damian lazarus at crssd fest spring 2016 tracklist

It’s strangely admirable to see just how rinse-hardened and overtly positive this diet of dusty Funktion beats, tempeh-based meals and morning yoga can make people. While the inaugural Dirtybird Campout, CRSSD fest and Desert Hearts are all still to come this year, Symbiosis sort of marks the end of a long, rudderless festival season that forgets exactly where it started. And that translates to a significantly safer, more enriching experience. At Symbiosis, you bring your own food and booze in (as long as you clean it all up), and you’re free to do what you want if you do it like an adult. As the EDM generation matures, they’re getting a little weary of being treated like consumers by corporate sponsors, and like children by the oppressive security and police presence at major festivals. Spoilt with choices across the West Coast, they can attend festivals that truly cater to their tastes for a fraction of the cost of a monolithic rave. Splash House, FORM Arcosanti and Other Boutique Festivals Prove Bigger Isn’t Always Better While executed tastefully, it was akin to a provincial EDM festival main stage, and its aluminum rigging and spotlights didn’t quite fit with the general production theme of the festival. The Grotto was a skewed temple with LiB-style wing structures at the back and trees surrounding it, but the Big Island certainly stood out as an alien structure. Aside from Big Island (the “main stage” of sorts) the stages all had a dreamed-in-the-trip, built-in-the-shed look to them, with Juke Town, a little cul-de-sac of house fronts you can climb all over, being one of our favorites. The stage production was another of the festival’s highlights.

Mix Mondays’ Burning Man Edition: Listen to Lee Burridge, Bob Moses, Tycho & More The Crosstown Rebels boss’ evolution into a world music purveyor and general poncho’d desert vibesmith has been cemented in recent years with big performances on Burning Man’s Robot Heart bus, and he channeled that sound superbly at Symbiosis. Max Cooper was working the spatial, romantic techno that he’s become known for, while Minus producer Gaiser, Mumdance and Desert Hearts were the big draws on Thursday.ĭamian Lazarus, who was scheduled to perform with his world house group The Ancient Moons, sadly flew solo on the Sunday, but did dish out one of the best sets of the weekend at The Spring stage. Four Tet closed Friday at the Grotto stage with an eclectic warp through his extensive library, though he always reverted back to a steady house/techno groove. The lineup was strong and extremely diverse, lumping lots of mismatched sounds together to keep you exploring. But once we had chosen our star sign-labeled campground (“Uhhh, I think we’re on the corner of Libra and Sagittarius, bout halfway up Jupiter street…”) and started to walk around the grounds, we were immediately wired on the event’s carefree positivity.Įxclusive Premiere: Max Cooper’s ‘Origins’ (David August Remix) The excitement and zeal to pitch your tent and get your hippie on can often grate against the lackadaisical pace of the staff, and at a first glance, the campsite organization can start to give you a migraine that even the deepest huff of burning sage couldn’t calm. Logistically these alternative festivals can often be a headache. This year was noted by some as particularly challenging, so many Burners used the more forgiving Symbiosis as their decompression, and the vibes of the event unquestionably benefited from the mindset. These more low-key parties are becoming a haven for people that look at the dust storms, the heat, and the price tag of The Burn and wonder if it’s really for them. A couple of years ago, San Diego’s Desert Hearts (who took over the Juke Town stage on Thursday) threw their first festival for about 300 people on a native reservation, and this has since grown into a subcultural phenomenon in Southern California, adopting the holistic elements of this festival culture but aligning the focus on a single stage of house and techno for 72 hours straight. LA-based promoters The Do LaB, responsible for Lightning in a Bottle, Woogie Weekend and much of Coachella’s alternative vibe, have long been catering their events to a similar crowd, as has British Columbia’s Shambhala, Sunset Campout and Lucidity. Desert Hearts Announce City Hearts: Summer of Love Tour: Exclusive

Damian lazarus at crssd fest spring 2016 tracklist