Category: <span>Five Favourites</span>

Canada

Favourite Artists Heard At Shambhala

Shambhala Music Festival returned to Samlo Valley for its 19th year, bringing with it a lineup stacked with heavy bass, mad beats and hella funky sounds. Here are some of my favourite acts that I heard at this year’s Shambhala.

Beats Antique

Beats Antique was everything I hoped for and more. David Satori and Tommy Sidecar exhibited their talents on their instruments, playing drums and violin live for the crowd at Pagoda while their tracks spun on in the background. The pair played some of their older stuff, including “Egyptic” off their 2010 album “Blind Threshold,” and performed songs off their new album for the first time ever. Sidecar threw down an insane drum solo that left the whole crowd smiling before the duo showcased their new track with Russian singer Tatiana, whose ethereal voice was complemented perfectly by Satori’s violin. With incense floating in the air, the experience of listening to Beats Antique’s unique tribal fusion sound was enhanced. The highlight of the set though came when Satori let a unicorn jump on stage to perform some oh so magical dancing while the duo continued to play out their set. Dance moves fitting perfectly with the music, the unicorn made his way across the stage before collapsing into a fit of frenzy for his finale with Beats Antique.

 

Hermitude

It’s been a while since I’ve seen two artists so in sync with one another. Hermitude threw down a gnarly set Friday night at The Grove, somehow mixing “In The Jungle” from Disney’s “The Lion King” into Flume’s remix of their track “HyperParadise,” before Luke Dubs took to his keyboard to perform an insane solo cover of the track. Showcasing their unity, the boys unplugged their instruments, coming around to the front of the stage to perform live for the audience, truly demonstrating their skills as DJs and producers. Luke Dubs and Elgusto worked magic together up on The Grove stage, keeping the crowd dancing and grooving throughout the entirety of their set.

 

Opiuo

Maybe it’s because this was my introduction to the epicness that is the Fractal Forest but Opiuo played one of my favourite sets of the weekend. Throwing down a funky set that incorporated swing with bass, Opiuo took the crowd on a groovy journey throughout his entire 90-minute set. Jet lagged and coming straight from New Zealand, the Kiwi producer didn’t hold anything back, kicking it on the drums live for the crowd and bringing out a trumpet player to accentuate the funky tunes he was playing before mixing into jungle. I didn’t think it was possible to mix funk with drum & bass but Opiuo managed to do it beautifully.

 

CloZee

There’s only one word I can use to describe CloZee: badass. The French producer threw down a dope set that saw heavy bass mixed in with glitch-hop. CloZee truly showed that she is a force to be reckoned with, putting on one of the heaviest sets of the weekend. The female producer kept the bass pulsating across The Grove before mixing into “Wildcats” by Ratatat. A surprise guest appearance by EVeryman saw the pair paying tribute to the late Pumpkin before CloZee continued with her set, mixing in some new world sounds with her bass heavy performance.

 

The Gaff

The Gaff is one of the most talented DJs I have had the pleasure of seeing perform in a very long time. The British-Columbia native played his entire set using only vinyl, switching out LPs expertly to weave a groovy set for the crowd at Fractal Forest. It feels like such a treat nowadays to see someone spinning vinyl and it’s even more special when it is taking place in the magical atmosphere that is the Fractal Forest. While The Gaff was playing an incredible dance worthy set, it wasn’t uncommon to see many people standing still, absolutely mesmerized by what they were seeing The Gaff doing on his decks… Especially once he started scratching. The Gaff demonstrated his insane skills as a musician in the art of spinning a vinyl only set. Simply listening to his tracks does not do the artist justice, as a huge part of the musical experience with The Gaff is the show he puts on scratching and spinning.

 

Nora En Pure

Nora En Pure’s set at Pagoda was such a fantastic way to start the weekend off. Playing Friday evening, the Swiss DJ threw down a fun, dance-worthy deep house set. The female producer expertly took the crowd on a journey from deep house to tech house, channeling some DirtyBird vibes, prepping the crowd for Justin Martin’s set later that evening. Nora En Pure exhibited her ability to spin a set with a variety of genres before mixing into her well-known (and often played by other DJs) single “Come With Me.”

