Tell us a little about yourself…

My name is Bryce, I’m 23 years old. I love skateboarding and making music. I’m from South Lake Tahoe, California.

What’s your musical background like/what made you decide to go the electronic route?

My musical background is really just listening to music. I took guitar lessons in 7th grade for about 3 weeks and quit because I wanted to skateboard. I started making music when I was about 19. A friend had showed me Ableton and I made a basic drum loop and got addicted. I always was into left field bass music though. So that’s what I tried to make.

You have a really distinct signature sound. What are the core elements of the Milano sound?

To be honest I think it’s really hard for artists to hear their own sound. At least for me. I’m really trying to Bring “Milano” sound to the table with these next releases. I love me some crunchy basses and wild fills tho.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Experimenting is 80% of this game. And re-sampling is a major key. When I make a song I probably go through at least 10 different leads before settling on one.

Do you have any sound design tips for up-and-coming producers?

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Experimenting is 80% of this game. And re-sampling is a major key. When I make a song I probably go through at least 10 different leads before settling on one. And I always save them for future purposes. Building an arsenal of sounds while you work is very helpful.

Who are the “Lost Dogz”? And how did you get involved with them?

Lost Dogz is a group of friends who met on SoundCloud about 3 years ago. Untitld and Abelation hit me up and asked if I wanted to join a group called “Lost Dogz”. I actually said no at first hahaha, But then they got the SoundCloud made with 0 followers 0 tracks, and it looked like a good time. So I hit him back up and said “let’s do this”. Every since then we’ve slowly added our best friends in the music scene & have just been releasing music together as a group.

Untitld and Abelation hit me up and asked if I wanted to join a group called “lost dogz”. I actually said no at first hahaha…

Give us your thoughts on playing at Shambhala this summer.

I AM SO STOKED TO PLAY MUSIC AT SHAMBHALA 2019. I remember listening to those old excision Shambhala mixes way back in the day and had no idea what Shambhala was as a whole. I’ve only heard amazing things about the festival and plan on attending the whole time! Also am extremely nervous.

Congrats on your contribution to their mix series, what can the listeners expect from what you’ve cooked up?

So in this mix I threw in a few ID’s from some of my best friends in the scene. Artists like Eazybaked, Vide, Abelation, TVBOO, Sumthin Sumthin, and more. I also threw in 5 ID’s  of my own some of which will be on the EP. And a ‘Slither’ VIP. Which I’ll be calling ‘Slither 2.’

You mentioned on social media that you have an EP coming soon, can you tell us a little about it?

Yes! My debut EP Dark Energy is in the works. I have been carefully working on this EP since January and am stoked on how its coming along. Will be the first EP released on Lost Dogz as well.

Besides Shambhala, do you have any summer festivals you’re performing at that you’re looking forward to?

I have one more festival this summer which is Still Dream 2019. I’ll be apart of the Lost Dogz takeover featuring Untitld, Player Dave, Sumthin Sumthin, Eazybaked, and Abelation. After that I’m free until Shambhala. Loads of time to make music, hang out with family and friends and get things done.

What has you excited for the rest of the year?

Other than Shambhala 2019, I could not be more excited to be apart of the upcoming Lost Dogz tour, We are hitting all regions of North America and I’m so proud of all my friends. I’m just excited for the future in general. LOST DOGZ.

The post PREMIERE: Milano Drops Nutty Mix Filled With IDs For Shambhala Mix Series [Interview] appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

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Fast-forward two years later, and we start catching up on how things have been since the last time we talked. One of the first things I bring up is how he’s not playing at his usual stage, the Fractal Forest; instead, this year he was scheduled to play at The Pagoda stage. He asks me if that’s one of the interview questions (SPOILER: it is), and he pacified my eagerness by saying he’ll answer it once we get into the interview.

As we sat at a well-placed round table, each with a cup of Kombucha, we started talking about everything under the sun, and I segued into the interview before we both ended up fully losing track, with the summer heat beating down on us.

