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.
Jantsen_ When The Beats Drop (112 Preview) by jantsenmusic
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 - Jump OUT NOW by MANTIS Dubstep
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 - Reset by laurentairwave
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.
Love & Light
Z
Friday, August 31, 2012
Z-Dar - NYC Events: 666's Black Mass
Labels:
2012,
666 lights,
airwave,
black mass,
concert,
mantis,
morgan freeman,
nyc,
Rave,
z,
z-dar,
zdar
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Festival Overview - Counter Point Music Festival
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.
Home Page
Buy Tickets
Camping Info
Full Lineup
Extreme Sports!
Keep checking back here for artist spotlights and news in the coming weeks!! Also follow us on Facebook for updates, photo albums, and videos!!
Evolvefest 2012: A Higher Celebration
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!
So Much To Do!
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!
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.
A Different Side of EDM Followers
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:
Home Page
Facebook
Buy Tickets
FAQ
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!
Greenbus |
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.
Joe Longo Photography |
Joe Longo Photography |
A Different Side of EDM Followers
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:
Home Page
Buy Tickets
FAQ
Labels:
2012,
burning man festival,
EDM,
electric ghost punk,
electric zoo,
evolvefest,
festival,
new jersey,
paus3,
telesma,
wish,
yoga,
zodd
Fitz - Whatchu Know 'Bout That - GRiZ
Finally!! After six months of waiting, GRiZ has finally released the song that he had teased us with way back in February. Smash the Funk is a perfect example of why GRiZ is one of the quickest rising stars in the Electronic Music scene. GRiZ seamlessly flows from smooth melodic electrosoul into some of the craziest jumpin beats and still includes a deep sax solo... If this song doesn't prove to you that GRiZ is a artist to follow, you should probably stop reading this blog.
Smash The Funk (forthcoming album MAD LIBERATION SEPT 4th) by GRiZ
Download this song and the rest of Mad Liberation September 4th! You can also catch GRiZ live this weekend in Chicago with Grizmatik at the House of Blues for the North Coast Music Festival or wait until Nov. 17th when he returns to New York to play Terminal 5 with Bassnectar and Gladkill.
Smash The Funk (forthcoming album MAD LIBERATION SEPT 4th) by GRiZ
Download this song and the rest of Mad Liberation September 4th! You can also catch GRiZ live this weekend in Chicago with Grizmatik at the House of Blues for the North Coast Music Festival or wait until Nov. 17th when he returns to New York to play Terminal 5 with Bassnectar and Gladkill.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Z-Dar - Herobust
Whatsup people! Z here and It's been a while since I threw anything up that wasn't covering any of the events we've been at, so I decided to share some music with you for your own collective enjoyment.
Hayden Kramer aka heRobust hails from Atlanta, Georgia and he's one of those guys where you can just tell he has swag in spades. He is a master of synth work with glitchy breaks molded around Hip-Hop, Dubstep, and Trap that never really sound like any of those in his practice, but definitely sounds like its coming from Atlanta, making a sound that my friends can attest to my personal definition of "purple as hell". Herobust has 4 releases out currently, his debut release Albumin, his twin albums Late Night and Morning After, and his more recent release Rob & Hood. Here, check out some tracks that really stand out to me and will give you a clear picture of the versatility of heRobust.
Facebook Lift by heRobust
This one is the first track off "Late Night". It's a souled out song that has elements of hip hop, funk, blues, dubstep, soul, and god knows what else. It's a buffet of swag and you can instantly tell that he's on to something bigger and better than alot of other artists around. It was my personal introduction to the artist and I feel is a great example of the soundscapes and creativity that Hayden Kramer is known for.
Swagriculture by heRobust
This one is his second track off the twin album off "Late Night" called "Morning After" and it really shows off his more Hip Hop side with light airy glitchy hip hop beats that are telling that this is where he came from and cultivated his style from hip hop forward. It's a great driving tune or for doing anything in those hours where its way too bright and nobody else is awake; beach runs anyone?
Beanie Babymama by heRobust
This next track is one banger of a tune, its the second track off his new EP "Rob & Hood" where he explores more of a Trap influence in his repertoire. The results are nice and the entire EP gets you going. It's a synth onslaught as the polyrythmns and sampling are on point and creative as hell.
Iggy Azalea - My World (BUSTED by heRobust) by heRobust
This is one off his remix collection he likes call the BUSTED collection. Released in no specific grouping, all those tunes are gems and you should definitely check em out. A sick Iggy Azalea Dubstep/Hip Hop remix that you know if it got dropped anywhere live there would be some definite problems.
heRobust is quickly becoming a household name for EDM fans, especially with the whole Trap movement going on, even though I wouldn't really put him in that category aside from being from the south. Be on the look out for any future releases and events. I do know I will be catching him in New York on 9/31 at Club 39, so to any of our New York fans (which is a majority of you) do yourself a favor and catch that show; till next time.
Love & Light
Z aka Zodd
Hayden Kramer aka heRobust hails from Atlanta, Georgia and he's one of those guys where you can just tell he has swag in spades. He is a master of synth work with glitchy breaks molded around Hip-Hop, Dubstep, and Trap that never really sound like any of those in his practice, but definitely sounds like its coming from Atlanta, making a sound that my friends can attest to my personal definition of "purple as hell". Herobust has 4 releases out currently, his debut release Albumin, his twin albums Late Night and Morning After, and his more recent release Rob & Hood. Here, check out some tracks that really stand out to me and will give you a clear picture of the versatility of heRobust.