Canada

Five Favourite Moments From Shambhala

I’m still trying to process all the beautiful energy I felt at Shambhala Music Festival, so to help me cope with those post-Shambhala blues, I have put together a list of my five favourite moments from this year’s adventures.

1. Discovering the Fractal Forest

Discovering the Fractal Forest is like discovering a mythical creature. You have no idea what you are getting involved with until you are inside the forest, feeling the music and witnessing the madness firsthand. One of the most important things I was told by Shambhala Veterans was to avoid the Fractal Forest until I could experience it at night. And I am so glad I listened to them as my first time in the forest was mind-blowing. The stage was set up in a way that allowed festival-goers to completely lose themselves in the sights and sounds, while the primarily ghetto-funk sounds being spun there by the likes of A.Skillz, The Funk Hunters, The Gaff and DeFunk encouraged a fun vibe and an energetic atmosphere.

Not only did Fractal Forest have one of the best vibes of the weekend, with one of the most incredible set ups possible, but it was something for festival-goers to discover on their own. Stumbling upon the hidden stage with all its Star Wars beauty and funky sounds on the way to some of the other stages made for some of the best dance parties of the weekend.

2. Swimming in the river


Shambhala has a river that flows through the festival allowing attendees a slight reprieve from the heat of the day. It is a small river that flows straight from one of the glaciers, keeping it cool despite the intense heat in the valley during the August days. It’s common to see people sitting along the banks in the shade of the trees, soaking their feet in the cool river water throughout the day.

The Living Room Stage also happens to be set up on the beach right along the river. Many people bring floaties with them to the Living Room, setting up camp on top of their inflatable toys, floating nonchalantly down the river as the mellow beats of the Living Room DJs serenade them down the river. The BC mountains stand majestically in the background, overlooking the entire scene as people swim across the perfect bed of pebblestones. With the sun beating down on Shambhafam, many people swim across the river, making friends along the way before reaching the opposite bank where more friends are made.

And, while it seems to be more of a well-kept Vet secret, there is another river, beyond the banks, that is more secluded and requires a little bit of Veteran knowledge to get to. Although I did not find this little piece of paradise, I was told it holds a jumping log and is a small oasis within the Shambhala festival grounds.

3. Free Hugs

Shambhala is known for embracing the free-spirit of its festival attendees. Upon arriving into the festival, the first thing I was warned about were the free hugs.

“It’s kind of weird… Are you okay with weird?” the man checking my car said. “Are you okay with hugs? I don’t know what it is about this place but people seem to like to give each other hugs for no reason.”

I thought he was joking.

I can’t tell you how many times I was at shows or walking around the grounds and someone dressed up as a tiger or a panda would come over to give me a hug… Simply because they felt the need to share their love for the world. Dancing solo at Fractal Forest, I received one of the best hugs of my entire life by an individual whom I will never know. He was dressed head to toe in woolies, with a scarf covering his entire face. Mid dancing he turns to me and opens his arms. Upon seeing me nod in consent, he then pulls me in for a hug. We danced together in a beautiful embrace for a solid minute before he continued on his merry way.

Free hugs was such a huge part of the festival. People connecting with one another in a way that does not happen anywhere else, and in the most respectful way possible. It was absolutely beautiful.

4. Beautiful people

The people at Shambhala are fucking weird. And kind. And respectful. And caring. It truly is the people who attend this festival that make it so wonderful. The energy at Shambhala is unlike any other.

People at Shambhala do what they want, when they want, with zero fucks given for what others are thinking about them. There seems to be an unspoken understanding between Shambhafamily that this is a safe place where you can be the most true to yourself. And this is possibly the most beautiful thing about the festival. People are the truest that they could possibly be to themselves. No one cares and no one judges one another for doing what they are comfortable doing.