How has it been, performing for the festival for the past couple of years?
It’s been pretty amazing, honestly. Every year just seems to get better and better. There’s always that anxiety and stress going into putting together the perfect set for Shambhala. I’ve watched and seen the fan base grow around this festival, and it’s also pretty amazing to see the rewards of being able to play around Canada. The quirks of having played the festival for a couple of years now helps pay off in terms of my other shows around this area. So, it’s been great.

What’s something you’re really proud of between when you started, and now?
Just dialing things in, I think. When I first played Shambhala, I was just feeling it out. I was trying out a style that I thought worked for the festival. Now, I feel a little more comfortable in terms of how to play, how to approach the set, making edits, and stuff like that—the actual approach to putting together what I’m gonna perform. Usually I try to take it a step above what I would play at a normal club show, and I try to make it fresh. I try to throw a lot of new stuff in there, and have it as the marker of where my music’s going for the next year. Everything follows this pinnacle of the summer, essentially.

You’re playing at the Pagoda instead of the Fractal Forest this year—why is that?
There’s a few reasons—the first and probably the most important is that I was approached by the Pagoda to perform. That was the only offer I received, so I took it very quickly. It’s a new experience for me, so it allowed me to take a new approach as to how I was going to perform the set, which I found interesting.

Another reason is that there’s a lot more room on the Pagoda—it’s catered more towards allowing live elements to happen. It’s a bigger spectacle stage, so you can just get those epic moments. In regards to the visual element of the stage, I’m very tied-in to the animators and the VJs that run some of the animations, so I get my own custom show. That’s a big opportunity for me to not only have the music side of the performance, but to have the full visual element of it as well—coming together from some of my best friends, who do very good work.

And lastly, like I said before, it’s the new opportunity—I like to push myself, and I like to try new things. So, it’s still going to very much be a Defunk set, it’s gonna have funk and blues and heavy music—except it’s an 11pm Pagoda headliner set. (Editor’s note: Defunk played around 4AM on the first night of the festival for the previous 2 years.)

I’m giving it my all, so it’s an opportunity for me to try something slightly new, which is very exciting for me. Also, it’s a REALLY kick-ass time-slot.

Part of the beauty of Shambhala is the vibe that they’ve created and managed for all these years.

What did you think of Shambhala 20 in particular, last year?
It was a very weird year. Just with the fires, really—that was the kicker. It changed the whole dynamic of the festival for me. I actually left on Saturday, since my girlfriend was not doing very well. She was having serious anxiety attacks because of the smoke, and the lack of proper oxygen was really tough for her. We ended up leaving on Saturday when they gave us the warning that the festival might be cancelled. Thus, we ended up missing 2 nights, which was unfortunate. Even with the lead-up to it, there was the knowledge that the fire was close to the festival. It put a lot of stress on a lot of people, and it was a different vibe from what I’m used to seeing at Shambhala, in my eight years being here. I thought that [my] set went well—I always try to zone in when I’m playing. It’s not like it was a bad year, it was… full of anxiety, and stress, I think.

I usually bounce between stages and see a little bit here and there. I saw some of TroyBoi, which was fantastic. I think I caught both of his sets, actually. Drum ‘n’ bass has a big, big, BIG place in my heart, so I saw Andy C. The Village has awesome lineups all around, and those are some of the standout ones, for sure.

You’ve mentioned Shambhala as your favourite festival; if you magically gained control of the festival, what would you do differently?
Woooo! That’s a tough question! Honestly, I think they’re nailing it, especially this year. I don’t know if I would change anything. Part of the beauty of Shambhala is the vibe that they’ve created and managed for all these years. I think… maybe… I don’t even know! It’s pretty perfect, really. And every year, they seem to step it up even more so. The process of getting into the festival this year was great. It was nice and easy, so again, they’ve improved on that.

