Kill Paris
By Blake Morneau
Last year was my first trip to Shambhala, the legendary EDM party that takes place every summer on a forest-and-mountain-locked farm in beautiful Salmo, British Columbia, Canada. I went in totally blind last year and managed to throw myself into the experience with reckless abandon, but I can’t help think a larger base of musical knowledge would have helped me out. With EDM being so fragmented and gigantic, the sonic side of the festival was a bit overwhelming. This year I’m armed with a better base and I’m here to pass on to anyone who’s attending Shambhala the things I’m most looking forward to catching. Find me dancing at any of these sets with my neon green CamelBak and win your choice of a high five or hug!
GRiZ
The unexpected surprise last year during my first Shambhala, GRiZ is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Taking a page from his friend and GRiZmatik partner, Gramatik, this guy has taken to releasing all of his top-notch music for free to anyone who may be interested. Dubbed “electro-soul,” GRiZ rocks crowds with a unique brand of ultra-funky beats, twisting dubstep noises and his ubiquitous saxophone (that he wails on). His most recent full-length album, Rebel Era, has solidified the man’s place in the hearts of weed-smoking, groove-loving EDM fans, expanding his fan-base and setting up festival appearances all around North America. GRiZ might be singlehandedly responsible for opening up the world of EDM to me. After laying waste to the Village Stage at last year’s Shambhala, his presence this year (with two sets!) will undoubtedly ensure an unholy amount of ass-shaking good times, even by Shambhala’s lofty ass-shaking standards. The horns at the beginning of “Gettin’ Live” at the end of GRiZ’s set last year was one of the most fist-pumping, glorious musical moments I can remember having in a long while.
Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz
Mushroom Jazz tapes have been circling for years; bootlegged, copied and traded. Mushroom Jazz was started as a weekly show by Chicago native Mark Farina and collaborator Patty Ryan-Smith in San Fransisco in 1992. The music being created was in stark contrast to much of the darker sounds that were in the city at the time. The cassette releases became the stuff of legend, highly sought after by collectors and dance lovers. The wholly unique sound was built on a foundation of down-tempo acid jazz and world beat with all kinds of heavy, old-school hip-hop influences. Farina is rocking a sunset set of his greatest creation on Shambhala’s Salmo River for what’s sure to be one of the most relaxing yet groovy times anyone is going to have on the Shambhala farm this year.
Kill Paris
If anyone can get dirtier bass tones while retaining heavy amounts of funkiness, I have yet to hear them drop tunes. Kill Paris is coming straight out of Boulder, Colorado, bringing his own take on the future funk phenomenon that he has dubbed “Pantydropstep” or “Pantysoakstep.” Judging from the female responses I’ve witnessed at a Kill Paris show, it would seem both labels are equally apt. That’s not to say the man’s heavy funk is only for the ladies. Far from it; Kill Paris is just as at home with aggressive drive as he is with long, silky bass notes. The word I’ve heard my EDM-loving friends use constantly in reference to stuff like this is “disgusting.” So, yeah, Kill Paris and his bass sounds are completely and utterly disgusting.
Eligh & AMP Live
Members of two classic west coast hip-hop acts; one, Eligh, of Living Legends fame, and the other, AMP Live, the DJ for the ever-ferocious Zion-I. Both known for being genre-pushing and forward-thinking in their respective hip-hop art forms, the duo’s Therapy at 3 was a blast of fresh beats from AMP and signature outside-the-box lyricism from Eligh. From tackling relationships with honesty and humour (“Scalding hot lava on the soles of your feet/Nothing changes for you but the name of the street/Stop running… what you running from?/Forest Gump, Forrest Gump, fuck you, Forrest Gump” from “Stop Running”) to rapping about the desire to add to his growing tattoo collection (“Transfer my inner pain to my outer frame/I think I want a tattoo today”), Eligh’s range is great and astonishingly matched the variety of beats that AMP Live can lay down for those lyrics. In a festival laden with underground talent, this might be the biggest “can’t miss” hip-hop of the weekend.
Featurecast
One of the great breakbeat DJs in all of the land, there are few folks better suited to get a Shambhala crowd dancing than Lee Mintram, better known as the mighty Featurecast. Beneath his unassumingly boyish visage (I contend that he may in fact be two 10-year-olds stacked on top of each other) lies the powerful heart of a savage party rocker. Inspired by early British big-beat acts like the Prodigy, Featurecast knows no genre boundaries, infusing his breaks with drum ‘n’ bass, soul, funk and whatever else you can dig up. If it’s good music, then Featurecast is probably into it. His set on Shambhala’s Fractal Forest stage in 2012 (his last appearance on the farm) remains a highlight discussed amongst attendees and the man himself. Alas, I was not there to witness the glory that is spoke of, but I’m fairly confident I’ll be getting my own memories of aural obliteration this year.
Shambhala Music Festival takes place August 8-11, 2014 in Salmo, BC.
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