Arise 2014
The 2nd Annual Arise Music Festival:
By the time the gates were finally open, the energy began to pick up. With the people came art, laughter, color and flavor. As the camping area began to fill up it was clear that this year was much larger than last. The same beautiful location shared by thousands of new attendees. With ‘dualing stages’, two stages set up right next to each other intended to minimize musical downtime, the music continued and the crowd stayed close. The electronic stage, Souls Rising, had a stacked lineup of talented young and established acts. The energy by Souls Rising stage kept a steady group of dancing bass faces content. While the Souls Rising stage was considerably smaller than the other two main musical stages, it was the destination for many festival goers and it delivered. The stage and surrounding area was decorated ornately from the lasers beaming around the ground to the CDs hanging reflectively from the trees.
Photo taken by Molly ‘Mojo’ Buckiewicz
This year’s attendance appeared to be at least double, possibly triple, the previous year’s attendance. The festival was prepared and there was ample water, food, and portable toilets. The vender village was one of a kind with an array of smells coming from the food stands, and an array of colors coming from the vender stands. Artists are now migrating to Arise festival from all over the USA, contributing to its colorful diversity. Arise is Colorado’s best and most diverse music festival.
Once again SunRise Ranch played the role of the gracious host and one can only hope that they received the support and recognition they deserve for sharing the incredible valley to all of us who attend. With out the support of SunRise Ranch this event would not be possible in its current form. The artists also deserve a huge shoutout for making the experience what it was, and sharing ideas, thoughts, and emotions through their sound and visions. Equally the fan, the festival goer, the music lover, the ‘escape the 9-5 artist’, anyone who attended a festival, deserves a huge thank you. With out listeners how could music work? It is you who make this possible and for that all of us here at FreioMusic, Thank You!
Top 5 Moments of Unexpected Sonic Perfection at Sonic Bloom ’14
Sonic Bloom 2014-American Safari Ranch
My favorite part about music festivals is discovering new artists to incorporate into my daily repertoire of jams. While I was beyond stoked for some of my highly anticipated favorites like Opiuo, the reigning king of future funk, Kalya Scintilla’s sweaty tribal inspired bass, or Tipper’s careful dissection and rearrangement of the contents of my brain with the scratching mastery of a surgeon, these were all very predictable (and immensely enjoyed) highlights of my weekend. My most authentic musical experiences of Sonic Bloom came from the unexpected sets and unfamiliar artists that I have not had the chance to fully explore and appreciate. Whether the artists were newer cats on the scene or seasoned veterans to which I simply hadn’t yet been exposed, I came back from Bloom with an inspired and expanded understanding of some of the dopest jams to ever rattle my eardrums.
1. Mr. Bill
Okay, Mr. Bill is certainly no newcomer on the scene. Prior to Bloom I was familiar with Mr. Bill’s status as a veteran of the rich Australian glitch movement. My expectations were absolutely blown out of the water after, what was easily, my favorite set of the weekend. Late Sunday night in the middle of the dusty and heavy vibin’ coDome audience, I found myself wondering how something so unconventionally melodic can get a crowd moving so hard. Mr. Bill’s heavy bass lines, break beat switches and a cornucopia of strange tunes and tones meld together into an unpredictably perfect stew of glitch perfection.
Mr. Bill will be holding down the Souls Rising EDM stage at Arise Music Festival August 8-10th this year in Loveland, CO for what will surely be another set not to miss.
2. The Librarian
I took a leap of faith on Friday night as we left Tipper’s downtempo set in search of something to get my booty shaking a bit more. We encountered what I quickly realized to be one of the baddest bitches of bass, Andrea Graham, throwing down a super sexy low-end set that had me floating on a cloud of sweet, sweet ghetto booty bass. The Librarian’s nuanced, sexy bass stood out from the overtly raw and in your face bass that tends to dominate the scene. Her riddim inspired jams and seriously hard drops that got the crowd moving for one of the greatest booty bass grooves of the weekend.
The Librarian is also a founding organizer of Bass Coast and will be playing this August 1-4th in Merritt, British Columbia.
