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Whatup Everybody? It's Z once again and I'm here to tell you about my time at 666 Lights event that just passed recently called The Black Massive which we totally had to attend to cover and also took the time to preview a bit earlier. It featured acts such as the legendary Airwave, the crushingly awesome Mantis, and the face melting sounds of Jantsen, among amazing others such as Dark Elixir, Druley, Omega, Doctor Voodoo, and It Lives... talk about a serious line-up. We at EGP decided to share with you some of our experiences here and some photos that we got together as well as an exclusive interview with Paul Ollinger from Mantis made possible with the help of 666 Lights and The Artery Foundation.
By: Soley
By: Triple Threat Productions
First I'm gonna have to say the presentation was just amazing, the demonic hell themed party might have seemed almost a little overwhelming at first but it all came together as a fun atmosphere in its own right. The visual thematics were amazingly well represented thanks to lighting artist Morgan Freeman. Visuals of scriptures and cinematics of biblical themes in black and white that were tasteful as well as exciting, they literally covered the entirety of the landscape of the inside of Highline Ballroom. It was a different feel from most NYC parties, it brought a touch of dark unique class to the event.
By: Soley
Airwave set it off with one of the most amazing introductory sequences ever that set the party into motion. Theatrical would be an understatement, as it turned every single head I could notice in the event. Once things got into motion I found myself flowing in the ether just enjoying the emotions Laurent Veronnez projected onto the dance floor. This was real EDM, soul moving trance and progressive that got a lot of people especially a lot of the younger attendees wondering what they had been doing with their tastes for so long.
By: Triple Threat Productions
By: Soley
I have to say though Mantis was my favorite act of the night by far, maybe its just me but I love the style of deathstep that they bring to the table, the death metal influenced structures and crunchy almost alien sounding bass set it off on the dance floor for a while. My good friend Scotty and I couldn't help but dance as he dropped a set that was beyond insane. There were some new songs played that I can't wait to get my hands on. We got a chance to chill out and ask some questions afterwards so take a peek at our exclusive interview with Paul Ollinger from Mantis below.
All the photo links are down below! Make sure you subscribe to the Youtube channel for MOAR great content, as well as the Facebook page to keep in touch!
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.
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.
When I first began taking photos with Reptar Photography back in December, I never thought I would be shooting an event like Camp Bisco. Well, this site has grown a lot since then, and Bisco did indeed happen in all of it's glory. These Pictorial Walkthroughs serve not only to show you all of my shots from a set, but also to show my progression as a photographer, as well as tell a story of who I met, what I saw... I hope you enjoy!
Two weekends ago was the mark of what's was very well the biggest event here in New York City this year, and every party I've been to last, 'cept City Lights. Hell, I knew about it before even going to a rave. I actually got the inside scoop from the one and only Sam Froond (Urban Adventures), on Halloween 2011, as he showed me the video and pictures he took from Mario Party 3. He told me I had to be there, and that it was going to blow my mind. Sam was right, this party was thrown bigger than any party I've seen to this day, and it wasn't even done by bringing out the biggest banger DJs, it was done with love.
Corny right?! It's so true though. Imagine I have this map in front of me. Tight Crew would be up here, about 5-6 hour drive from us. It felt like they brought the ENTIRE coastal north east to a warehouse in Brooklyn. That the first thing I noticed at this event, I didn't know 3/4's of the people. While totally not a bad thing, the vibes change from laid-back to adventure. I found myself constantly asking where they were from, and if they said NY and I didn't know them, I felt totally silly. But it was amazing to see so many people coming from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut... and so on. They came out to party with their people and favorite promoters/producers.That's family, that's love.
The party was held at The Lab. Even though I've been hearing people complain about this place since December, I've seen some amazing parties go down here, and this one blew them all away with decorations. Oh my god. The moment you walked in was like color everywhere. And you walked in from the front gates, so your in the smoking area outside from the get-go. There was a giant mushroom bouncy castle, about four different vendors including Electrik Graffiti with their tents lighting up. In the back there was even a wacky-wild-flailing-inflatable-arm-tub-man.