5. Late night tea

Shambhala is a dry festival meaning there is no alcohol that can be purchased on the grounds. This was the first festival I have ever attended where this was a rule, and, full disclosure, I like to drink so I was very interested to see how this would affect my experience at Shambhala.

I was pleasantly surprised with it though. The festival seemed to be a lot more in control. There were less rowdy people that were being offensive and aggressive. Removing alcohol from the equation made the whole festival experience much more chilled out.

This also meant that, at the end of the night, instead of having a boozy night cap, I wound up at Night Owl coffee in downtown Shambhala for tea. Every night, on my way back to my tent, I would stop in for a peppermint tea. With the temperature fluctuating from sweat in every crevasse of your body during the day to seeing your breath at night, the tea worked wonders to warm the body up and soothe the belly, helping prepare the body for the next day of the festival.

I never thought I would insist on having tea at a festival or after a night of dancing, but after stopping for peppermint tea at the Night Owl every night, I think I am going to make peppermint tea a must-have after a night of dancing.

Bonus

The theme camps: with their insane set ups including a bouncy castle for Shambhafam to play in, and hosting their own parties every single night; the sunrises: they came in hot and early but announced a new adventure for the day

Festival Reviews

Five Favourite Moments From Electric Forest

I still haven’t fully washed off the mud that has caked on to my feet from Electric Forest, so to ease those muddy feet back into the real world I have put together a list of my five favourite moments from this year’s festivities.

1. Discovering all the forest has to offer

Two of the most beautiful things about Electric Forest were the unique venue in which it regularly takes place, and the ability to get lost on the festival grounds, exploring the activities and decorations that light up the forest itself. The photos of the festival don’t give you a true sense of the experience.

From the light-up clouds deep in the woods that led me from tree to tree, to the golden Hybycozo art pieces that dangled from high above welcoming festival-goers into the forest, the festival had so much to offer – if you were willing to let yourself go and explore. I don’t want to give everything away for future attendees, as discovering the forest is just as much part of the experience.

I will say though that anyone who attends Electric Forest can look forward to stumbling across a soothing garden with miniature Buddhas. Or finding a small temple with heart-shaped archways where festival-goers can write messages to lost loved ones. The forest held so many beautiful creatures, some on stilts, some in shoes, but all in costume and character, who wandered through the forest, interacting with festival-goers and bringing so much joy as they infiltrated the woods.

2. The Colorado Kaleidoscope

The Observatory held so much more for festival-goers than just music. Although this was also a stage that held some of the best nighttime surprise sets, The Observatory was set up in a way where festival-goers could climb up to a second level and watch the performance on the stage below from a comfortable vantage point.

The second floor of this viewing area was built on top of a mini marketplace where vendors were set up selling their products. One of the vendors in this particular marketplace was Leifers Look. Established in Colorado, the kaleidoscope stand had set up a large, wooden kaleidoscope for attendees to peer into and test out their product. Upon peering into the kaleidoscope and having someone turn the wheel for you, you would see all these different geometric shapes and colours melt into one before reshaping themselves.

After discovering the joy of this nifty toy, and admiring the beauty of the visuals, it was just as much fun and just as joyful to watch the expression of those individuals walking by who decided to stop in for a peek to ease their curiosity. The look of pure amazement and joy on everyone’s face as they discovered the beauty of the kaleidoscope was absolutely fantastic.

3. Kettle Corn

Speaking of pure joy… Although I personally did not try the kettle corn, the joy over the discovery of delicious free kettle corn by one of my campmates puts it in my Five Favourite Moments. During a quick journey back to camp to grab essentials for the night, one of the returning camp members became distracted by the smell of the kettle corn as we walked by the Candy Shoppe (and yes, there is a Candy Shoppe in the middle of the forest).