3. Sixis
If you know me, you know that I am a serious sucker for smooth psychedelic dubby sounds that seem more likely to be alien transmissions than creations from the human kind. When I cruised over to Sixis’s midday Friday set, I didn’t know much about his music and was just looking for a solid warm-up for the stacked schedule with the future glitch goodness of kLL sMTH, Fort Knox Five and then onto the highly anticipated psychedelic trance-inspired Aussie master Whitebear. But when I got to the dusty coDome, I was totally blown away by Sixis’s melodic, spacious and layered sounds. In an increasingly saturated psy-bass scene, Sixis stood out with his consciously more minimal, understated approach to interplanetary auditory travel. Sixis created intricate, imaginative soundscapes that resonated in my ears for the rest of the weekend.
Up next, Sixis will be playing at Stilldream Festival in Belden, California July 31st- August 4th.
4. Defunk
If you don’t know of Defunk yet, you better educate yourself! Canada native Defunk dropped one of the funkiest sets of the weekend for a serious dance party in the coDome late Saturday afternoon. Addicting hooks, glitchy breaks, and inspired retro influences drive his music in a future forward way. Collaborations with soulful female vocalists and looping guitarist Sam Klass gives Defunk’s glitchy tunes a sense of soulful authenticity.
Catch Defunk at the Valhalla Sound Circus this Thursday, July 3rd in Quebec.
5. The Malah
Live electronic artists The Malah brought their A-game to wrap up the first evening of Bloom in a most epic fashion. Intricate, precise guitar licks and organic high-energy rhythms create a driven sound that got the coDome moving and grooving along properly. I thought their jam-inspired approach was a refreshing addition to Bloom’s bass heavy lineup, and by the infectious buzz from the crowd on Thursday night I’m certain they all agreed.
The Malah doesn’t have any immediate shows coming up but the Denver-local band is surely not one to miss when they come through your town.
Sonic Bloom 2014
The Unified Field
The 9th annual Sonic Bloom music festival took place over the weekend of July 19-22nd in the airy high desert of South Park, Colorado. The site, fully encompassed by the Rocky Mountains, created a beautiful backdrop of breathtaking sunrises and sunsets that lit up the numerous stages.
As usual, Bloom offered a plethora of experiences for every attendee. Music was continuously playing at various stages with the highest quality of sound. Workshops covering hooping, massage, dance, yoga, and many others were available and well attended. Outstanding visuals met the eye everywhere you looked, ready to be soaked in and admired, whether it be a performance, installation, or projection.
The weekend had much to offer, but you would have to have been a super human to experience it all!
Here are some highlights from throughout the weekend.
1. TWO nights of Tipper!! (not enough)
2. The Three Stages
–The Bloom Stage with the Funktion-One sound system and the massive LED screen backdrop.
–The Hummingbird Stage with the spinning woodcut mandala and unique handcrafted details.
–The CO Dome with its intimate feel and psychedelic projections by Illuminated Dimensions.
3.Surprise sunrise set by Kalya Scintilla and Kaminanda with an epic pink sunrise.
4. OPIOU.
5. Whitebear making everything so dark and weird at only 7PM, when the sun was still shining.
6. Kaminanda playing guitar live for the first and only time in Colorado, then busting out a cover of Grateful Dead-Shakedown Street.
7. The captivating “flower-dance-presentations” by Anthony Ward all weekend.
8. The Gong Experience that vibrates into your soul.
9. Quixotic’s unbelievably talented performers.
10. Looking around and realizing you love everyone and everything you are surrounded by!
SONIC BLOOM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014
Counting down the days until Colorado’s best summer festival, Sonic Bloom 2014
Sixty five days and counting down to the best festival in Colorado this summer! The lineup is stacked and another headliner is yet to be announced! The venue is new this year, taking place at the spacious American Safari Ranch in South Park, CO. The early bloomer and tier one tickers have quickly sold out and tier two is now on sale for $195. Get ’em quick before these too sell out and the price rises yet again! Included in your festival ticket is camping and if you feel like spending a bit more, you can purchase car camping or lodging available on site. Check out the lineup (below) and get your tickets, this is truly a festival you do NOT want to miss!
Get tickets and more information here!
