5 at the Blackbeat and half of ATL's own outkast, Big Boi on the Point Stage. Conspirator starts at 6, and though I'll be jamming hard for the first half hour, im going to have to move over to the Blackbeat for the Pretty Lights Music showcase (minus Elliot Lipp and Break Science) and Paul Basic at 6:15 and will probably stay there through Supervision, Michal Menert and Gramatik. though you may want to go check out such massive names as Steve Angello, Zeds Dead, Lotus, or Skrillex, i dont think i can turn down six hours of pretty lights music, because come 10:15 Pretty Lights brings counterpoint to its climax. Seeing 20,000+ people groove to such funky futuristic bass mixed with just about any style of music you can think of at summer camp and electric zoo are some of my favorite memories of the summer and I can't wait to be there again. If pretty lights isnt your scene, Porter Robinson and The M Machine are on call at the other end of the park to keep you moving until the late night sets start, but no matter what makes you move, you'll find something Saturday night. Ghostland Observatory and Laidback Luke keep things grooving on the beat stage while Alvin Risk and Zedd end the weekend with a bang of high energy electrohouse.
So that's what my music schedule is looking like two days before the festi. There's sure to so much to do on the festival grounds. I can't even begin to cover all the vendors, the forest, and the potential surprises around every corner. Make your schedule, get a good nights rest and come say hi in Georgia. You can follow us a little moar on Twitter/Facebook @EGPunkOfficial/ElectricGhostPunk!!
This summer has been chock full of amazing parties, festivals, gatherings, and just all around good times! Most of it was spent jumping to a constant flow loud and bass heavy EDM, but we like to sit back, relax, and let the waves of musical genius flow over our bodies, lifting our souls and bringing us closer to that feeling of "everything feels just right". It might be jamming, jazz, soul, funk, or even the blues, we love it all. If you like that feeling and diverse music, you want to be at Catskill Chill.
Chilling Lights
Deep in the Catskill Mountains in Hancock, the is a beautiful place called Camp Minglewood. For the third year now, Catskill Chill will be three full days of diverse music on three stages, camping and hanging out with friends. Did I mention the camping is free? Yup! You don't have to pay for that, unless you bought an RV spot or cabin.
Chilling Camp
The lineup is great and full of different genres. We're talking Conspitator, Dopapod, Zoogma, EOTO, Consider the Source, Break Science, Fikus, Lotus, and so many more! Within the lineup there is a lot less bassy hard-hitting music and more flow, rock, and jamming.
There will also be a bunch of activities to get involved in! There will be yoga Saturday and Sunday mornings, open mic times, and some unscheduled surprises only you will find! The ticket price is VERY affordable for what you get, we're talking $125 now, and $145 at the gate. So what are you waiting for?! Get up to the mountains, and enjoy the end of your summer chilling.
Whatsup everybody? Z here, I wanted to share with you a local show that you'd be missing out so much if you decided not to go. Our friends over at 666lights are throwing their first event ever, and they're doing it BIG.
Black Mass, September 21st, is being headlined by none other than Airwave. Other headliners include Mantis, and Jansten; then the whole package gets rounded up with other great acts great enough to be headliners themselves. You get DarkElixr, Omega, Druley, Doctor Voodoo, and It Lives, all these artists brimming with intensity with a darker themed event at Highline Ballroom. I'm more than excited to catch it myself so in celebration of which today at EGP I'm gonna give you all an overview of the headliners at Black Massive.
Jansten is no stranger to the heavy bass dubstep scene, he has collaborations with a lot of other well known DJs including Stephan Jacobs, Bassnectar, AFK, and Dirt Monkey just to name a few. He is definitely one of the crowd favorites expected to tear it up come Black Massive.
Mantis is a personal favorite of mine. He's one of the main constant producers in the "Deathstep" scene of bass music. Mantis combines darker, heavier, sharper, deathmetal influenced song structures and it makes for a sound that's definitely eye opening. They also have a lot of interesting remixes with interesting artist choices, they have a Bong remix which is just awesome in itself and also do a remix of Suicide Silence that fits better than you could ever imagine it.
Airwave is in a class all his own, Laurent Veronnez aka Airwave has been in the EDM scene for longer than a decade, being one of the more esteemed artists to come around in recent years. He has over 200 releases out under his belt and is responsible for many of the highly regarded Trance and Progressive House tracks.