Maybe I would say, if anything, I would try to create an area for the artists that’s a little more shaded. There’s definitely a large area in the artists’ camping that is VERY, very bright, and very hot. For a lot of artists that fly in from around the world, it can be an overwhelming experience to fly in and then get the ride into this festival. Maybe you’ve never been here before, and to go through such conditions that are extremely hot is tough for some people, and I think that creating an element where they feel really comfortable, well-shaded and really taken care of—not that they aren’t now, but just a really nice area for them to chill in, and to stay cool, would be  one of the things I would probably change.

I wanted to make music that I can play out and I was happy to go back to, with catchy vocal choruses that potentially stay in people’s heads for a while.

Last time, you referred to Stepping Out as, “a way to step outside of your comfort zone, and get to do you, as an artist again.” That said, how does your latest EP, Empire, relate?
You know, it’s actually quite similar in that description. Empire, for me, was an EP of songs that I felt would have a lot of replay value. I wanted to make them catchy and punchy—songs that I don’t just drop in and out of as a quick banger. I wanted to make music that I can play out and I was happy to go back to, with catchy vocal choruses that potentially stay in people’s heads for a while.

A lot of my previous works were sample-based. They would have some small vocal samples here and there, or there would be more and more instrumentals. But, I think for me, I wanted to make a very condensed, very action-packed little EP of music. It was in a sense, “Stepping Out” of my comfort zone again, and making music that I felt was just reflective of who I was at the time, and to try things that were new to me. It’s always been very important for me to push my own boundaries, and to keep changing. The idea of me making the same music over and over again—it’s not who I am. I wanna keep moving forward, and I like trying things out.

Would you say you have a particular favourite from the EP?
I do! ‘Can’t Buy Me’ is, stylistically, the most different from what I normally do. Tempo-wise, it’s a lot slower, it’s got a lot of interesting inspirations from trap & future bass, and there’s some elements of Big Gigantic in there, I guess you could say, with some of the piano and the horn lines. I felt that one in particular. For me, it was kind of a standout—it was different, and it was just satisfying to make.

And really, out of all the 4 songs, that [one] came together the quickest, which sometimes, is the sign of a killer track. The songs that come together like that are just meant to be, y’know? And the ones you spend a LOT of time finessing and refining… maybe they get lost in the shuffle. But personally, that’s one of my favourites, yet needless to say, I’ll be playing all of the new EP in my set this year.

What’s been a highlight of your spring/summer tour?
Well, I did a lot of touring this year, actually. I did a lot of touring with Russ Liquid, and with The Funk Hunters, so I was on several different tours throughout the winter, into the spring. And I got to travel and play in a lot of different cities I had not had the opportunity to play in. Everywhere from Omaha to Boston and New York, and down the East Coast; all the way through the Midwest, down to the South, through the West Coast: through Oregon, and Seattle, and Bellingham.

This year, playing shows was pretty liberating. Seeing my reach really grow in the U.S. quite a bit was pretty amazing. And then, I’ve been playing a lot in Canada this summer. So, it’s been a nice balance. I’ve been playing a lot of Canadian festivals, and keeping it very local, which is nice, because I love the crowds in Canada. You can play whatever you want—you can get away with playing essentially anything you want in Canada, and people dance to it. Whereas in the U.S., you really have to think about where you’re going to play. There are certain sounds that don’t go over very well, or they’re not used to them in that way.

Shambhala, obviously, is a highlight. I just came back from Electric Love in Vancouver, which actually blew me away! I hadn’t really heard about it until this year, and it was a well put-together festival. Astral Harvest was a great festival as well. I’ve got a festival in Ohio coming up, called Resonance, so I’m looking forward to that.

And on top of that, what else do you have planned for the near future?
I just actually switched over to a new booking agency, so I’m excited to see what comes out of it. We’re in the transition phase, and getting things rolling – looking at getting fall/winter tours lined up. So, so far, I can’t really speak too much about what I have coming up immediately, but we’re working on a bunch of things. I’ve got a bunch of new music that I haven’t released yet, that I’m gonna be working on, putting together into a little EP, or possibly singles and spreading it out over the course of the next four or five months. We’re also hoping for a nice tour placement – a support act would be great, to get back into some of these American cities. Hopefully a Canadian tour as well.