If you do not know the line up well, its ok we’ve got you. Listen to our sneak peak playlist on SoundCloud: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/29961486″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
SnowBallin’ 2014
Interested in hearing about what is becoming one of the freshest and most unique festivals in the music industry taking place in the spring snow out in beautiful Colorado?
SnowBall, taking place April 4th-6th in Denver, CO, is definitely a music festival that is truly something different. The festival is being held at an exciting new venue this year, Sports Authority Field in Mile High Stadium. The new venue will provide a wide open space for attendees to interact, explore, dance, and of course, get weird. The SnowBall Stage, which is the main stage, will be outdoors and may provide the opportunity for attendees to put their dance moves on display on a snow covered dance floor. So if you plan on attending, please be safe and be prepared for the cold. The SnowBall Stage will also have a Big Air area beside it where extreme athletes will be performing tricks to tantalize your eyes while your ears are being entertained by bumping beats. Some of the most well known artists will grace the SnowBall stage with their presence. On Friday, be sure to catch the melodies of Jimkata, the funky beats of The Floozies, and then let Knife Party shake you with some heavy bass to close out the first night. On Saturday, the highlights include local 3-piece electronic hydro-funk sensations SunSquabi, funky fresh four piece livetronic group STRFKR, and the one and only Derek Vincent Smith, better known as Pretty Lights, playing his soulful tunes right where his original roots began. Then on Sunday, Chali2Na from Jurassic 5 brings some fresh hip-hop to the stage along with House of Vibe, Busta Rhymes brings an original rap set that you could only get from Busta himself, all before Griz closes out the festival with a funk filled set of jazzy electronic beats that will have you grooving with all of the energy that’s left in the tank.
The other three stages are all in heated tents around the stadium and will each provide their own distinct atmospheres once you are inside. The Groove Tent will feature a variety of music throughout the weekend with the highlights being the grimy electronic beats of Mimosa, the all original tunes of Wave Racer, some funky fresh trap from Lunice, a high energy electro house combined with drumstep set from Kill The Noise, and PLM Party, the not to miss set of the weekend featuring Pretty Lights, Michal Menert, Paul Basic, Supervision, Eliot Lipp, and many more artists from the Pretty Lights Music record label. I personally cannot wait to see what all of these amazing producers co-create up on stage together; the possibilities are endless.
The Ballroom Stage will feature artists who make their craft through either their skills on an instrument or through the sounds of their voice. This stage will provide very different sounds than the others so be sure to make it over there if you are into artists who have their own specific individual sound. Eminence Ensemble will trance you into their one of a kind flow as they rift it on their instruments. Afroman will bring you back in time with his old school style and with jams like “Palmdale”, “When I Got High”, and other 90’s classics. Or be entertained with original electronic acts like Flash/Lights, Trippy Turtle, Twin Shadow, Chrome Sparks, or Rufus Du Sol. No matter who you catch at the Ballroom Stage, you will be sure to be entertained.
The Heat Hut will be where you want to go if you are looking to get down and dirty to some electro house and deep house. This tent will be bumping the beats that will keep your feet moving all weekend long. The highlighting artists whom are playing at the Heat Hut are: Bixel Boys, Option4 and JustinJay on Friday; Graff, J.Phlip, and MK on Saturday; and then Need & Necessity, Maxxi Soundsytem, and Andhim to close out the stage on Sunday. So be sure to groove in the Heat Hut if you’re wanting some non-stop electro house beats.
SnowBall will also feature live ice sculptures by trained artists, free water refill stations, a Vendor Village filled with tons of goodies from artisans, a Merchandise Booth to pick up SnowBall gear, food options from local restaurants to food trucks, drink options from sodas and juices to beers and cocktails, and also late night after parties to keep you going and entertained throughout the weekend. Check out the full lineup breakdown and daily schedules. Get your SnowBall tickets now because prices will go up! Advance 3-day GA and VIP tickets are still available for SnowBall here ; advance single day SnowBall tickets here.
Tantalize your ears with a taste of the music to come this year at SnowBall…
FreioMusic SnowBall 2014 Soundcloud Mix
Article and soundcloud mix created by:
David ‘Dino’ Durkin
Ringing in the New Year with SNoWGLoBE 2013
Freio Music had an amazing time attending and documenting our first ever SnowGlobe, set in the beautiful Lake Tahoe, California. Unfamiliar with this festival? Check out some of the music below:
Oh yeah, folks, that is Lake Tahoe- if the music wasn’t enough, just check out that view!