After turning around to find that the aforementioned campmate was no longer with the returning group, and completely baffled as to where he could have gone, he came bouncing out from behind the Candy Shoppe and loped down the hill like a baby T-Rex. “Guuyyyysssss,” he said with popcorn still in his beard and looking as though he could not believe what he had just experienced. “You have to try the kettle corn.”

4. Stumbling across Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Danny Clinch Photography
The seven-piece jazz band brought the grooviness to the forest on three different occasions, with sets at varying stages. However, it wasn’t until spending some time wandering around the festival that I was fortunate enough to get drawn in to The Observatory by the funky tunes that the band was playing.

With tuba, saxophones, clarinet, trumpet and trombone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band treated attendees to an awesome dance party that had the intimate crowd swing dancing with one another.

5. Beach Day

Within a half hour drive of the festival location in Michigan, there are some incredible sand dunes. Electric Forest allows campers to leave the festival in their vehicles whenever they please and return to their initial camp spot.

After a few days of dancing in the hot sun and frolicking through the dusty woods, a morning group excursion to the nearby beach for a swim was gold. After our 30 minute drive and a steep and challenging climb up to the top of the dunes, it was easy to feel as though we had been transported to another planet. Or at least another part of the world. As far as I could see, smooth sand was rolling up and down, meeting the big blue sky. After a short walk across the dunes, we came across a steep, sandy hill that led down to the beach and opened up onto the cool, lake water below.

Bonus

The magical monarch that flitted from person to person in the silent disco, carrying with it the beauty of the festival on its delicate wings.

Festival Reviews

Five Favourite Moments at Lightning in a Bottle

My feet have not fully touched the earth since the spiritual journey that was Lightning in a Bottle, so to help ease my float back down to reality, I’ve pieced together a list of my favourite moments from this year’s LIB Festival.

1. LIB Opening Ceremony


One of the most touching moments from the weekend was the LIB Opening at Sacred Fire. The opening ceremony was a way for festival goers to give thanks for the use of the land over the five-day weekend. It helped set the tone of respect for one another and for oneself, for Mother Earth and for water in a California drought, and of community that became synonymous with the LIB experience. The ceremony commenced at 7:30 p.m. on the Thursday evening in The Village with traditional native music, a speech by a member of one of the local tribes, a kiss to the earth, and then a slow, silent walk down the hill to the fire. As the sun began to slowly descend on the mountains, thanks were given and a feeling of gratefulness and appreciation appeared to wash over the crowd. Every one began to chant and then, as the sun took it’s last breath before hiding behind the mountains until the morning, the fire expert, Icarus, lit the sacred fire that remained lit all weekend. And so the festival began in one of the most enchanting ways possible.

2. The Funk Hunters Afterhours at The Grand Artique

Once again, The Funk Hunters quickly became a highlight of the weekend. These boys can do no wrong in my eyes, always throwing down one of the most energetic sets of the weekend. With some of the funkiest beats you’ll hear, from jazz to hip hop, to swing to classic rock, if you ever have an opportunity to see The Funk Hunters, put on your comfiest dancing shoes and go dance them off. The Funk Hunters were scheduled to perform on the Thunder Stage from 5:25 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. and, of course, threw down a phenomenal dance-worthy set. But it was the lesser known, late night performance (this time at the carnival themed stage of The Grand Artique) that captivated this gal. From 1:45 a.m. until 2:45 a.m. the boys took the stage at The Grand Artique putting on one of the best sets of the weekend and keeping the crowd dancing the whole time. Some swing dancing was done, lots of twirling was had, and the grooves just kept on going. While the set was phenomenal, and the smaller crowd made for a wonderfully intimate experience, it was the smile and pure joy on the duo’s face that was the most memorable. Their apparent love for the music they were playing for the crowd to jam to was infectious.