Bonus Question: Top sets you’re looking forward to this weekend?
Let me see here… I don’t have a schedule in front of me, BUT: Camo & Krooked, for sure. For drum n’ bass, they’re just so wicked! They’ve got their own style, and it’s very well-done. Who else… Rezz, I didn’t get to see her whole set last time, so I’m looking forward to actually seeing a whole Rezz set. And I think Kursa actually, who’s playing right before me—he’s a good friend of mine, and I really enjoy his music. So he’s gonna be a great one to watch, and a great performance—as well as KOAN Sound, who, of course, are my other really good friends. They are the same night as me, after Adventure Club, so that’s gonna be a great set to catch too.

Pictures courtesy of PicJer Photography; check out this year’s Shambhala experience through his album on Facebook!

The post Interview: Catching Up With Defunk At Shambhala appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Last year’s spectacle is known not only for marking the festival’s 20th annual celebration, but also its now-infamous wildfire situation which was simultaneously occurring nearby. I believe it’s safe to say that this year was FAR more lax than the previous one—tickets for this year sold out much, much later than last year’s record (which was less than 24 hours). Also, at the multiple stages, there was (generally) free room to wiggle through and dance anywhere, even right up at the front of the stage. Of course, there were exceptions to this. One such example is Rezz, mainly due to the wildfires forcing her to miss her 2017 set, thus making up for it this year. Some who caught her monumental set this year claimed that she “won Shambhala”.

It’s a week(end)-long tale

Shambhala as a whole is labelled as a music festival (from Friday to Monday), yet it’s so, SO much more than just that. The camping aspect alone, which starts as early as the Tuesday prior to the festival, turns the farm into a small community, where people go all-out and set up camp in the most creative ways. These range from massive jungle gyms, to tents projecting dazzling lights/various holograms, as well as a few mini-stages scattered throughout the farm when the main stages weren’t in operation. The latter cases were constantly being shut down by security guards on ATVs outside of Friday-Sunday, though.

A significant portion of the time, good vibes prevailed above all else on the farm. Should there be something wrong for whatever reason, there’s always someone within earshot willing to help out in any way that they can—regardless of being an attendee, staff/crew member, artist, or volunteer.

As a perfect example, the very laptop I used to type this article came with me to Shambhala; however, I was set up in a very dusty region, which caused it to malfunction and refuse to turn on. Google (on my phone) told me that it may be upwards of a few hundred dollars to repair, issue-dependent. Yet, one of the techs on-site took a look for me, and after an hour of trying various methods of repair, it sprung back to life! (I didn’t touch it again until I returned to the city.) That example was but one of many happy tales that took place that week(end), which also included a heartwarming wedding of two lovers who met at Shamb the year before.

There’s always something to do, see, and experience around every corner, and sitting next to almost any stranger is likely to spark up a conversation about anything on your/their mind at that particular moment.

The adventure adds to the experience

Getting there is no walk in the park – once you turn off the main road, it’s a long, slow, winding and dusty drive uphill, before actually reaching the farm. My buddies and I flew in to Kelowna, and drove a rental 4 hours east to the destination. The BC scenery along the way was breathtaking, and we arrived just as the sun had set for the day.

The locals can easily tell who’s in town for Shambhala, and some will go on to start a conversation about it, if not share their experiences if they’ve been in the past. For the first-timers especially, this helps bolster the anticipation. Throw in a week(end) of camping in the mountains underneath the Milky Way, and it’s a journey you’ll want to make over and over again.

