One weekend of Electric Forest definitely lives up to and goes above and beyond its hype, and there is another weekend still to go. The aesthetic beauty of its production was tasteful and absurdly stimulating. The performers of all kinds left an impression that will be lasting and inviting, with an imprint of their own experience in the forest to carry the spirit forward.
Setting up on Thursday was a little bit windy, and there would be a small amount of rain later to make it more difficult for some to start off, along with adding traction to the ground walking for the next day. It was not a huge obstacle, however, considering the weather would be gorgeous for the rest of the weekend. As it cleared up I had some time to walk around with my mandolin playing bluegrass tunes while everyone awaited the opening of the gates to the venue. It was a great way to break the ice with a lot of people while mingling with different crowds. The pent up energy was on another level. Every group we passed was filled with joy and ready to share the experience with each other in the festival grounds. When the venue gates opened Filip Zalewski (photographer) and I made our way inside and began exploring.
First we ventured over to Waka Flocka Flame on the giant Sherwood Court stage, which may have been one of the most high energy hype trains I’ve ever witnessed. It was interesting to see how everyone bounced to the seemingly endless heavy beat. On the way back through the forest I made sure to pay respects to the image of Wally Wojack, who half a century ago figuratively and literally planted the seeds of the forest that was now filled with art installations and stages. After that I caught some of Borahm Lee of Break Science throwing down some quality mixes while getting ready for the set of Breaking Biscuits, which would later tear up the Jubilee stage. The String Cheese Incident was creating an atmosphere of blissful vibration over on the Ranch Arena stage and I was lucky enough to see them before heading back over to the Hanger stage for some of the raging bass of Space Jesus. The night finished for me with Phuture Primitive on the forest stage and Thriftworks in the observatory, both of whom threw down phenomenal sets of hard glitch bass and downtempo mixes.
Friday was a fun day interviewing some performers and artists while still managing to witness them on stage as well. We spoke to a band called Corbu, who mentioned that the Forest setup will put anyone in a “very different mood” as soon as you walk through it, which very much reflects the impression most of the attendees would share as well. We also interviewed Consider the Source, who shared some fun memories of early festivals they attended where they were forced to look up the meaning of “heady” and other applications of slang. They also wanted to let all their fans know they love them very much, then went on to showcase their progressive shreds on the observatory stage.
It was awesome to see another set of String Cheese after interviews which included guests brought on stage such as Matisyahu who had played a set earlier. I walked up on “Sugaree” by the Grateful Dead and stayed until the end, catching the closer of Radiohead’s “National Anthem”. The musicianship of Cheese brings every song they pay tribute to up to another level of entertainment without a doubt. That night I saw Ott perform his uplifting blend of ambient dub, followed by Odesza, which was a spectacle even from far away. Finally we went back over to the Jubilee stage for some Lettuce, whose funk is tight enough to make the crowd jump even late at night.
Saturday was filled with music, but I also spent a lot of time wandering through the forest and taking in all of the organic sights and sounds there. The sculptures and art installations alone are enough to make the festival worth attending without any performances at all. There was a giant elephant, a dragon made of CDs, and a towering wooden goddess of the vine to describe a few. There was even a piano hidden away that I very much enjoyed playing for a little while. Most of the materials used in the installations were made from recycled materials, which made sense in the “Reincarnation Village”. The name truly captures the celebration of sanctity in our efforts to respect the planet while creating beauty from it. The “heart of the forest” was a beautifully landscaped configuration of seating and viewing right in the center. Metal worked dragonflies ornamented the lower level of it and led one to notice the “trading post” where people would trade various trinkets and art. There were many different places to sit and stand with multiple stories made of wood and all displaying wonderful works of art created by artists who roamed around or live painted as well. I interviewed one artist named Raeveena, who took a moment from her live painting and said “the forest is made so special by roaming and performing visual artists who get in on the fun”. I very much agreed because it was almost impossible to ignore the various absurdities wandering around, like a group of colorful clowns making faces at everyone, or silver and blue angels on stilts dancing to the music. Also, I can’t forget to mention the very charismatic reverend who married people in a painted chapel.
When I was not wandering through the forest on Saturday I saw some of the glorious funk jams of the Motet, Tauk, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, then passed by Liquid Stranger on the way to My Morning Jacket who impressed me with an original style including a heavy dark fuzz guitar solo in between songs along with a magical “Purple Rain” cover that brought most of the audience to tears. On the speaker in between sets everyone sang along to “Imagine” by John Lennon, which was a truly magical moment for us to share. After that of course was Bassnectar, who opened with “Teleport Massive” and finished off the main stage with a set of bass that blew everyone away as always. He got some extra cheers for the visual of Donald Trump with fire coming out of his eyes to go along with a very relevant Bill Hicks quote. After the set I walked by the silent disco, observing the colors and soundless dancing, then cooled off in the observatory afterwards listening to the jazz fusion of Eminence Ensemble.
Sunday was another glorious day of music and art and also filled with an air of the fleeting time that would soon lead us to pack up and leave the haven of the forest. The Infamous Stringdusters paid homage to that feeling with heavy bluegrass that uplifted all of our spirits. At one point the sound cut out on stage and they all just kept playing their acoustic instruments, which caused the crowd to move in tight until the sound kicked back in. It was amazing to see how music brings people in so close that way. I also heard from someone that the Stringdusters had played a secret acoustic set in the forest during the night before with members of String Cheese.
After the acoustic fun we enjoyed some glitch-pop dance music in the form of Echos, Autograf and Wave Racer, which carried the light mood up through Papadosio sharing their jamtronica fun into the night for Big Gigantic to keep the funk bass party going. I then made my way over to the Jubilee stage with a friend so we could catch Eoto finishing off the weekend with their heavily addicting blend of live instrumentation and improvised bass music. On the way we had a chance to finally check out all the fun amenities of the Hanger stage which included a barber shop and tattoo parlor, along with a candy store and game room/bowling alley. The venue truly did not hold back in creating an atmosphere of joyful aversion from the daily mundane. On the way back from a final walkabout it was breathtaking to see the campground crowds immersed in party and bass by the RVs and buses hooked up with large stereos. Clearly they had no intention of stopping until it was time to leave the festival, and who can blame them for that?
Leaving Monday morning was bittersweet to say the least. None of us could hold back the gratitude for having shared in the enjoyment of such a beautiful place, and we all wished we could stay forever. The memories created and connections made between people are a timeless testament for how a communal, uplifting environment surrounded by creativity allows people to share their love and human spirit in the most fulfilling ways. I’ll be looking forward to returning.
