Highlights of this year’s lineup include the likes of Subtronics, who is returning for the first time since 2019. Zeds Dead is making their WAKAAN Festival debut this year for a solo set as well as the first-ever Zeds Dead b2b Liquid Stranger set. Freddy Todd and Of The Trees will be performing as their collaborative BLAAP project. An official 1985 Music takeover will feature label head Alix Perez, along with Torcha, Hyroglifics, and Monty. Barclay Crenshaw is returning after electrifying performances the last two years that helped cement his resurgence as a bass music icon. The duo of jordnmoody and Ujuu will be on stage together as FLORA. As founder of WAKAAN, Liquid Stranger himself is also performing three exclusive sets, including a throwback set with a list of not-yet-announced friends.

There is more to WAKAAN than just the music. The festival features a diverse array of workshops, ranging from such topics as health and wellness to music production. The grounds of Mulberry Mountain are scattered with art installations, merch vendors, games, and more. In particular, this year features the return of Soul Spin Art Gallery, where fans can create their very own custom vinyl records that will be kept on the mountain for years to come.

In the past years that I’ve attended WAKAAN, the crowd energy has been unreal. There is a real, concerted effort on the part of these festival-goers to make friends and inspire each other. I’ve told my life story to a stranger on the way to a Port-a-Potty. I’ve always left with more trinkets than I arrived with. I’ve been handed hors d’oeuvres from people passing by mid-headliner. I’ve played Super Smash Brothers and watched Adventure Time on a screen in the middle of the forest. The sense of community that this festival has is something to behold, and I hope everyone gets to at least once.

If you’d like to purchase a ticket to the festival, you can do so on WAKAAN’s website. Be sure to follow them on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for more information. In the meantime, you can peep the full festival lineup below!

The post WAKAAN Festival Reveals Highly Anticipated 2024 Lineup appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

When asked about what went into the creation of both ‘Alchemial’ and ‘Forever Gold (Instrumental)’, Freddy expounded, “I wrote this song almost 4 years ago in 2017 while living in the ancient elven town of Asheville, NC in the blue ridge mountains at my home studio. It is a jazzy odyssey weaving through an epic wall of sound intro into an iconic and catchy trumpet line, written in midi by myself (the whole song is written, edited, mixed, and mastered by myself, along with the rest of the album), that traverses through live drums (recorded also by me on my drum set at my studio), into a more concise 808 kit trappier beat. It’s kind of like 3 or 4 songs in one but is a more magical track to me and was originally a contender for the intro track in earlier iterations of Moonflavours II. I liked the trumpet line so much, that I went back and flipped the track into its sister track ‘Forever Gold (Instrumental),’ which follows it on the album and features that core catchy trumpet melody, but in a happier more fun universe with a plucky bass and loose beat (also myself live on my drum set). THAT track is titled Instrumental because (SPOILER ALERT) I’m working on a vocal album and already have a vocal version of the song (Forever Gold) featuring the talented Stephanie Starnes.”

In a time where stress is at all-time highs due to political instability, a global pandemic, and economic strife, mental reprieves are in extremely high demand. What Freddy Todd brings to the table is just what the doctor ordered, as both ‘Alchemial’ and ‘Forever Gold (Instrumental)’ are temporary one-way tickets straight to euphoria. Getting completely lost in the intro to ‘Alchemial’ is the firm expectation, as your body stays grounded while your mind is free to wander wherever it pleases, your physical form left as an anchor without its chain. The tantalizing trumpet and dapper drums create an energy that exudes light and positivity. Practically bursting at the seams with love for the world encompassed by its familiar frequencies, fans will be left feeling engorged with happiness and contentment, worries and fears thoughts for another time. Continuing the trend of ecstatic elation, ‘Forever Gold (Instrumental) is the definition of bubbly music. So bubbly, in fact, Coca-Cola might try to steal some of its mojo. Emphasizing the previously mentioned trumpet to an even greater degree along with a practically gravitational groove, smiles and hugs will be doled-out generously all around.

A true odyssey of audio, MOONFLAVOURS II is less of a trudge and more of a float through freshly crafted mental planes courtesy of musical consciousness teleportation. 12 tracks of sheer digital delight, with 3 already blessing the world with their poignant presence, Friday surely can’t come soon enough. For now, though, make sure to take both ‘Alchemial’ and ‘Forever Gold (Instrumental)’ for proper spins via our exclusive premieres, and If you’d like to support Freddy Todd in these especially trying times for artists, you can find his supremely spicy Fred Crumbs merch store here, and a link to his Bandcamp where you can directly monetarily thank him for his comprehensive creations here.

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The post PREMIERE: Dive Into Freddy Todd’s MoonFlavours II With Both ‘Alchemial’ and ‘Forever Gold (Instrumental)’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Teasing fans with a hand-cut selection from his forthcoming Fredcrumbs EP, ‘Dig A Hole’ is as multiform in nature as Todd’s style itself. Gripping plunges of audible dissonance present a taunting welcome to the track as overwhelming suspense disperses throughout the build. A sudden fragmented vocal sample from Yo Majesty’s ‘Club Action’ launches the track into a puzzling contrast of jagged, saw-like synths, and patches of gritty bass disrupted intermittently by lively serenades of steely percussion. The tone tapers from audible chaos into prophetic harmony in the matter of a mere instant as an oddly prophetic melody lifts the track to a conclusion.

Be sure to take ‘Dig A Hole’ for a spin below in anticipation of the full Fredcrumbs EP release on February 28th!

The post Freddy Todd Unerringly Melds Genres in ‘Dig A Hole’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.