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The short: cult-like organized chaos.
The long: What if the first day of college was on a cruise ship with all of your favorite electronic artists and lasted three days? If that’s something that sounds like a swashbuckling good time to you then welcome aboard Holy Ship! With five stages of music and a magical menagerie of a line-up, I would say that Holy Ship! is the closest to perfect medium to consume electronic music.
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It’s often said that the third time’s the charm. But, Goldenvoice and FNGRS CRSSD have proved all it takes is two. Their second ever SD music festival this year blew us out of the water, unsurprisingly. With a deservedly hyped lineup and a fantastic front runner, this pair of concert promoters have etched their names into the proverbial show-stones of San Diego and SoCal.
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Symbiosis Gathering is a festival that never sleeps. And for us, the place we needed to be. Advertised as the closest representation of “the Burn”, Symbiosis provides an environment that blends inescapable earthly elements with counter-culture creativity focused on, well, symbiosis. Trade Burning Man’s whiteouts and dust storms for cool water and a nice breeze and it’s Symbiosis setting the bar even higher. Add to that some of the most impressive and interactive stage designs, art, and media (you can climb almost everything) around and you’ve barely broached the surface.
Despite all the bells and whistles, the people are the true attraction. Sexually comfortable and vibrantly free – both spiritually and physically – every attendee offers their deepest of generosities coupled with their quirkiest of virtues at a moment’s notice. It’s hard not to appreciate everyone’s presence whether you’re participating in the goofiness or just watching from afar. As one of the mainstay “transformational” festivals, Symbiosis does a great job at providing a welcoming community for everyone’s spiritual and worldly enrichment. And to top it all off, everyone knows how to party.
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Tycho – Elsewhere (Sunrise Burning Man 2015)
I had heard murmurs of Burning Man becoming a corporate wasteland where past permacultural ideologies have been watered down by the mainstream. In all honestly I could not have been more mooping wrong. More on that word in a minute. I came back from the desert a better, more perceptive human being who just so happens to have white dust seeping out of every orifice.
Let me make one thing clear: there is absolutely nothing like Burning Man. I quickly learned that simply immersing yourself in their culture could initiate growth in a way only Burning Man can. Check after the jump to see why and the highlights from what made this year’s event so special.
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Nestled in NorCal’s Redwood expanse sits the boutique music festival that is Northern Nights. Part campers’ picturesque escape, part music aficionados’ river-dance party, and part earth-conscious permie gathering, this festival stands out in its efforts to impact positive change. With non-profits involved in almost all the inner workings of NNMF, it’s clear to see a greater purpose at play. That energy permeates as attendees can be seen picking up random trash and having meaningful conversations. While the fest-MC’s rather disingenuous comment of “at the end of the day, it’s just music” did little to share the message in a well-deserved light, the five-thousand present made it pretty clear that leaving the world a better place is the onus probandi.
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Last year, we named Lightning in a Bottle the best camp-out festival we’ve been to. And we’re sticking to it this year. First things first: ravines are cool and all, but the high-five bridges saved our legs for the dancing. Second: water and port-a-parties aplenty. Third: the lineup. LIB consistently brings the best. Lastly: we brought the extended fest family out this year, and it seems like everyone else did too. No matter, the larger tribe only added to the loving vibes. There is something about the energy and love shared between attendees at this festival that is unlike anywhere else. Co-Founder Dede Flemming was right, LIB’s intimacy comes from the lovely souls who hear the Do Lab’s call.
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A week prior to this event, our hearts were in somber spirits when it was announced that RunX had been cancelled. We had high hopes for the trap and hip-hop heavy sounds of Nadus, Lido, Spank Rock, Baauer, and, of course, Boys Noize. While his festival presence consists mostly of electro, Boys Noize’s intimate sets are a whole different animal that we haven’t experienced since NYE2014.
Boys Noize – 60 Min Triple J DJ Set
Much to our delight, the LA show at Club Nokia was preserved [sans Lido]. We stepped into the spacious theatre as Baauer was taking over the decks; and boy did he start his set off right. There was a minute of cinematic and triumphant sounds as he appeared on stage underneath a yellow spotlight. And then a heavy dosing of trap and hip-hop took over just as we expected [check the vid we got below!]. The lighting was provided via a pillar of spotlights: reds, yellows, whites, greens, and blues were the night’s colors. It wasn’t on the level of the Tower of Baauer, but much of the show was focused on the music anyway. As it should be.
The transition to Boys Noize was seamless. And the vibes just kept rolling. More rap, trap, hip-hop to sate our ‘all-black-everything’ souls. The occasional dark electro found its way into the set, which garnered audible appreciation from the crowd. The energy from the DJ’s was contagious and the excitement was definitely noticed in the audience. It’s unfortunate that only LA got to experience this coming together. But the tour was cancelled for the purposes of new music. So, we can only hope RunX 2.0 comes around sooner rather than later. And with some new fire to boot.
FULL POST
A week prior to this event, our hearts were in somber spirits when it was announced that RunX had been cancelled. We had high hopes for the trap and hip-hop heavy sounds of Nadus, Lido, Spank Rock, Baauer, and, of course, Boys Noize. While his festival presence consists mostly of electro, Boys Noize’s intimate sets are a whole different animal that we haven’t experienced since NYE2014.
Boys Noize – 60 Min Triple J DJ Set
Much to our delight, the LA show at Club Nokia was preserved [sans Lido]. We stepped into the spacious theatre as Baauer was taking over the decks; and boy did he start his set off right. There was a minute of cinematic and triumphant sounds as he appeared on stage underneath a yellow spotlight. And then a heavy dosing of trap and hip-hop took over just as we expected [check the vid we got below!]. The lighting was provided via a pillar of spotlights: reds, yellows, whites, greens, and blues were the night’s colors. It wasn’t on the level of the Tower of Baauer, but much of the show was focused on the music anyway. As it should be.
The transition to Boys Noize was seamless. And the vibes just kept rolling. More rap, trap, hip-hop to sate our ‘all-black-everything’ souls. The occasional dark electro found its way into the set, which garnered audible appreciation from the crowd. The energy from the DJ’s was contagious and the excitement was definitely noticed in the audience. It’s unfortunate that only LA got to experience this coming together. But the tour was cancelled for the purposes of new music. So, we can only hope RunX 2.0 comes around sooner rather than later. And with some new fire to boot.