The people

Each year I come back from Shamb, I feel so loved beyond what I could have possibly imagined, thanks to the countless acts of heartfelt intentions shared throughout the week. Hugs are the main source of greeting on the farm, commonly accompanied with a “Happy Shambs/Shamb/Shambhala”. Regardless of whether it was a hug, fist bump, solid eye contact, or all three simultaneously, I not only felt the person before me, but also my soul resonating with theirs. There’s a much higher inclination to be open and expressive about who you really are and wish to become, knowing that no matter who you present your true self as, you’ll be loved and accepted by those around you without judgment. Small acts of kindness also run rampant, from one stranger newfound friend to the next, to help spread the smiles and love throughout the farm.

Stepping outside of one’s comfort zone is also much easier. Over the years, it’s helped me let go of (most of) my social anxieties, and I find myself having much more thorough conversations with near everybody I come across in life. On our last day, my buddies and I went by the river one last time to chill and play some proper tunes. One woman came up to me, stepped out of her shell, and asked if I could dance with her to one of the songs. I was moved by the gesture, and happily agreed—we danced for about a minute before the song ended, yet it’s a moment I’ll never forget down by the riverside.

It’s the little things

The people of Shambhala themselves are very meticulous – hiding treats/surprises for others to find in unexpected places, while paying attention to the gestures and small details in what they/others say, do, and interact with. Artists also go much harder with their Shambhala sets, and the staff, crew, and volunteers are seen doing everything they can to ensure that the whole operation is running as smoothly as possible at all times. This also applies to the way the environment around us is taken care of.

I’ve tolerated stepping on countless cups, beer cans, and endless amounts of sticky substances (let’s assume alcohol) on the dance floor, both at clubs and other festivals alike. At Shamb, it’s so refreshing watching “everyone” pick up any form of garbage, and dispose of it in the nearest trash/recycling receptacle. It happens so frequently, that there generally isn’t much, if any, left for others to pick up, ensuring that the farm remains as clean and pristine as possible. I’m pretty sure that the farm animals that live on the ranch the rest of the year really appreciate our efforts.

I could go on and on abut the different aspects of Shambhala that make it absolutely wonderful, yet the official 2018 aftermovie below perfectly captures what I could not.

For those seriously considering buying a ticket, I encourage and implore you to do so, and attend at least once. Each year has been a life-changing experience for me; watching more and more friends make the journey out West each year makes it all the more magical.

The post Shambhala Never Fails to Bring the Magic [2018 Recap + Aftermovie] appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

He was also one of Shambhala Music Festival‘s early artist reveals for this year, alongside REZZ, The Glitch Mob, and DJ QBert. His set during the first night of the festival was part of a Dirtybird takeover at the festival’s Pagoda stage, with Watson playing right after fellow Dirtybird artist Fisher that evening.

Just before his set, we had the pleasure to sit down and catch up with Kyle, particularly regarding his upcoming album, and how the overall season has been for him.

I can start writing in the afternoon and nothing happens. And then, it ticks over to 11, 11:30, and straight away *snaps finger* the ideas just start flowing.

–Kyle Watson

Where did your love for music come from, and how did that lead you to where you are today?
My father was in the music industry his whole life, and so I grew up listening to all kinds of good music.
And what would you consider “good music”?
Fleetwood Mac, and the like – good ol’ stuff. He actually bought me my first program to write music on, and that must have been when I was about 10. I started messing around with 4/4 beats back then, just for fun, and it all just kind of balled from there.

You’re currently affiliated with multiple different labels! Not too many artists get to release under such a wide variety, what’s that like?
I’ve always tried to not lock myself down to one particular label or anything like that, but I have found really good homes at This Ain’t Bristol and Dirtybird. I don’t really like to write music that’s done [for] one kind of avenue, and my album will show that. I like to write a track, not for any specific kind of reason, and then I think afterwards: “What label will this fit on?”
Having the feeling of not being locked down to a certain label allows me to approach different people and be like, “Do you want this song?” So, I’m able to find the right homes for the music.
Would you say that you have some songs which haven’t been made for any labels, and if so, what have you done with them?
I would actually say yes – mainly the album, because it’s so different. Luckily, This Ain’t Bristol has quite an open mind with regards to music, and they signed the track listing off the bat. I mean, I do mess around a bit, but if you don’t have an outlet for the music, then it’s not really worth writing.