This is just a small taste of the awesome that will take place come Black Massive. You also have the very talented Morgan Freeman on the visuals. Remember everybody it's September 21st so mark your calendars and take off the next day if you need to because you don't wanna miss this all. Airwave in of itself is a reason to go let alone the rest of the amazing lineup, I hope to see you all there.
Even though there's so many awesome festivals going on and that we're covering, one that really catches our eyes is one we hope to make our next big adventure, Counterpoint Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. This seems to be the last big festival of the summer, with camping and a stellar lineup it may be your last opportunity to experience the magical power of a strong music festival in 2012. Located only 20 minutes outside of Atlanta on 8000 acres of woods along the Chattahoochee River, it's a first time festy brought to you with a big name backing it, MCP Present. Counterpoint features a lineup that's stocked with names you knew, names you know, and names you want to know.
Adventure Club
Zeds Dead
Pretty Lights
They released their day by day schedule and it has definitely gotten me excited. Thursday starts it off strong with such up and comers as Adventure Club and Run DMT with festival favorites Beats Antique and Big Gigantic headlining. Friday expands the lineup with something for you wherever your tastes may lie. With headliners Bassnectar, M83, and Aviici, and performances from such amazing acts as Atmosphere, Feed Me, Crystal Castles and Excision with over a dozen other acts.
Memories of Camp Bisco, also Brought to You By MCP Presents
Then Saturday closes big with headliner after headliner. Skrillex, Laidback Luke, Zeds Dead, Lotus, and Pretty Lights, who's label Pretty Lights Music is getting special attention with almost there entire roster having a slot on Saturday. So check out the lineup and start getting excited cause were now less than a month away, so if you haven't already started, I'd start getting ready cause this one is going to be unreal.
This weekend will mark one the busiest weekends for NYC this summer, especially because Electric Zoo will be bringing in the a-c names in electronic music. It is because of that festival that I am making sure to trek to Jersey and experience an entirely different festival that is one of the biggest of it's kind, Evolvefest.
Evolvefest is a four day festival running this Labor Day weekend, August 31 - September 3, 2012, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. It looks to be very spiritualistic and quite majestic, that's split between music, nature, meditation, art and education. It is hailed as one of the top ten yoga festivals in the world, it's family friendly, and it's very close to New York City and Philadelphia. Let's take a look into what you can expect at Evolvefest and the top three reasons I'm most excited for this weekend!
We are so used to there being music pounding out the beats almost 24 hours a day, and in some cases this was true to an extent (Camp Bisco 11). However, there are multiple stages of multiple activities. There are two music stages, with some awesome acts performing both live bands and DJ/producers, such as Telesma, Bad Buka, Outersect, or Consider the Source. The music plays pretty much all day, 9am-11ishpm.
Then There's the Yoga Stage. There you can not only participate in what might be the largest yoga pool of people you've ever been in, but you will also be learning and involved in sessions with seasoned instructors such as Sara Gallmann, Stephanie Sirico, and Beth Filla. Oh, what's this?! It's a music stage as well! You can catch acts like DJ Inanna, and DJ Knowledge!
That for the stages, don't forget about all of the workshops that are being offered as well. A few that caught my eye include Beekeeping, Kung Fu Movement, and Sacred Geometry. All the workshops are held at one of four different camp ground locations, to give you an idea of the size, in fact check out this nifty map!
Made Extra Large for those Hard of Sight
The Community Aspect:
The fact that this environment is family friendly says a lot. To be able to bring your kids and have a safe place for them to enjoy themselves, as well as being exposed to so much art and culture is really a wonderful thing. There are sure to be many vendors as well. I'm hoping to see more on the side of homemade items, as well as certain specialties, and less of the main line of merchandise. There is also going to be a ton of art and art of all forms. Whether it's paint or dance, I can't wait to see all the live art, the opportunity to sit down and take a minute to actually write, fire spinning, drum circles, story telling and so much more... it's all very exciting to see how everything will pan out.
As a whole collective, their is a very large community behind these events. The biggest picture is covered under "EDM" with every event from Sensation to Camp Bisco, or Burning Man to Electric Daisy Carnival, the music is the initial focal point for gathering. In this festival, there is a much different focus aside from the music. The music comes into play with a higher sense of being. Yoga, meditation, art, these are all forms of expanding one's mind and using a more creative side of our brain. This festival garners more peaceful vibes, I don't think the getting pushed out of the way while dancing will happen here.
