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!
Gipsy Moon
Gipsy Moon created a dance party at Agave this last weekend, 01/16/2014 at Agave, see why?
This first video stars the mandolin player, Silas Herman, who wrote and leads the song with powerful and evolving melodies. Nothing better than a joyous jams.
You heard Gipsy Moon first hear @FreioMusic
For more info please visit their website: http://www.gipsymoon.net/
We Like Monsters
We Like Monsters: Denver, Colorado.
I was lucky to have the opportunity to see We Like Monsters live at Moe’s BBQ in Denver during the Underground Music Showcase, a festival. These fellas are an indie band with a real unique sound & feel. The lead singer, Tim, is a standout band orchestrator with a a drum stick sticking out of his back pocket as he sings. Previously, Tim was in a band called GreenField where he sang, said Adam, the former bassist in greenfield. When he is not singing, he either plays the keyboard or triggers samples and sounds with his midi pad, as the rest of the band takes center stage. The other band members pick up the slack with their superb musicality and feel. The bassist, has a rocker’s stance, and beanie to match it. The lead keyboardist has a double stack, or two keyboards on top of each other, each with their own customized synth sounds to enable versatile timbres for melodies. If you like the music, don’t miss an opportunity to see We Like Monsters in a personable venue (before they become well known)! Have a listen and be sure to listen to the music video: “Le Tigre” (see below)
More Info:
https://soundcloud.com/welikemonsters
For All Booking Inquiries: Please email shauna@welikemonsters.com
Wanderlust Wednesday- Marv is the Man
Deliberate poetics, smooth flowing kinetics, free of the synthetic. Let me introduce you to: Marv Ellis.
Hip-hop has deep roots connected to the human struggle. The young men and women backing this movement speak their peace as lyrically minded poets that represent the truth, the fight, the message of the common man. Marv Ellis is no different. He beautifully articulates a positive energy fed by his Northwest surround. I caught his last show on a rainy Saturday night at the magical Prindel Creek Farm near Newport, Oregon. The vibe that he embeds into the audience is something like an optimistic get-down, a funk-fed soul filler. Sharing his talent with artists including Michael Franti, Nas, Bone, KRS-One, Blackalicious, Living Legends, and Ozomatli, Marv has set the stage for greatness. If you’re looking for lyrics and beats that deliver something beautiful and real, Marv is the man.
Human Nature – Tribal Spectrum
Tribal Spectrum
*Sam (left) Greg (right) {See Picture Above}
“How do you describe your sound? It is the hardest thing in the world to do.” – Sam “I don’t want to follow other’s sound, and create that kind of music” Sam said [referring to the main-stage aka house music] “as long as we do something other people are not”. They are staying true to their name and embracing cultures left and right. Greg shapes the sound with his tight rhythm on the drums and his ‘bangers’ for the nightlife sub-loving ladies from the bay area while Sam stretches their comfort zone into foreign lands such as India, Ireland, and Nepal to name a few.
Listen to how Greg rips up the acoustic drums during their live digital set. The last 5 minutes exemplify Greg’s superb drumming. Tribal Spectrum (live 6.12.2012) *Download –> Right Click & Save As
To check out a short video from the tribal show, click the links below:
Tribal Spectrum 6.29.12 ©FreioMusic, Tribal Fire Dancer 6.29.12
Human Nature – LineUp & Ekim
Explore thy Environment
The Nature Stage –
See above photo
A mystery set in the woods at nature stage, by Ekim. With the backdrop of an incredible Oregonian rainforest scene (see above Picture). Ekim could throw it down to amuse and confuse the crowd simultaneously. Ekim also knew how to change it up, and he would do so at will, not according to the set list but by what people were getting down to. With heavy wobbles and Super-Sound speakers taller than the average taller person. The variety of sound was great and the noise selection was very thought-out and carefully placed in space.
His style was new to me but I almost instantly became a fan and had to dance. Please contact us on facebook or twitter or e-mail us if you can help us find Ekim’s Music, e-mail, or profile Anywhere, can someone help us!? Ekim from Human Nature, hello? Where are you on the internet, come find us!
Line Up:
Prindel Creek Stage (Live)
Line Up:
Reactor Stage (main)
Line Up:
We posted some recordings from the concert throughout the event. Stay Tuned~ next (Tribal Spectrum)
WANDERLUST WEDNESDAY- Introducing Fox and Woman…
One of the favorite local venues of Eugene, Oregon, Sam Bond’s Garage, was already set in my mind as the place to get down last Friday night. The now Portland-based Water Tower Bucket Boys made their way down I-5 to shake up the town, but there was a little something extra thrown into the bluegrass party. The opener of the night, Fox and Woman, filled the room with a smooth and sultry sound of impeccably blended harmonies. The provoking band name came from a song written by vocalist, Jess Silva, while washing dishes in a San Francisco cafe. She noted the back room provided the, “prime time to space out and write music.” Jess and violinist, keyboardist, vocalist, and co-worker, Emily Haltom, found a creative energy together playing outside bars on the streets of San Fran. After some pretty wild band names and varying members, Emily and Jess added Leo Suarez(cello), Will Boast(drums), and Andrew Paul Nelson (mandolin, guitar ukulele) finally solidifying the band that is known as Fox and Woman. Their music harbors a full bodied melding of rich instrumentation and vocals that soothes the listener into the depths of something that is beautifully captivating. Emily describes their sound as, “electro-alternative folk”. With the use of peddles for the electric guitar atop acoustic rhythms, their sound is only beginning to transcend genres beyond their indie-folk roots. From playing outside of bars in San Francisco to inside them in Eugene and throughout the Northwest, this band is definitely going great places. Their individual raw talent fuses gracefully together as one unbelievable band. Their live show is not to be missed.
Want to know more?
Check out their pages!
FUN FACT
Drummer, Will Boast, won the 2011 Iowa Short Fiction Award for his compilation of short stories titled Power Ballads.
check out more HERE!
Tribal Spectrum & Sara Z @ the Maize 4.21.12
Tribal Spectrum from Eugne, Oregon
With the headliner R/D, Tribal Sepctrum, and Sara Z rocked the stage, lit and hosted by Renaissance Raven at the Maize Lounge
U heard it first HEAR @freioMusic
Tribal Spectrum – Omni Culture Preview (live cut)
Tribal Spectrum – Omni Culture *Preview Live Cut (AAC)
Sara Dawson Zagarino from Eugne, Oregon
She has a unique blend of vocal harmonies, DJ mixing, house bumpin beats. A very clever all in one package, have a listen:
U heard it first HEAR @freioMusic
To learn more about Sara Z:
To Learn More about Tribal Spectrum:
Visit: Tribal Spectrum.com or to download free music: music.tribalspectrum.com
Or check out more music by Tribal Spectrum on FreioMusic