[LOS ANGELES, CA] On Thursday, November 10, 2011 from 9pm-2am you can catch a fanastic gig at The King King (6555 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028) with experimental wizard Welder (side project of ESKMO), bass-god and up and comer Sugarpill, Saqi, and live art on-sight by Michael Pukac. We saw ESKMO perform first at Lightning in a Bottle (watch the video documentary here, it depicts the setting so perfectly!)earlier this year and fell in love with his organic-electronic sound. We’ve listened to his new album via his side-project called Welder (ALBUM OUT NOW), which you can stream for free before the show here. Trust us on this one. Go. Sugarpill has been performing all-over the Do Lab showcases throughout California since 2010, and isn’t turning back. From The Do Lab: “Sugarpill is a master of both the creation and delivery of polytemponic glitch bass. Sugarpill seamlessly merges his techy and immaculate production skills without ever losing the inherent sexiness of the beats, and his multidimensional musical approach unites EDM fans across a vast spectrum of genres and tempos. His original tracks combined with explosive live DJ sets confirm for the producer a powerful spot at the forefront of West Coast future sound.” Evan is a mad-man and a good lively performer. Lastly, Saqi. Saqi is new to us, but he sounds like he’d be right up our alley. From The Do Lab: “The Bay area-based artist saQi is a classically trained composer, producer and trumpet player. Drawing his name from the Sufi title for a mystic muse, saQi creates eclectic electronica that maintains a balance between organic and synthesized sound. His live sets rock the dance floor while maintaining a grace and musical depth to engage the listener. The music is never limited by genre, tempo or any other stylistic elements. Allegiance to the creative flow and its truest expression thereof is saQi’s manifesto.” You can grab tickets right here.
Festival life is an indescribable experience. The sense of belonging and natural connection to others is unmatched, and should be duplicated in other settings. Why wouldn’t we? If you’ve been to a festival that changed your life, your outlook on music, or your relationships with others, watch this…and if you haven’t, get yourself out to one of the many festivals this summer and experience it for yourself!
I had a chance to meet Emancipator, the guy narrating the first minute of this teaser, who also performed at Lightning in a Bottle this year. I ran into him at an after party at the Dr. Bronners cleaning station. He was standing alone doing a casual two step, and he was such a nice dude. Just thought I’d share that…If you didn’t get a chance to read/view/hear the best of Lightning in a Bottle, check out the review of the festival from a few months back: Lightning in a Bottle 2011 Review! Keep updated with this film project, and GetGroundedTV. One love errbody.
Full film coming this summer!
Music :Sliding Down Rainbow’s by Gumar and his Magical
Midi Band… remixed by The Great Mundane
In collaboration with:
http://beyondbe.tv (Dani Bee)
http://Iamalaser.com (Wesley W Parrish)
http://canphoto.se (Daniel Zetterstrom)
I’m having trouble with where to begin, so I fear I might find myself showcasing the sights and sounds of Lightning in a Bottle more so than trying to describe it to you. It was an extremely sensual experience. Filled with people from all over the West Coast and beyond, the festival made for a rather eclectic gathering to say the least. Giant clowns, aliens, natural mystics, gypsy kings, space pirates, jungle cats, hippie dwellers, indian chiefs, princesses from mars, and even a man with squiggly arms swarmed the festival grounds. There were moms and dads, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters – it also became a family affair. I oddly even got asked by a woman if I had seen her 4 boys. I replied “no”, to which she said “well, someone’s got ‘em!” When you needed a rest, the Temple of Consciousness served as a relaxation paradise for the mind, body, and soul, all sandwiched between 8-12 hours a day of booty shaking mayhem. Intricate artwork, an unreal amount of tattoos (maybe more than Coachella?), and colorful face and body paint was of course the norm. All in all, Lightning in a Bottle was my favorite concert/festival I’ve been to so far. It had so much to offer, whatever your interests were. I had an unforgettable time living like a refugee, meeting amazing people, and rocking out as hard as my body would allow. It was beautifully and blissfully chaotic in its own right. I hope I painted a decent picture for you. Now on to the music.
