Saturday Bass Vibes:
It was day three already of Lost Lands 2019! It turned out to be 80 degrees again and this time it was too hot for me to work in my tent. Thankfully, one of the Lost Lands employees let me grab some shade near their kiosk, so I could finish my work. I spoke to my editor about the event and so far and I found myself selling the event from my perspective and telling her how she absolutely needs to attend this festival next year. It made me ask myself some personal questions; what was this experience turning out to be, and what were my preconceived notions I may have had or expected upon attending the festival?
Getting off on some of the purest versions of electronic sounds… most bassheads are known for their headbanging and rail hanging gyrations. They may seem scary to the non-headbanging variety raver but are also healthier because they can exert all of the angst that most of us have pent up for years in one single event. Truly a fun-loving bunch, bassheads have tastes in music that are special because they can see the beauty in the basslines and their level of appreciation is unmatched. So far, I can see myself as part of the basshead community. I went into this experience with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised by the loving and accepting community I encountered.
Coming into this, I raised a few eyebrows by saying I was attending this festival. Are bass mashups different from other mashups in the genre? From what I’ve experienced at Lost Lands, I would say that the similarities are easily recognizable in the EDM world. I think from what I’ve heard so far, that anyone who loves EDM would love this event whether they are into bass music or not. It is an immersive experience.
Saturday afternoon would be the first time that I was going to attend one of the wellness events. Offering over 40 hours of events in the Discovery Center with at least 20 classes specifically for wellness. I was excited to finally be attending one of these. I got to the Discovery Center around 1:45 P.M. and caught the last ten minutes of a wellness event called Channel your Inner TRex. A group of attendees were finding their inner power by sharing personal experiences and learning how to overcome obstacles to promote healing. Rio Whitby Haynes provided a mode for everyone to unite as a community and express their emotions with primal screaming and introspective thought. His caring and considerate meeting shed light on how much this type of activity is needed to grow and stay well from day to day. Participants went in a circle and leaned back on one another, connecting in more ways than just the physical. The response from the attendees was positive and encouraging and would provide a springboard to get them through the next two days of headbanging. Playing the song, All you need is Love by The Beatles, the group continued in their group dynamics session singing along, getting to know each other and sharing. Rio Whitney Haynes shows the participants that we are all human beings, we need each other and that there is nothing more special then to care about one another and love one another.
Next up was Kung Fu Secrets: Activate Your Animal Totem presented by Fabricio Castellano. The variety of classes to attend here was truly impressive. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this class because so far, the events at this festival had been innovative and multidimensional. Castellano led the class in a carefully orchestrated movement session. After 20-30 minutes of instruction, I was able to combine my movements so that they flowed easily and provided balance to tackle the slopes at the festival grounds. Equally challenging and fun was when I had to partner up and continue practicing my movements which often required me to jump at a moment’s notice. I know that the next time I do an event like this I’ll wear my sneakers because my sandals kept falling off. I definitely found myself connecting with my warrior spirit. As I walked away from the Discover Center, I knew I’d be heading back on Sunday morning to see the other events they had to offer. I had planned on coming back tonight at 12 A.M. to check out the Dino Dance Battle: Round 4 even though I’d already missed rounds 1-3.
Near the campground village marketplace, I noticed a booth that said Pin Pickup. I remember hearing someone say that you can come and pick up your choice of a free commemorative Lost Lands pin. I went right to the booth and picked a blue triceratops pin, and in true Matrix fashion, I was torn between the blue pin and the red pin. As I left the booth some other attendees stopped me and asked me “which pin did I get?”. I told them the blue triceratops and one of the guys responded, “They had a blue one!?” We continued to talk about how great it was to be able to choose from four different pins and choose the one you liked best. I ended up speaking to Greg who also picked the blue pin and while talking to him, I found out that he was one of the musicians who were lucky enough to attend the Producers Den. Another amazing feature offered at Lost Lands is the ability of aspiring bass artists to develop their craft during the festival. The Producers Den is a unique experience for new bass musicians at Lost Lands to meet cutting edge bass music production artists who lead workshops and teach others the craft. Greg told me he learned a lot and the Producers Den was incredible. He said there were performing artists guiding you and showing the way. I continued to walk towards the entrance to the festival with him and would have gone in right then, but I was wearing my sandals and I had to put on my sneakers which were in my tent.