This is the 6th annual Evolvefest, there are sure to be many return campers as well as new comers such as myself and Z. It will be a different turn from the pounding dubstep and hardstyle nights spent in the warehouses and mainstream festivals. It is highly anticipated by us both.
Participate!!
Ticket prices aren't going to kill you, and fr what you get this will make for a great getaway from your average event. Get your tickets now, and come join us for what is going to be a beautiful weekend! Find more info here:
Wassup everyone? It's Wish[Paus3] here and I'm hunkering down in NYC while Zodd and Fitz are making their way out the Michigan for StereoTerra! Ever since preparing for Camp Bisco, I have had my ear to the festival community becoming a little more fine tuned. One event that caught my eye instantly was a Facebook page that popped up in my news feed called "Destroy Gnarnia the Festival" (EDIT 8/17 It seems the page has been taken down). I started looking into the page, why would someone create something like this without reason. Well the reason was pretty shocking. According to posts on the page, there had been 490 arrests, most of the felony charges, in and around the festival. Holy cow right?! I had to look in deeper. What I've been finding is more disturbing than the initial shock and question of, "who's to blame". The differences between posts there and on the official event invite are vast...
Let me start by saying the festival looked awesome. It was a first for the folks behind it, this was Gnarnia's inaugural year. All the pictures and video that came out, the lineup, the grounds... everything looks so legit. The website provides everything for you, from camping guidelines, to ride sharing, to a ton of activities they were holding. There's no doubt that people would be wanting to come out to this one, this was no underground festy. The problems began when there were more people than expected, and of course the increased amount of police presence in the area.
Fact is, police are in every event whether you know it or not. Breaking the law in any way WILL put you in a position to get caught by law enforcement. Being at a festival is not an excuse to do illegal things, but that is a personal decision. At Gnarnia, it seemed that the police were a little, hyper-active if you will. DT's trying really hard to set people up, harassing and arresting people next to tents that weren't theirs, being violent, randomly searching persons, hippie profiling, and all-in-all using terror tactics to get what they wanted. This is what stands out as the most significant issue here. Not the problems the producers had with tickets or camping, or even having the cops in the festival grounds.
"If you are for the path of open communication and change, share this article"
According to one trusted festival goer, the majority of arrests happened outside the festival at road blocks and at hotels and cabins. Apparently the festival grounds were not connected to the camping fields, one had to take a shuttle to get back and forth.... too many people decided they should drive their own cars. They had also told me about the sale of alcohol on festival grounds. As normal as that seems, North Carolina has a department for that, called the Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE). This allowed them to be on festival grounds whenever they wanted, in other words, more law enforcement around. So you had several different police departments doing "their own thing".
Getting back to the Facebook pages. The "Destroy" page has been garnering a lot of attention, but in my opinion is negatively affecting the community. People are angry their friends got in trouble, as anyone would be. Everyone is looking for someone to blame, which is literally pulling people apart. If anything everyone should get together and figure out a way to change legislation. I personally have been blocked from posting on the page after posting my rant to the page owner (I apologize for my French!). It sickens me that people are seeming more ok with seeing a police state in action than they are with a first time festival having first time festival issues. On top of that, people like myself, who are looking for answers and momentum and not just suggestions of conspiracy within the ranks of the promoters, are being silenced. The owner of the page won't even release his/her name to the public, but they will sit behind their desk and do nothing but instigate. When asked for pictures, I was replied to that I should post them, and people were "too scared" by the police to actually pull a camera out and film. If you don't exercise your rights, they will be stripped away from you. It's all smoke and mirrors to me, tactics to get people riled up, but there is no clear cause. On top of that, the page is censored (as certain posts have been on the event page as well). To me, it means make up your own mind. It's obvious that there are gaps in this story, but once again the over all lesson seems clear to me. This is a motion towards a police state. Ya'll didn't like it? Guess what, stop blaming everyone else but yourselves.
As a community, we are strong. There are hundreds of thousands of us, all with similar goals. We just want to have a good time at these events, but what do we stand for? The problem is that everyone is too comfortable. Festivals become marketing tools and we forever are stamped as a drug culture. If you are for the path of open communication and change, share this article. Don't let a bad experience shy you into a corner, instead make a stand. I hope that those wrongfully arrested and were harassed get their justice (if those stories posted are true).