Speaking of your debut album, what can you tell us about the project?
The name comes from me writing all of the tracks into the hours of the morning: starting at 10pm at night, and then just working until 2 in the morning – getting very little sleep, just getting these tracks done. I worked on the writing process for about a year, going back and reverting and everything. It’s a project that I’m most proud to have achieved in my whole career, which has been over a decade. So, it’s a pretty big step for me.
Is there a reason you chose to work during those specific hours?
I find that my best ideas come to me after 11 o’clock at night. I can start writing in the afternoon and nothing happens. And then, it ticks over to 11, 11:30, and straight away *snaps finger* the ideas just start flowing. I dunno, there’s something psychologically weird about it. But the best ideas come to me at that time.

Do you have a particular favourite track while working on the album?
I have multiple favourites. There’s a track on there – it’s a hip-hop track I wrote with a South-African rapper called PHFat. It’s so different for me, but it’s come out so well and it’s probably my favourite, when I’m listening to the album, to flip back to. There’s cool house stuff on there as well (obviously), but for me, I was able to jump out of that house music mindset and really focus on different stuff; the track with PHFat is the result of that.

You’ve been affiliated with Dirtybird for almost 4 years now – have you done a Dirtybird Campout in your time with them?
I have not.
With that being said, what do you hope to gain from such an experience?
I’m super excited for Campout! It’s something I never really thought I would actually get the chance to play. So, it’s pretty exciting for me, and I know that Barclay‘s wanted me there for a couple of years now. So, it’s actually really cool to know that as well. It’s gonna be the first time that I’m in amongst the whole crew, which is pretty rad.

And going forward, what else would you like to accomplish by the end of the summer/winter?
I think I’m pretty much accomplishing it already – I do want the album to obviously do really well. I just want the album to come out now, and I want to hear what people have to say about it. And then, I’ve got another tour coming up in October, throughout the U.S., where I’m gonna be playing Campout and a bunch of other shows in Seattle, Portland, Denver. I’m also gonna be debuting in L.A. – so I’ve got all of that stuff to look forward to.

Kyle’s album, Into the Morning, is set to drop next week, on the 24th. In the meantime, check out his accompanying tour schedule below, as well as a minimix for the album!

Picture included in the interview courtesy of PicJer Photography. Check out his extensive Shambhala 2018 album!

The post Interview: Kyle Watson Graced Shambhala With a Taste of his Upcoming Album appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Each of Shambhala’s 6 stages is known to be a separate standing entity, with a dedicated team of stage directors/crew behind its operation, to bring forth its own inimitable journey. All of this occurs while the stages work in harmony with one another for an interconnected and mystical experience, once the festival is in full swing mid-August. This year may feel even more connected, given the increased diversity of genres across each stage.

The funky phenomenon, Fractal Forest, is going to celebrate its 20th anniversary of being a part of the festival. With names like Mix Master Mike, Beardyman and Gramatik on the roster, it’s bound to be an out-of-this-world milestone experience. On another hand, The Grove is commemorating 5 years on the farm! Artists such as Clams Casino and FUX favourite Brasstracks are slated to deliver an unreal, style-blending experience throughout the course of the weekend.

Along with the stage announcements, there’s also curated Spotify playlists to get a taste of what each stage will sound like this year. But, since that’s clearly not enough music for the upcoming hype, Shambhala has also announced the start of their 2018 Mix Series! This year starts off with Colorado’s Dirt Monkey, who delivers a heavy, wobble-infested mix, which goes all-in from start to finish. Check out the mix, and each stage’s full lineup, below!