Once you walked inside, now that was wild! They had the Mario World coin boxes everywhere, coins, Mario decals, projections, coins, ghosts, balloon fish, and a big balloon Mario (keg included).... deco was everywhere. The way the rooms were split up was pretty cool too. You had the main stage with the bar in the back (they had a shy guy flying around!), the smaller room to the side (where you use to walk in) with not only a DJ spinning, but Nintendos set up with games and bean bag chairs to lounge in, and of course, up stairs with more talent rocking out. So many people were dressed up! You had your ravers in raver gear, and tons of Mario related costumes. I saw Bowsers, Marios, Luigis, Boos, Peachs... Diddy Kong! Always a fun time when people are dressing up and contributing to the atmosphere.
I was really excited to catch Subsonik spinning! that was a great treat. I got turned onto him the second I heard a track. Check him out, set were amazingly live! Gotta love Soundcloud!
Did I mention the volume of people there? The spot was alive with tons of energy, and people of all shapes and sizes and from all over... I think some people really wanted that to be like a festival. It would have been pretty interesting camping out with all these people, especially if it were at The Lab in Brooklyn... right. I mean there was full body painting going on, a guy on stilts, a drum circle (normal for any party That Guy is at!), tons of kandi and love going around and lots to do.
That's why I have Camp G.L.O.W. and Camp Bisco on my radar! This weekend is G.L.O.W. so I will be updated you on it... and it'll be a first for me, so cross that off the bucket list and get ready to have some good old fashioned camping out fun!
Seems like the majority of parties lately have been at the newest welcome addition to the BK underground rave scene, the 12 Spot (aka The Hindsdale). You've read about it in previous reviews (Mad World, Sugar Rush), but this time around, the party was predominately on the roof.
The 5th of May, a day immortalized in drowning in beer and partying it up. Why? Well other than the historical significance, to party! What better way than to stomp around in the early summer weather? This party was pretty cray, although when I first got there it seemed almost dead. Party starts at 2pm? Yea a lot of people aren't coming out that early. But, my eyes were deceiving me. You see, the party was on the roof. About 50-60 people were inside while close to 300 (when I got there) were jamming upstairs.
The place was alive! This event brought forward some new twists. In the house was The Brooklyn Salsa Company! The guys that run the company are all artists themselves. Playing in bands, spinning records, being themselves. Since they are all such vibrant personalities, these spicy connoisseurs are making a documentary about their company and themselves. Why were they at a BK rave? Simple, they are artists and want to reach the artistic people. Genius. So not only did they have an enormous box of chips and all different flavors of their salsa, Rob Behnke was on stage spinning some of his trancealicious tracks. It was great meeting them, and the salsa's pretty damn good too.
Although there weren't many people downstairs, Morgan Freeman had the place looking like light wonderland. His visuals never cease to amaze me, you need to check out his work. He is a very talented individual and we are lucky to be able to experience his work first hand the way we do. HOMAGE!! Also on lighting was Paradox Productions (pew pew). Greeting all the people as they came upstairs was the one and only Kevin Carpet. Always active with the crowd, this living piece of art even got a chance to squeeze in an interview with the Triple Threat Production team!
Triple Threat has been on the NYC scene for a little over a month now, and their videos are pretty kick ass (check out this one HERE). It's great to see more than just party videos going up. HOMAGE. They had set up shop with Electrik Graffiti the back right corner of the roof, offering a place to chill, get a light show, and buy rave goodies. Some interviews went down there, including one with the owners of Satellite Records. Their very own DJ Bill was spinning and TTP and EG were lucky enough to have them hanging out. I even saw them enjoying a couple light shows!
As for food, there was a BBQ and... Thai Food! Why, I don't know, but it smelled hella good! Another great party brought to you by Morgan Freeman, Biggie Stardust, Helen Pyre and Duke Live!
This past weekend was completely unbelievably... mad. It all started on Friday as I made my way into Jersey in the early afternoon. From Jersey all day and night, and then back to the city to go down the rabbit hole in Brooklyn for Saturday night, I was basically in no-sleep non-stop mode. It was insane and well worth it. Here's what went down at Nightlight Neverland and MADworld.