Meet our photographer, Jeff Patriarca (plus two fine ladies and a ballin’ photobomber in the background).
With artists like Snoop Dog, The Polish Ambassador, Zion I, and Dillon Francis, there was sure to be a set of music to jam into the New Year for everyone.
So, you going next year?!
Stay tuned for the story of SNOWGLOBE13
right here on FREIO MUSIC!
Sonic Bloom Artist Interviews
I was lucky enough to be able to attend the beautiful and amazing festival that was Sonic Bloom this year. The whole event was a success even with a few hiccups along the way. Before I attended the event, I got to make a couple phone interviews with artists Govinda, Gaudi, David Starfire, and Michael Garfield.
Govinda specializes in electronic music incorporated with live viola:
Govinda Interview with FreioMusic ©2013
Gaudi has been making music for 33 years and never lets anything hold him back:
Gaudi Interview with FreioMusic ©2013
David Starfire hones in on his craft on making tribal beats:
David Starfire Interview with FreioMusic ©2013
Michael Garfield is an experimental musician and Sonic Bloom live art director:
Michael Garfield Interview with FreioMusic ©2013
I would like to personally thank each and every one of these artists for taking their time to have these discussions with me on behalf of FreioMusic. Thank you
Wanderlust Wednesday Presents ROCKTIN GROVE
Boulder based and CU buffed band, Rocktin Grove, is jamming its way through the Colorado music scene. With an original sound that seamlessly blends together a wide variety of genres, Rocktin Grove has a little get-down for everyone. From funked out bluegrass twang to hot latin soul, their sound is something uniquely robust and not to be missed. The seven member group, with two years of jam-tastic rocking under their belts, has incredible ‘get-yo-feet-movin” potential to break from their Front Range Colorado stage to a national one. Fans of the band describe the sound as “funky bluegrass awesomeness” and as an interpretation of music they have all always loved transformed into something new and original. The band says, “Calling Boulder, Colorado our home, the mountains, beautiful blue sky, and deep powder keep us loving life and loving music.” Amen.
Meet the boys:
Jon Kimbell- Mandolin/Vocals
Will Viitanen- Percussion
Wilson Harwood- Electric Guitar/Banjo/Vocals/Tres – with “get the cougars goin'” and “gangsta banjo” talent
Adrian Flynt- Bass/Vocals
Nate Luebbe- Mandolin/Violin/Vocals
Garrett Cropsey- Alto Saxophone/Vocals
Theo Farver- Acoustic Guitar/Harmonica/Percussion/Vocals/Trumpet
Looking for latin groovin’? Check out Ice Cream Cha Cha
My personal favorite: Crowfoot Funk…it will get you going! Hot damn!
Wanting more? Check out their site:
ROCKTIN GROVE .com
and their SOUNDCLOUD
AND their FACEBOOK !
Dennis ‘Dammor’ Morrien
Dennis Morrien = Dammor
Freio Music is proud to present an artist from Europe today Dennis ‘Dammor’ Morrien. Dammor is from Amsterdam, Netherlands staying fresh on new sounds and forever exploring into the depths of music. He can produce reggae/ dub like a rasta, space jams, drum & bass, and just about everything in-between. “Positive Vibes___Harmonic State of Mind & Soul” – reads Dammor’s sound cloud profile.
This track was published only 3 Days ago! This artist, when inspired can spit out meaningful songs like clockwork. Listen to this song, a Tribute to Yanomami Indians by Dennis ‘Dammor’ Morrien
U heard it first HEAR @freioMusic
Listen how free flowing these tracks are! I particularly enjoy Baby Inna Dub/ v2. I like the baby laugh sigh echo… makes me giggle, have a listen!
Be sure to show your support by following Dammor on soundcloud
More Info & Links:
http://soundcloud.com/dammor
To learn more about Dennis’ inspiration behind this song, check out this link, also posted by Dammor in the comments of his song on soundcloud.
http://soundcloud.com/dammor/tribute-to-yanomami-indians
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