Shambhala 2018 Tickets

The post Shambhala Announces Full Lineup + 2018 Mix Series appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

After already teasing us with its first few artist reveals, REZZ, The Glitch Mob, DJ QBert, and Kyle Watson, the festival has now announced its full headliner roster. There’s a slew of returning residents, such as  A.Skillz, The Funk Hunters, Skratch Bastid, and Fort Knox Five & QDup. It will also host the likes of New York’s producer/beatmaker/label founder Gramatik, world-inspired psychedelic trio Dirtwire, UK liquid funk maestro Alix Perez, as well as a back-to-back set featuring DC Breaks and Loadstar, to name a small portion of its diverse selection.

There has been mention that this year’s lineup has much more of a house-oriented tilt, particularly with the Dirtybird flock settling in – comprising of Dirtybird founder Claude Vonstroke (who’s also doubling as Barclay Crenshaw), brothers Christian Martin and Justin Martin, Fisher, and Maximono.

Some will almost instantly notice the absence of Excision on this year’s lineup. The Kelowna producer was a resident to the festival for many years; he even celebrated last year’s Shambhala20 event with a special 10th anniversary set, honouring a decade of being at the farm. Keeping busy with his Lost Lands experience, he will be missed, yet this does not mean the end for him in regards to Shambhala.

The post Shambhala Music Festival Unveils a Solid 2018 Lineup appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

The past year alone has seen some unplanned festival circumstances, for example:

• Brazil’s Atmosphere Festival experienced the tragic loss of DJ Kaleb Freitas, along with 3 injured, due to a high-wind storm on 17 Dec.
• T.O.’s own Electric Island, after an entire summer of being held on the mainland rather than at its home venue (Toronto Island) due to flooding, got to celebrate its 2-Day Labour Day season finale on the island – only to evacuate the island on the second day (4 Sep), thanks to an approaching thunderstorm.
• The 20th annual Shambhala Music Festival (11-14 Aug) was under heavy watch by the festival’s organizers and local government officials, because of the British Columbia wildfire situation occurring throughout the summer.

The latter state of affairs was quite an event in itself, to say the very least. As amazing as the festival undoubtedly was, being fully aware of the severity of BC’s wildfire situation really helped reality sink in, amidst all of the magic, surrealism and wonder taking place deep within the mountains that week.

Although the haze concealed the glorious mountain scenery, the smiles were inevitable and strong throughout the weekend.

As a quick refresher of what went down over the extended weekend: on Wednesday, the first evening of early entry onto the festival grounds, we received notice of an evacuation alert nearby – it didn’t affect us at the time, but was meant to make us aware, should the situation change. It wasn’t until Saturday that we received an update, which announced the evacuation alert extending to the festival grounds, as well as a full-blown evacuation order for the nearby Nelway area. Later that same day, Shambhala made the announcement that it was cancelling its third and final night.

The first thing on a lot of our minds, after literally months of saving, budgeting, planning, dreaming, creating, and sharing on social media how ecstatic we were to celebrate such a milestone, was a despondent wave of sadness. Nonetheless, we fully understood the situation- it was to ensure our utmost safety; being shrouded by heavy smog from the constant wildfires helped us grasp the gravity of the situation. Still, there was a small glimmer of hope deep within, which told us that “maybe it could somehow come back on.”

10:00am Sunday morning, after sleeping through my 9:00 alarm, my buddy ventured deep into the forest to find my tent, shake me awake, and inform me that the festival didn’t come back on – thus we all needed to leave. Just as he and I dismantled/packed up my tent and belongings, we heard two people screaming and dashing through the forest, hollering that the organizers have decided that the show will go on for the final evening after all!

What if the conditions didn’t turn out like that? What if, through some unfortunate turn of events, they got worse?

What’s more is that later that night, after 50 days of drought, we were doused with heavy rainfall, 3 minutes to midnight. All we could think to do was cheer incredulously, dance in the rain, and hug one another as we cried into each other’s shoulders. Monday morning, as we packed up and left the farm, I took a long, hard look at the first instance of a clear blue sky, since arriving in the province almost a week prior.