Facebook Lift by heRobust
This one is the first track off "Late Night". It's a souled out song that has elements of hip hop, funk, blues, dubstep, soul, and god knows what else. It's a buffet of swag and you can instantly tell that he's on to something bigger and better than alot of other artists around. It was my personal introduction to the artist and I feel is a great example of the soundscapes and creativity that Hayden Kramer is known for.
Swagriculture by heRobust
This one is his second track off the twin album off "Late Night" called "Morning After" and it really shows off his more Hip Hop side with light airy glitchy hip hop beats that are telling that this is where he came from and cultivated his style from hip hop forward. It's a great driving tune or for doing anything in those hours where its way too bright and nobody else is awake; beach runs anyone?
Beanie Babymama by heRobust
This next track is one banger of a tune, its the second track off his new EP "Rob & Hood" where he explores more of a Trap influence in his repertoire. The results are nice and the entire EP gets you going. It's a synth onslaught as the polyrythmns and sampling are on point and creative as hell.
Iggy Azalea - My World (BUSTED by heRobust) by heRobust
This is one off his remix collection he likes call the BUSTED collection. Released in no specific grouping, all those tunes are gems and you should definitely check em out. A sick Iggy Azalea Dubstep/Hip Hop remix that you know if it got dropped anywhere live there would be some definite problems.
heRobust getting it in BY Paper Blog |
Love & Light
Z aka Zodd
Labels:
atlanta,
EDM,
free music,
georgia,
glitch,
hayden kramer,
herobust,
music.,
what we're listening to,
z,
z-dar,
zodd
Thursday, August 23, 2012
StereoTerra 2012: Zodd's Musical Aftermath
What'sup!? Z again and I'm just coming back all the way from Michigan from the newly christened StereoTerra Music Festival. This certain festival holds very close to me as I made a ton of new friends and met tons of motivated individuals for the common cause of getting together and having fun doing whatever it is that they do best. I got the privilege to see lots of amazing DJs and talent try out new songs and styles that were very eye opening and break away from the norm of their usual genres, so today in taking note of which at EGP I'm gonna share with you the acts that blew me away.
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Griz put it on hard. He played a lot of his back catalogue and it got the crowd going. His energy on stage is really something to be admired, as he always looks as if he just started and enthusiastic as ever. He's a great showman and displayed which mid set by bringing out the saxophone and going in with it, He has some minor technical difficulties with his equipment and fixed it up in 2 seconds without anyone noticing, certifying his position as a professional DJ and producer. It was one of my favorite acts of the entire festival.
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
Photo By Zodd |
For a first year festival, the line-up for StereoTerra pulls no punches as they brought in people from every side of the spectrum. There were a lot of other great names playing like Muzzy, Freddy Todd, Crushendo, and The Spring Standard just to name a few. I expect this festival to be one to look out for in the next year if the amount of effort and quality showcased in the musical choices and creative effort in all directions for this event is any indication on the direction its going to eventually grow into.
PHOTOS:
EGPunk Official: FESTY SET // ARTIST SET
HEAR Magazine: SET
Taryn Waffles: SET
Bands That Jam (instagram flow): SET
Love & Light
Z aka ~ZODD~
Labels:
crushendo,
electric ghost punk,
festival,
freddy todd,
grassroots california,
griz,
michigan,
photographs,
pretty lights music,
rjd2,
robotic pirate monkey,
stereoterra,
stratus,
tittsworth,
zodd,
zoogma
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Festival Dreams and Nightmares: Gnarnia 2012
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.
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.
FACTS:
News Articles:
High County Press - Article 1 /// Article 2 // Article 3 // Sheriff's Office
WSOCTV: Article & Video Clip
Blogs:
Sensible Reason: POST
L4LM: POST
PHOTO:
August J Photography: SET
Kelsey Smith: SET
Bionic Beatlab - SET1 // SET2
VIDEO:
ChiefSchief333 - Festival Highlights
DubEra.com - Day1 Recap // Day2 Recap
rloerky - 2012 Gnarnia Music Fest
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.
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.
FACTS:
News Articles:
High County Press - Article 1 /// Article 2 // Article 3 // Sheriff's Office
WSOCTV: Article & Video Clip
Blogs:
Sensible Reason: POST
L4LM: POST
PHOTO:
August J Photography: SET
Kelsey Smith: SET
Bionic Beatlab - SET1 // SET2
VIDEO:
ChiefSchief333 - Festival Highlights
DubEra.com - Day1 Recap // Day2 Recap
rloerky - 2012 Gnarnia Music Fest
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.
Labels:
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Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Camp Bisco XI: Paus3 - Looking Back at the Biggest Year Yet
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 |
Certain Carpoolers Won Free VIP Upgrades! |
RV Art |
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! |
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 |
Skrillex Set |
Disco Biscuits Nighttime Set |
Visuals in the Label Tent |
That's Mr. Z! Zodd |
Laser, Lights and Energy! B.I.G. Tent was always popping. |
Waiting.... |
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 |
PHOTOS/VIDEO:
EGPunk Official:
Photos - SET (everyday!) // SOLEY SET
Video - Pictorical Walkthrough 1 // 2 // 3 // 4
Video - Triple Threat Productions - HERE
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Atothe Photography: SET
Calder Wilson: DAY1//DAY2//DAY3
ZT Photo: SET
Megalo Mandee Photography: ARTIST SET//FESTIVAL SET
EDMlounge.com: SET
Chris Brooks: SET
Jas Davis Media: VIDEO
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