3. Late Night Bingo

Also known as LIB’ingo, this fun activity didn’t start until super late (or early in the morning), after most of the music had stopped for the evening. You could wander by the tent but, more likely than not, if you were passing by the LIB’ingo, you were going to be drawn in by the loud music being played out across the picnic tables, and the obnoxiously hilarious bingo hosts dressed in their zany outfits. You knew you were going to have a good time as soon as you walked into the tent and got a bingo card from one of the dancing disco ladies. Watch out for a tie though… A quick game of Twister was used to determine the winner. But if you stayed until the final score card? You became part of a post LIB’ingo dance party, dancing on the picnic tables with your new bingo buddies.

4. Sunset Gratitudes

The gratitude for the sun continued throughout the entire weekend. Sunset gratitudes were held nightly at 7:30 p.m. at the Sacred Fire, and again with sunrise honourings every morning at 5:45 a.m. Another area that was used to honour the sun was the Meditation Lookout. The Meditation Lookout was a big hill, with a tree on top overlooking the entirety of the festival. In the evening, festival goers climbed the hill, and sat facing west to watch the sun go to sleep for the night. The best part of watching the sunset on the Meditation Lookout was how many people you connected with as you released your spirit animal sound into the fading purple sky, then cheering the sun for being the brightest star in the sky. And if you couldn’t make it to the Meditation Lookout for the evening show, chances were you grabbed ahold of your new family and, together, howled the sun to bed. It was a nice reminder that we should all take a moment every day to enjoy the beauty of the world around us.

5. Chet Faker’s DJ Set in the Temple

Chet Faker was one of the headliners of the weekend, scheduled to close out the festival at the Lightning Stage on the Sunday night of the event. If you paid close enough attention though, you might have been one of the lucky few to realize that Chet Faker was also playing a DJ set at the Temple stage during the wee hours of the morning. The festival booklet did say that attendees could “get intimate with headlining acts during late night ‘Encounters’ series at the Temple Stage,” and the schedule for Saturday at the Temple Stage revealed a Chet Faker Afterhours DJ Set at 1:45. However, it didn’t appear that very many people were aware of this musical appearance (myself included until a bouncing Tigger informed me of the event). There were maybe 50 people in the tent watching the performance! Chet Faker on the Lightning Stage was incredible, but a Chet Faker DJ set in such an intimate environment was something unforgettable. And yes, Chet Faker slayed his 90-minute set with a huge grin peaking out from under that beautiful, burly beard.

Notable Mentions

Baseball with The Crows at The Grand Artique, lime jalapeño margaritas, hugs, hugs, hugs and more hugs!

Festival Reviews

Five Best Things Seen at Further Future

I’ve barely washed off the body paint from my journey beyond Vegas at last weekend’s sophomore year of Further Future, and the reality of being back in the city is almost too much for me to handle. To help cope with this though, I’m reminiscing about the festival with a list of the five best things I saw at Further Future.

1. The Brit and the Yank

You know it’s going to be a good festival when the first two people you meet are your camp neighbours who met at the airport on their way to the festival, and, upon knowing each other for t-minus five minutes, decided to camp with one another. Enter the Brit and the Yankee. The Yank recalls seeing the Brit walking through the airport with nothing but a rucksack, looking a little lost. Upon seeing him, he knew he was heading to Further Future as well and, together, they went on a mission to find the somewhat challenging-to-find shuttle bus to the festival. Along the way, they became fast friends and decided to camp with one another, the Yank referring to the Brit as his brother by the end of the weekend. It was this kind of friendly, welcoming energy that could be felt throughout the entire weekend across the festival grounds. With the grand majority of festival attendees having attended Burning Man at least once (if not five or more times), the same sort of Burner mentality and principles could be seen at Further Future. And for someone who has never experienced energy of this sort in such a colossal way, this is enough reason to head back to the festival next year.