After changing to my sneakers, I noticed that my right sneaker was starting to fall apart which was concerning because this was the only pair of real shoes I had with me. Can you imagine finishing Lost Lands with a defective pair of sneakers? I ran to the charging lockers to pick up my phone and my friend Conner on the Lost Lands staff luckily had duct tape which he used to tape up my sneaker. Phew! Tragedy averted.
I headed to the festival grounds and went to WW to see the Boogie T.Rio. What a fun live set by such talented musicians! I didn’t know there would be live music at this event. Being able to see Boogie T.Rio was so enjoyable with their classic style, lovely vocalists and amazingly soulful sounding groves. I was blown away with their joyful sound and I thought that they evoked exactly what this festival was about because their performance was so uplifting and spiritual. I could feel the intense good vibes they gave out and felt a sense of calm and ease as I listened to their set. I didn’t want their set to end, and the playful nature of listening to their wonderful balance of bass and reggae beats kept me smiling and I couldn’t stop thinking about their lovely sound.
Talking to the guys who camped across from me, I told them that I felt that bass music has so many possibilities production-wise to be explored. At some point, I discussed the idea of live bass music since I enjoyed the Boogie T.Rio so much and if live bass music performances could be something we see more of in the future at festivals. My friend and fellow musician Nathan pointed out the time it takes to produce a bass song and the effort required to reproduce it in a live show might be too challenging.
I felt like 1788-L rocked me to my bass core. I just loved listening to them play their far out and mesmerizing set. It sent me over the bass edge at a smooth and comfortable pace, and there was no way I was getting off this ride. I knew this was the artist I would tell anyone about if they needed to hear what a bass performance was like. They balance so many bass elements perfectly. Habstrakt followed on WW playing great bass-heavy house music and I watched the shufflers get their fill. I danced through his whole set, which was spectacular. I was thrilled that he played songs by Joyryde, my favorite artist. I wondered if Joyryde might be a good fit for this festival as he plays trap, bass house, dubstep style music similar to the Gud Vibrations guys (Slander and Nightmare) who are performing here on Sunday. Liquid Stranger’s impressive set made me want to be even more of a bass head, mainly because of his clever mashups and fancy sounds sent me sailing into the unknown. Cosmic kaleidoscope style visuals added to their shows appeal. At several points, I wanted to start popping and locking to his fanciful bass-heavy sets. These sets featured distortion and often leading to a cacophony of orchestral sounds that was pleasing and not overwhelming. He built up the mood with creativity and confidence combining old school rap beats and wobbles that Lost Land loved! He even used one of my favorite sci-fi message alarms that sounded like a flying saucer beaming us all up to a prehistoric mothership.
Hearing 12th planet for the first time I thought that this guy was amazing and on another level of bass creation. Perhaps he’s the most talented bass musician I’ve heard with this level of intensity. His performance was brilliant, his set was driving, direct, and to the point. It was pure bass and I was completely schooled. Ganja White Night’s set felt tribal and exotic, their excitement of being here and with the crowd was evident as they spoke and told us to get ready for an amazing set. Their bass sounds wooed you into a vibrating lull that was hard to get out of. Utilizing woodwind sounds that gave a haunting effect, they lifted the crowd up while keeping us grounded with dramatic reggae beats. I kept rocking to the beats in this set even after it was over.
As it neared midnight I trekked over to the Discovery Center to see Dino Dance Battle Round 4. This fun-filled event consisted of attendees doing one on one dance battles with or without costumes. I was so happy to see how much fun these guys were having, and this event was all about having a good time. I cheered on my fellow attendees and realized how much of an impact I could have by providing support to the contestants. Experiencing this with the community, I knew that this event was created to make us all closer while enjoying the role that dancing plays at this festival. A costume contest followed the dance contest that created an opportunity for attendees to express their desire to compete with their finest prehistoric couture. At 12:30 A.M., I ran over to the festival grounds to see the after-hours sound camps. I was able to catch the rest of Wenzday’s set at the Asteroid, an impressive fire shooting location that provided an intimate location for a down-home get-together. I even managed to see Al Ross at the takeover stage and Carbin at Raptor Ally. I texted my friend Mike and told him how nice it was to go to an after-hours event and not have to worry about how I’m getting home. I even had the option to lay down on the floor and sleep if I wanted to, which many attendees were already doing. On the verge of passing out, I walked to my tent ready to sleep. Thank the bass gods for the wellness events.
Join me next week as I finish my journey down the rabbit hole of bass music at Lost Lands, and ICYMI, check out Part 1 here.
