Chali 2na
If you don’t live on Vancouver Island, you probably can’t find Cumberland on a map. Well, there’s a good chance you might not be able to even if you do live there. But Vancouver Island’s Cumberland, BC has quietly been a surprising hotbed for stellar music for years now. Some of my dearest musical memories have happened in the quiet, friendly little town, hiding away in the Comox Valley. The slow, lazy vibe the town gives off hides a massive craving for sweaty, raucous good times and I couldn’t be more stoked to do my part in shattering the town’s idyllic quiet as I dance my face off for a few days at the first Atmosphere Gathering festival on August 15-17, 2014. In a lineup laced with talent, these are a few of the reasons I’m excited to make my ass-shaking return to Cumberland.
A Tribe Called Red
Some music demands to be experienced. A Tribe Called Red makes music that falls into that category. It’s important and immediate music; full of intelligence, rage and passion. It’s music with a purpose. Well, actually two purposes. They are undoubtedly a politically-charged group, rising above a culture that assimilated and relegated their own culture, but all that would go unnoticed if it wasn’t for the relentless electronic assault the three DJs unleash upon their audience. Once those tribal drums get going fully by the end of their sets, they have cultivated an army of dancing soldiers. I saw these guys at back-to-back shows in Victoria/Vancouver earlier this year and didn’t experience a single moment of boredom. That’s a mighty accomplishment.
Erica Dee
Need a singer? Need an MC? Need someone to spin some beats? Need a wholly engaging stage presence? Erica Dee has you covered on all fronts. A staple of underground west coast hip-hop, I was introduced to Dee last summer and got into her sounds pretty quickly. It’s kind of hard for a hip-hop-head to not dig her; she has a massive knowledge of and ability to hit on so many points of hip-hop culture and has massive cred, working with west-coast luminaries like Lyrics Born, DJ Nu-Mark and Pigeon John. It all seems kind of strange coming from the hippie utopia that is Nelson, BC, but Erica Dee is some serious shit, I assure you. I don’t care who you are, listen to this song and have some part of you not fall in love. You can’t do it.
The Gaff
I’m going to be honest here, I didn’t know anything about the Gaff until a couple of weeks ago. Or I thought I didn’t. When I found my way to his SoundCloud the first thing I saw was simply the line, “Do it with soul.” Being a fan of funk, which is so closely related to soul, this intrigued me. I immediately began scrolling through and quickly came to realize that he was one of the architects of the “Soul Sisters Stand Up!” (along with one of my Shambhala-must sees, Skratch Bastid). How could I have not put these things together?! I must be slipping in my old age. Anyways, my personal horrors aside, the Gaff is crafting some damned groovy beats rooted in classic soul, R&B, etc. Fuck, I’m just going to be honest about this… he makes groovy beats rooted in the best black music. There, I said it. It’s out in the open. I feel better having admitted my slight musical racism. No matter what happens musically at Atmosphere, I’m sure the Gaff’s set is going to be a solid base of my own musical foundations.
The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer
We all have our little prejudices; little judgments we make based on biases we’ve developed over years or maybe based on real-life experience. Having those judgments roundly blasted apart is, for me, usually a very pleasant surprise, and the Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer definitely provided me with one of those smiles-across-my-face-because-I-was-wrong moments. Upon first listen the duo sounds like they’re from somewhere deep in the Appalachian mountains, recreating Southern blues through some kind of jangly hillbilly filter. But, no! The duo, partially named after a line in Kris Kristofferson’s “Me & Bobby McGee,” is actually from rainy ol’ Vancouver. These guys play serious blues and promise to stand out amongst the hip-hop/EDM leaning lineup making up most of the weekend in Cumberland.
Chali 2na
As a founding member of two seminal west-coast groups (Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli), Chali 2na has cred for days. But it’s his solo work that deserves more credit than it gets. The Verbal Herman Munster is at the top of his game when he’s pushing himself and not restricted by the needs and worries of others. I’ve seen 2na and his band, the House of Vibe, rock crowds of all sizes, ages and levels of intoxication and have never once seen anything but a supremely engaging and talented group of cats bringing some of the funkiest hip-hop you’re ever going to see. Fresh off his world-spanning reunion tour with his Jurassic 5 compatriots, Chali 2na should be in peak performance shape and excited to be back with his band. I can pretty much guarantee that a headlining spot for this man and his band is going to be something truly special.
Atmosphere Gathering takes place August 15-17 in Cumberland Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
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