2. Sunrise sets with Lee Burridge


Lee Burridge is a techno king. He is known for his amazing sunrise sets on the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man, as well as for his All Day I Dream parties, and for being a pioneer in the underground club scene. He also is known for playing some of the most incredible, lengthy sets, with his sunrise set at Further Future spanning four hours, from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. It seemed that, as the sun rose over the desert, casting the large, cage-like heart above the bus in a majestic golden glow, the energy of the crowd picked up and Lee Burridge dove deeper into the sounds of the underground. More people seemed to appear, fervently dancing in front of the bus, while women in sky-high moon boots continued to dance atop the bus. And the best part of it all wasn’t Lee Burridge’s unique sounds resonating across the Valley of Fire, but the huge grin that remained plastered upon the artist’s face throughout his entire set. Discover Lee Burridge, but definitely discover him while he is performing because the man appears to be at home, in his happy spot, and his joy while he is performing is just as infectious as his beats that will make you dance until the sun has long since risen.

3. Apocalyptic rain storms

Normally, an attendee’s experience at a music festival is very dependant on the weather during that festival. Unfortunately the weather – extreme heat, extreme cold, crazy rain – is completely out of organizers’ hands. The Valley of Fire gets an annual average rainfall of four inches – so not much. Leading into the festival, there were four days of rain. During the festival, there was rain Friday night, and once again Saturday night. While Friday night wasn’t too damaging to the experience, Saturday’s intense rainstorm, filled with thunder and lightning, rivers and lakes in the campgrounds, and washed out roads, had the potential to ruin the weekend for festival-goers and organizers. Instead, the intense weather, that caused evacuations and attendees to take cover wherever they could, encouraged a sort of bonding between attendees. It was a storm one only really witnesses in the desert and it was a storm that was survived together, in the desert. Batten down the tents, take refuge under neighbours canopies or in their cars, and then, celebrate with fireworks. Mother Nature won that day, but she couldn’t put out the fire that burns brightly inside Further Future attendees.

4. Girl power with Amanda Kahlow

Further Future proved that a festival can explore so much more than just music and art. With an astounding Visionary Speakers lineup that saw the likes of Eric Schmidt of Alphabet Inc. and Bob Pittman of iHeartMedia Inc. giving intelligent talks to attendees, Further Future allowed festival-goers to expand their minds by diving into talks about the future of technology, education, food, cannabis, and so much more. Amanda Kahlow of 6sense delivered one of the most empowering talks of the weekend. Exploring the challenges of running her own business, while also being unapologetic of having to be what people sometimes consider a “bitch,” Kahlow reminded us that girl power can be the best power, to never give up on your hopes and dreams, and yes, women can be just as successful as men.

5. Sunset sets with Easy Star All-Stars

Closing the festival was reggae cover band Easy Star All-Stars, followed by HVOB. Seemed like an odd addition to a lineup that was stacked with electronic and techno artists but it worked. And it was fantastic! From trombones and saxophones, to drums and guitars, the band jammed the night away, covering old songs and new songs and demonstrating the fluidity and joy of music. With the barefoot lead singer, Kirsty Rock, who kept dancing and feeling the music throughout the entire set, Easy Star All-Stars helped close down the official festival with a fun, energetic set that embodied the good vibes of the festival and kept the crowd grooving all the way through long past the final sunset.

Adventures

Five Favourite Moments from Coachella Weekend Two

My lungs are still hacking up dust from last weekend’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and the sadness of having had to leave the Polo Fields for another year is still very fresh in my mind. To help me get through this though, I have put together a list of my five favourite moments from last weekend’s festivities.

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

One of the best moments of Weekend Two was being a party to the energetic and interactive performance of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. When lead singer Alex Ebert pranced out on stage barefoot to begin the evening set, he did not stop dancing during the entire 50-minute performance. Straight from the get-go, Ebert set the tone for the evening, climbing the crowd barrier to wade deep into the Coachella crowds. Throughout the performance, fans could find Ebert singing in his soothing voice right above them, or dancing and hopping around the stage, mic in hand. At one point, he called out to the crowd, asking for someone to sing the next verse. One fan nervously accepted the challenge amongst the encouraging cheers of the surrounding fans. Later in the set, Ebert tossed out a compact video camera into the crowd, informing everyone to take a video of themselves dancing before tossing it on. For the next few minutes, a tiny green camera could be seen hurtling through the air from person, to person, to person. And what better way to end such an energetic, happy set than with stories from fans as the sun slowly set behind the mountains? With such amazing energy from Ebert and the band, and such good vibes from the crowd, along with beautifully happy music all taking place during the stunning Coachella sunsets, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros put on an unforgettable performance that still brings tears to my eyes (happy tears, of course).