Such a happy, magical fairy-tale-like ending is undoubtedly perfect for a place such as Shambhala. But back things up a bit, in regards to the reality aspect once more. What if the conditions didn’t turn out like that? What if, through some unfortunate turn of events, they got worse? There were those who, like me, slept scattered throughout the forest because we stayed up ’till sunrise to catch Calyx & TeeBee and Spiral Architects at The Village, well past sunrise, knowing it was in our best interests to leave as soon as possible for safety’s sake.

On the other hand, those who took heed of the weekend-long warnings and left early to avoid traffic for the evacuation were reasonably upset by the “change of mind”, if you will. Some claimed to have already gotten as far as Kelowna, an approx. 4-hour drive from the farm, and well beyond. Despite the option to return to the festival hassle-free (with wristbands intact), it wasn’t feasible for some – which led to some inevitable disdain, missing out on the final night.

There’s no such thing as a perfect situation when it comes to things like these. And the decision to hold the final night after all was far from an easy one for the coordinators to make, given the artist cancellations/replacements that followed, as well as potential financial losses – for attendees, workers, festival organizers, and everyone in-between. From an attendee viewpoint, there were some costumes that likely never got worn. (Yes, some of us came with a different costume for each day!) Flights/trips back home were probably thrown out of whack for some, especially those who left early.

And to top it all off, it was damn near impossible to take in one particularly hard truth. Shambhala is so wondrous, to the point that it doesn’t seem like it’s real. As I mentioned following my first Shamb experience last year, “everything is like one continuous dream which you know is actually occurring“. To have that knowingly taken away/cut short was a brutal wake-up call – being deprived of its loving sense of farmily/community, along with some of the absolute best of the underground (Shambhala itself is quite a tastemaker in the electronic music scene), was quite a dampener on an extravagantly-hyped summer.

Despite all these setbacks, the way in which it was handled by the Shambhala team, from pre- to start to finish, was top-class, given the situation’s unpredictable nature. Staying on top of the wildfire updates every single hour, for multiple days on end, was an arduous task in itself, especially while simultaneously ensuring that the festival was running smoothly and to schedule. And as much as the wildfires were raging in the back of our minds, there was a general feeling of safety throughout the week, which helped put some, if not most, of our minds at ease for the better part of it all.

Looking towards the 2018 season, no matter what may go down this summer, I wish to say have fun, be safe, and let’s continue to be there for one another in whatever way we can – let’s prove that PLUR isn’t truly burnt out. <3

PIctures courtesy of Alex Pflaum – check out the full Shamb 2017 gallery on our Facebook page!

The post “I Survived The Great Shambhala Fire of 2017” [Festival Evacuations] appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

It draws inspiration from multiple realms of bass. Some of the features include the nostalgic glitch sounds of Koan Sound, massive heavy-hitters like Trampa and Vorso, as well as tracks off their latest EP, for a set that will have you flailing, headbanging, and wobbling along with the crowd vibes heard throughout the hour-and-a-half mix. It’s censored, in which profanities are replaced with dog barks – which is very fitting for young puppers listening to the mix. Check out the  set below, and (re-)experience the madness that went down on the farm that night!

Given the popularity of their set, there’s a chance that they could (potentially) make a return to the farm next year! You can acquire tickets to Shambhala 2018 here.

The post um..’s Shambhala Set is a Doggone Stomper appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

“Did you catch um.. last night!?”

“Um.. went IIIIIN! They were so fucking heavy.”

“One of my fave sets of the weekend was um.. at Amp.”

Along with conversations focusing on a round of Do You FUXWITHIT and rating some dogs, we got to chat with the duo on Saturday afternoon at Shambhala. We were all still getting used to the nightly routine, having only been through the first official night of the festival. We met up with Dylan & Ben, who were both beaming with energy, and eager to sit down and chat… almost like happy little puppers.

We found a nearby golf cart, got them comfortable, set up camera, and started the questionnaire.

Featured image and interview videography courtesy of Alex Pflaum. Check out more of his work in our Shambhala 2017 album!

um.. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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