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A few weeks back mark my personal return to the great north east, Maine. It's been many years since my parents were taking me and my siblings to go into nature a little more, and experience the small towns and different eats. There was a great calling this time, one that blended music, art, and activism almost flawlessly.
The Great North Music and Arts Festival had it's first birthday September 27-29, and popped Maine's cherry for lack of larger festivals. The lineup was ridiculously talented, with both well known and not-so-well-known performers. Thanks to the names and the grinding promotion done, people were coming out from over the surrounding states, many traveling over 6 hours by car, including John and I. The drive from NYC was gorgeous, especially for the time of year. Trees up north are just beginning to turn, and it almost felt like we were cheating the system going to a camping music festival after the main 'season' had already ended. That weather stayed all weekend long with highs nearing 80, no clouds in sight, and chilly but clear nights. It really felt as if Summer was lingering there for us.
As we got to the camp grounds, there were signs everywhere telling us that this was going to be an awesome time. People were smiling left and right, dancing around campsites, groups meditating, the smells of food being cooked, and plenty of color throughout the grounds. It felt like there were people everywhere, camps were popping up in the woods, golf carts with staff were driving around making sure people were having a good time, people walking around with their friends and some working dogs were around as well... it felt like a small village.
After taking a quick walk around, I realized that the ground were not enormous, but felt that way because of all the things to look at and take it. There was an artists' tent by the main stage, but there was art everywhere. It literally felt like this was a home for people that not only love music, but also care about expression and communication. This is so important these days were there are people who don't know how to talk to one another. Even when the music started up, a rapper was on stage freestyling a message to all the festival goers about keeping clean and being safe... it was the first time in about 12 festivals I ever heard anyone give a positive message like that, and it made the days that I longed for something like "PLUR" make sense.
Originally, the lineup had me really excited. From the legendary artists Alex and Alysson Grey to the worldly folk sounds of Beats Antique, there was a pre-existing expectation of talent being brought to the table. In my reality, the names did not blow me away, but the unexpected sets that were the most epic. When Beats Antique took the stage, they started preforming all my favorite tracks, but to me it felt like I was listening to my Pandora channel. Granted their belly dancing member Zoe was not present, there was still a lacking feeling in energy and musical inclination. So I decided to begin walking over to the second stage area where ill.Gates was performing. There were maybe 45 people tops watching and grooving with him, and although I only caught the last 20 minutes of the set, it blew me away. I also need to mention RJD2. His set was also pretty freaking groovy. There was one point where the music cut out, and when he got on the mic, he joked about being a vinyl DJ and how sometimes the records crack, then back to the beats. He was really a stand up performer.
The point is simple. Any form of art, from dancing to painting to making music, does not need the media hype behind it to be mind blowing. Pretty much every person I met that weekend had talent in some area, for some it wasn't even art but growing produce, or the some of the most top quality buds I've personally seen (it is legal to grow in Maine with a license). All this passion and skill at the festy did wonders for it. It proved, once again, that the EDM community is way more than what the main stream media is making it out to be. There were no major incidents, and everyone had a blast.
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.
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
Stratus is no stranger to the game as you all should know by now. His set was more of a celebration of his normal stylings with a lot of familiar songs being played like "Understand?!". But, midway through his set he threw on some original trap music that he had presumably been working on and I just have to say that his method of bass control made it all the more intense. If that was any indication of what he's gonna be releasing in the future then all fans of bass music need to be paying attention because it was so intense that even I had to go in and rage a bit. He has a playful manner on stage that fits his image very well and for my first time seeing him although it was a morning set It was fun as hell. His set was a bit on the short end of the spectrum but It wasn't any less that what I had imagined.
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Robotic Pirate Monkey was a ton of fun, I was impressed with the way they weave in and out of each other and use each others equipment to make impossible combinations with pieces of equipment that one person using each just wouldn't normally be fast enough or mentally capable to do, and it shows in their music. The set was one of the most energetic of the first day, they were making jokes on stage wearing masks throwing them out to the crowds and dancing around like a bunch of best friends having the time of their life. They bring a playful integrity to their shows that shows you how down to each and connected to their fans they really are.
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
Tittsworth's set was some madness, lots of mooba beats and intense bass, I actually had to thank him after the show for putting on such a good time. My only regret was that it was too short and I didn't get enough pics because I was dancing so much. I feel with a longer set time he would destroy crowds but I'm assuming that there was time constraints on the festivals line-up.
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Zoogma put on literally one of the greatest live shows I've seen yet. If you aren't familiar with Zoogma they are a jam band with electronic elements fused in very nicely, a great thing to catch if you ever get the chance as they are regulars in the festival scene. They played tons of new content and old, Their entire set flowed together with high energy almost metal sounding stylings into vibed-out soulful riffs and amazingly done remixes, Their "Starry Eyed" remix was terrifically set up and the got the crowd with every type of energy to dance to imaginable, from rock, dubstep, drum and bass, to other things undefinable. Do yourself a favor and catch them any time you see them on any bill for any event.
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
RJD2 is an artist, simply put. His skill with vinyl records was something else, his flow into tracks on top of other tracks seamlessly put into each other on traditional analog equipment amazed everyone and brought a humbling energy to the crowd and other DJs. His composure on stage and ability to create a mood was the mark of a true professional in the game. Deservedly a headliner by far and I can't wait to catch him again. Next time maybe without a camera so I can sit down and fully take in the complexity of what was going on.
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Photo By Zodd
Michal Menert definitely brought a level of intensity to his set which makes me wonder why this Pretty Lights Music artist doesn't get as much as attention as his other labelmates. He was singing along to every song he had with words showing his attachment through pure soul in his music, it was fun to watch. his high energy set contained heavy basslines and smooth synths, and left me struggling to name the genre being played, other than swag.
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.
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.