2. Anderson .Paak and all his surprises

Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals started off their set with some funky jams, revving the crowd up with their energetic performance and inciting all the booty popping and hip swaying that comes with their tunes. With no expectations of any surprise performances, Anderson .Paak began to build the crowd’s excitement as he announced midway through his set that the thing to do at Coachella is to bring out surprise guests. Lo and behold, Kendrick Lamar came out to perform “Back Street Freestyle” on the small stage with Anderson .Paak. As if that surprise wasn’t enough for Anderson .Paak and hip hop fans alone, the crowd was blessed with a second surprise: a performance by legendary hip hop producer and N.W.A. member Dr. Dre. Although Dre and Kendrick had already performed with Ice Cube the night before on the main stage, this surprise was so unexpected the two hip hop artists ended up performing to a smaller crowd in the Mojave tent, providing fans lucky enough to be there with a more intimate, yet highly energetic performance. And yes… California does know how to party.

3. Finding the “Big Fish” stage

Do LaB proved once again as to why their stage is my favourite stage at Coachella. With a unique crowd that vibes off one another’s positive energy, and a different lineup from Weekend One to Weekend Two of talented DJs and up-and-comers, this stage is well-worth discovering and walking over to in The Terrace. While the stage never ceases to impress with it’s pyrotechnics, acrobatic dancers and bumping beats, this year’s joy came from the energy of the artist painting on the live art wall. Anticipation for Sunday night’s surprise guest was growing throughout the crowd during Kraddy’s (incredible) set, until finally Diplo’s face appeared behind the decks being set up to takeover the stage. As the crowd grew, hordes of young electronic fans piling into the Do LaB tent, Walshy Fire picked up a microphone, and Jillionaire and Diplo started revving up the crowd in the background. Major Lazer hit the decks and, the artist hit the wall… The artist painting the live art wall had so much energy, whipping his brush on the wall to paint beautiful blue strokes and effectively creating the story of Major Lazer at Do LaB with each flick of the brush. He jumped to the music, swinging his arms in beat and flinging paint on fans nearby, with a huge grin on his face. It looked like he was loving every minute of what he is doing and where he was doing it.

4. Getting lost in Black Coffee’s Yuma set

I got yuma’d. It’s a thing. Especially during Black Coffee’s two-hour set. The struggle with the sandstorms was real Friday, and Yuma provided shelter from the dust and the wind, along with an epic set by Black Coffee. As much as you may go into Yuma with the intention of leaving after 45 minutes to go catch another artist, the energy, lack of windows, and the beauty of the disco ball shark have the power to suck you in for three times as long. While coming out of Yuma after two-hours of non-stop dancing can be a bit of a shock to the system, doing so during Black Coffee’s set was well worth it and he quickly became one of my favourite new discoveries of the weekend.

5. Water fights in the campgrounds

Camping at Coachella is not for everyone, and it is definitely not for the faint of heart. High winds this year tore down the majority of campers’ EZ-Ups on the first day of the festival, leaving many people without the much sought-after and needed shade for the rest of the weekend. Broken down metal pieces could be seen scattered around the campgrounds, looking like very large, damaged spiders. But camping at a festival, you learn to roll with the punches and make the best of any situation. The wind did not stop all weekend and neither did the party and the fun and games. One of my favourite moments camping at Coachella Weekend Two came during a (somewhat) spontaneous water fight. Armed with beers, a kiddie pool, and water guns, new friends hosted a water fight that provided lots of fun in the sun on Sunday afternoon, along with relief from the intense heat, quite a few nip slips, and fond new memories.