The Jersey rave scene is kinda lacking is existent at all. The majority of ravers come to Brooklyn to rage, and they are dedicated to coming out to at least two events a month. There are groups that want to bring the Jersey scene to a new level, one where the parties get just as wild and crazy as the ones we have here in New York. One of these groups is Subground Promos. Constantly on the prowl to find spots that would accept parties with open arms, and grinding the pavement to promote, Subground is up and coming in Jersey. These was their second event (I believe) and it was held in a venue unlike any I've ever seen. It was a bar that was once a strip club. Low ceilings, checkered white and light brown tiles, a pool table, gumball machine, huge full bar, and a stripper pole; the spot was very interesting.
Electrik Graffiti with Gloves and Schoodiez
Dancing on a Pole... Yes.
Gum Ball Machine FTW
After the lights were in place, DJ's booth was set up, and Electrik Graffiti was all set up, people started to slowly make their way to the spot. It started off small, with about five locals at the bar and 10 glovers jamming to the music. As the night went on, more ravers came out, and so did more locals, about 300 people came in to party with us that night. It seemed that everyone was digging the music, but there were a bunch of technical problems that forced the music off a couple times. That's when I noticed the dudes (bros) at the bar. It was a weird mix of people, considered that it was a rave held in an open bar helped with that. I was extremely happy to hear Rockman spin again, that was a treat, as well as meet the boys from Triple Threat Productions. They are similar to 314 Media here in NY, and their work is amazing! Check them out and show them some love!
After driving home at 5am on no sleep and onto a full work day, I didn't know if I'd survive the next event at night. I've been waiting for MADworld to happen since D3b told me of it's conception. DJs from all over the country. Brand new Brooklyn spot. A rave by ravers for ravers. I was pumped and needed the be awake for this. As the night crept closer, I began to get more tired. This wasn't good...I would not let me body shut off on me for this. I got to the spot fairly quickly after getting off the Williamsburg Bridge. Not sure if I was at the right place, I walked inside and BA-BAM... I was in the right place. About 9,000 square feet, an enormous stage, second floor and roof the same size as the whole building, VIP area nicely secluded overlooking the dance floor, full bar... this spot is awesome! There were a bunch of people there already and once I got to shmoozing I was awake again with excitement. Only problem was my brain had become so cloudy I had the hardest time remembering names... no matter, time to do this!
Alice is Not Home Right Now
Mad for the Mad Hatter!
The Queen's Personal...er...Rabbit.
This was D3bst3p's first party, and you can tell there was a lot of effort put into making her vision a reality. The deco was awesome. They lined the entire second floor with cut up sheets and trippy tapestries to hang from the balconies. The lighting was pretty good with a nice boost from Morgan Freeman working on the projectors. With all the white walls, and sheets, he had a lot to play with, and was a big help in making the room come alive. With Electrik Graffiti in the house, you know there were tons of glovers, and a nice addition for this party was fire spinning (rooftop FTW)!
The music was AMAZING. The set-up was all sorts of jimmy-rigged, but it didn't really seem to matter. Haters gonna hate and everyone is going to dance. There was mixing off an ipad at one point, I heard an ipod came into play at another point... the fact of the matter is that there was hardly any technical issues, which is amazing considering the gear they had to set it all up. Huge kudos to you guys, seriously, I had such a blast with everyone's sets. And big shoot out to the dudes coming in and showing NY what they got! (iNexus, Trigga Happy, DJ Conduktor[Dirty Nitrous])
For all you glow freaks out there, a two-tiered gloving competition sponsored by Electrik Graffiti went down, beginners and advanced. This was new and worked out really well! Beginners tier was taken by Sammy, and Sick Noley took the title for advanced. Mad skills were being thrown down, it's insane to watch so many new glovers come on the scene and how quickly they are getting better. Keep practicing guys! I want to shake the west coast, killing it!
Here's all my pics from the night, with a little spice of video!!
Once the night was over (at 7am), I got my well deserved 2 hours of sleep, and went to work the next day a zombie. It was well worth it. Thank you so much to Subground and D3bst3p for doing what you do, I can't wait until the next ones!!