LAST RANT:
The grounds were held on Beech Mountain, NC. Seemingly the middle of no where (it is), this town is only lively during the winter time when skiing and snowboard season open up. To have a mass amount of people in their town is both a great and terrible thing. As people, we don't like seeing things we are not used to coming into our comfort zone, but business loves it. Something else to think about here is the lower rate of crime in this type of area. Seeing a "neo-hippie" music festival coming into town, well that's an instant mark for law enforcement. I have never been involved with organizing something like this, but take Camp Bisco for example. Last year 25,000 people came through to Mariaville, NY. It caused so many issues with traffic, the locals, and it almost seemed like the festival might have to find another home. But it didn't. The problems caused the year before were handled in a new way this year, and Bisco was in it's 11th year.Now I do not know the way money gets thrown around for both private security and/or police, but it seemed like MCP was working directly with the police to insure the traffic moved and people that weren't supposed to be there were not there.
There's something about turning around to 15,000 people with their hands in the air.
It's already a month later, and I still wake up longing for the intense summer heat to hit my tent and motivate me to get up after a few hours of sleep to walk through the dust, get some grub, water, and have another full day of Camp Bisco XI.
Crowd Jumping to Zed's Dead
Camp Bisco 11. The largest and most organized Camp Bisco to date, brought to you by MCP Presents. It wasn't even two years ago that there were under 10,000 people in attendance. This years' numbers sore well over 20,000. Between everyone working the event, vendors, media, and all of the guests, the camp grounds were alive for every moment (waking or not) we were there. This was my first major music festival (read about the first small one HERE [disclaimer/spoiler the event gets broken up]) and it was way bigger and more intense than I could have ever imagined it to be. I could talk about it for days on end, but for the sake of your attention spans, I'll break it all down in three sections. The Camp/The People/The Music.
THE CAMP:
Last year the physical coming into Camp Bisco was a long experience for most. Waiting for hours in a line of cars blocking countless resident's driveways, some people relieving themselves on said lawns, garbage all over, noise levels... the kind folk who live in Mariaville were not too happy with all the neo-hippies coming into their territory and turning it upside down. This year things ran much differently thanks to the joining of hands with MCP Presents and the town. The line still existed, but the amount of cars in it were toned down a lot. They had shuttles running back and forth from the ski lodge to allow more space for parking off-site and more camping on-site.
Straight Chillin
Making Dogs!
There were so many tents everywhere! The grounds allowed for 20 different camping spots. The majority of which were the open fields, a couple were in wooded areas, VIP had their own sections as well, and there were the RV camping spot as well. Since you are not allowed to bring vehicles onto the grounds to get around, walking was the mode of transportation for most. To be able to walk to entire circumference of the camp grounds would take you close to an hour, that's how enormous it is!
2D Cut Outs
Power Crystals
One of my favorite parts about camp was how interactive it was. No matter where you headed to, there was always something to check out. Many of the sights to see were artistic installations. For example, in the middle on the field past the audio tent for the main stages, there was a garden of 2D statues featuring some very recognizable characters and imagery. A short walk away were a series of power crystals; Tall reflective pyramids that pointed up into the sky, these power crystals also created a circumference around the crowd at the main stage, focusing energy together. My favorite piece of art was the light tunnel. At night this walk was like walking through a tunnel of Christmas lights, but my favorite part was it's interactiveness. This was an area that clever people could come and charge cell phones or camera batteries. Beautiful, relative and a resource, those lights were good to many people.
Certain Carpoolers Won Free VIP Upgrades!
RV Art
Of course there were showers, fresh drinking water in huge tanks, mobile bathrooms, and the VIP's had it nicest with these amenities. You should get those tickets early, or get active in your favorite website and win tickets, but VIP means close access, star treatment, and being next to the stars. Of course there's the perks (which are totally worth it) but just being able to be at Camp Bisco is rewarding in of itself, a big thanks to that comes from the people that attend the event. THE PEOPLE:
So I have done a little research [#HeadstashHistoryLesson], trying to see what the past Camps were like. Dating as latest as three festivals ago, there were [only] ten thousand people in attendance. Three years later and it's just about triple that number. The thing I find most interesting about this exponential increase, even just from Camp Bisco I - II, is that with the more extreme jumps in numbers meant many more diverse people, and from more places. Some will argue that they don't want the dubheads and bros to come in and "ruin" the vibes, but I found that the mix of people made for an awesome time, one where everyone was vibing to everything. I saw very few aggravated people trying to start fights or just being douche-bags, most people were having the times of their lives.
Henna!