Friday Highlights:
Emancipator – Played with a live violinist, and you have a good chance of instantly becoming a favorite of mine. “Emancipator’s debut album ‘Soon It Will Be Cold Enough’ beautifully mixes hip hop beats with guitar feedback and a delicate piano melody,” Rolling Stone says. “You can feel his energy when he performs. His face lights up and you can see how much he enjoys the music.”
Stephan Jacobs - Stephan Jacobs is one of the most exciting multi-genre producers in southern California today. Drawing from a powerful collection of original material and heavyweight remixes, this passionate young producer slings out stimulating sets of uptempo dubstep, twisted glitch hop and straight-up West Coast crunk. Listen: The Glitch Mob – Drive It Like You Stole It (Stephan Jacobs Remix)
Claud VonStroke – I stopped by The Woogie catching Claude briefly as I was sprinting from the Bamboo stage back to my campsite to change into some warmer clothes, and it was going OFF. Barclay is a producer from the Detriot, now living in San Francisco running Dirtybird Records and has headlined almost every major club, festival and basement after-party in the world.
PANTyRAiD – The product of two music producers (Marty Party and Ooah) that met on the West Coast of the United States and share the same appreciation for well produced electronic dance music. Shits crazy good. PANTyRAiD – Get The Money
MiMOSA – Only, a 23 year old from LA, MiMOSA brought high energy. And melted everyones soul. As a majestic ”M” covered the entirety of the separated LED screens, a raging crowd got down n duty to tunes like this one. MiMOSA – 58 Degrees
Saturday Highlights:
Heyoka – Glitch hop, drum n bass and other world beat elements make Heyokas music extremely well layered and spacey. One of the best songs I heard was his remix of Comache, which I still love to this day. Heyoka – Cameche Remix
LowRIDERz – This duo is comprised of DJ Laura and AN-TEN-NAE. They opened with their dub rendition of “Ice Cream Paint Job”, with pin up girls dancing with pints of gooey cream in both hands. Their set provided the tunes for the second funkiest dance party I was involved in.
Beats Antique – Combines the sounds of the Middle East and orchestral gypsy music with the styles of hip-hop, brass band, downtempo, glitch and dubstep in a new collage of music that is mixed and broken down with clever breakbeats for an adept international flair.
Lynx – Badass chick/multi-instrumentalist who can beatbox. A skill she developed while being grounded most of her childhood. She also just came out with a new album.
Baths – Originally Will Wiesenfeld, Baths has been tearing down barriers with his smooth melodic style. Baths uses lush melodies, ghostly choirs, playful instrumentation and stuttering beats to create a unique sound.
Paper Diamond – Kicks ass shit. Hard hitting bass, rich tones, and intricate synths will make you rumble if and when you see him perform live. It’s a combination of hip-hop/groove/electronic that makes him one of the premier producers in the Denver scene right now. Paper Diamond – All Green Lights Now, download his free 8-track EP from Pretty Lights Music.
*The lectures made for a complete holistic experience for festival goers. Here’s a video made by Matthew F. Smith of Kitchensync.tv which I think well captures the weekend environment. Enjoy!
*All (old) photos were taken from the Lightning in a Bottle Flickr group, all the photographers did an amazing job. Thank You! (photos were removed)
From the loosely formed group of brothers and friends officially referred to as The Do LaB, emerges the return of the festival that the underground LA scenesters know too well as Lightning in a Bottle. Utilizing the natural beauty of SoCal forestry and mountain scenery, this small group of friends began in 2000 bringing a spectacle fed by generators, retro lighting, and old-skool vinyl, coupled with a sense of plur. Now, 10 years later the Do LaB is doing it again with more vitality than ever before. Set in the 100 acre blissful hills and lush forest of Oak Canyon Ranch located in Irvine, California, LIB9 is sure to bring tranquility and good times.
Experience musical performances from artists such as The Album Leaf, Apparat, Glitch Mob, EOTO, Nosaj Thing, Adam Freeland, Emancipator, and many more! Plus, what would a festival be without a bounty of art, yoga, dance performances, organic food markets, and people that simply want to get (sound)tribal!