While walking around the camp sites you could meet people from anywhere, it's as easy as walking up and saying hi, and you may make friends for life. While partying in the dance tents with thousands of other people brings such energy to everyone, seldom are people sitting when the treble is high and the bass is dropping hard and nasty beats fill the air. Or after the music stopped playing and you find yourself searching for more, and in the RV sections DJs are set up and 45-60 people are dancing and still having a great time until all hours of the morning. And there is a time to chill to the music and enjoy a conversation, people all over are just really friendly. Like at Silent Disco, or in the shade, maybe on the line to get some tasty treats. And there were the people who at first were not as open to meeting someone new, but once the smile comes out it's always a pleasure. Whether people's love was for Skrillex or the long time and new fans of The Disco Biscuits, everyone seemed to get along very well. There were many people I met that were so down to earth and shared a lot of ideas and interested with each other, it was so great to be able to make those connections.
Thanks to all the amazing people I met, I have new appreciations for wide brimmed fitted hats (Grassroots California), a new appreciation for Monster Java, pins, crystal wrapping, as well as several DJs and producers I have never heard of before Camp Bisco, and now can't stop raving about them.
THE MUSIC:
[lol] Where to begin... first word(s) that comes to mind is non-stop. As mentioned before, there is always music somewhere. There are of course the stages, which are easy to walk to when going from one to the next. There were two main stages next to one another, a smaller label tent down the dusty road from there, and then through a small walkway with a circle and wooded ceiling was the main dance tent, aka the B.I.G. tent. In between and across the fields from this line of musical talent was the Showcase/Silent Bisco stage. Here were the lesser known artists whose skills on their instruments were worthy of being and lucky to be performing at an event such as Camp Bisco.
Jake Dukes at Silent Bisco
Zed's Dead
Being this was my first legitimate festival, I was more than excited to be able to run through the pit (small area in front of stage between performers and VIP. The first set I got to shoot photos there was for Zed's Dead. As soon as they dropped their first song, the crowd was on their toes. The energy flowing through all the people could be felt as it rippled through the mass of bodies. All I kept thinking was, "finally", as my memory was brought back to December sitting on Facebook talking to Jake Dukes about wanting to check out this festival in NY, and then he showed me a video and each time the crowd rose my heart fell and shiver went through my entire body. I had to be there... and there I was. The set was amazing, and it felt like the hour set rushed right on by. This was the beginning of my musical journey on Thursday. Later in the day included Crystal Castles, Skrillex, and The Disco Biscuits.
Skrillex Set
Disco Biscuits Nighttime Set
Visuals in the Label Tent
The Biscuits first set was amazing. I have never before seen them live, so to be entertained by them in their house was pretty incredible. From the lights and the music, listening to them play was a great way to watch the crowd come together. Their music and love of the fans is what started this festival, and it is apparent why it's been so successful. Throughout the weekend, The Biscuits would play six sets in total, both during the day time and at night. For the ones I went to, I fell more in love with their music. It is good to step away from the dubstep and harder genres... until you get to the dance tents.
That's Mr. Z! Zodd
Laser, Lights and Energy! B.I.G. Tent was always popping.
Waiting....
First night I also caught Kill The Noise, Zedd, and Porter Robinson. Throughout the weekend we caught Killabits, Break Science, Big Boi, Lotus, Fikus, Jake Dukes and Mad Panda, Mimosa, Alpha Data, Minnesota, Codes, Holy Fuck, Bassnectar, Dillon Francis, A-trak, and Gramatik. The sets always blew me away... Zedd and Minnesota's sets were two that will always stick out in my memory. Part of it were their amazing performances mixed together with their stage presence and visuals, and the other part were their audience. To be able to feel that surge of energy while listening to some of the most amazing productions you've heard up close and share that with thousands of other people is just incredible.
CONCLUSIONS:
After attending the rave scene for so many months, my views on the scene have been diluted in the empty warehouses' dirty floors. The people have always been awesome (mostly) but that greater feeling of togetherness is hard to come by. Going to Camp Bisco and experiencing the emotion of "PLURR" ten fold than I've ever felt it has brought my faith back into the community. Leaving Bisco was the last thing I wanted to do. Not knowing what time it was, to always having something to do and someone to talk to... just living with everyone, for that I have to say "Thank You!" to The Disco Biscuits and everyone that made this festival happen.
See You Around!!! <3 WishPaus3
PS: I could talk for days about Camp Bisco XI, but now I want to hear your stories! Hit me up in the comments, electricghostpunk@gmail.com, or on FACEbook.
