One of the best West Coast festivals of the year is finally upon us as Lightning in a Bottle returns to Bradley, CA this Memorial Day weekend. The recently released schedules have us excited to boogie and Woogie deep into the night, with an absurd and overwhelming plethora of music, activities, workshops, speakers, art installations, interactive areas, and more. Here are 10 sets we are excited to catch.
1. Mikey Lion
Friday – The Woogie @ 12:30pm
Friday – Favela Bar @ 9pm
Photo by Spirit Shutter
If you’re not familiar with Desert Hearts yet, then congratulations on finally moving out of that rock you’ve been living under. It seems like no West Coast festival is complete these days without a Desert Hearts takeover, and Lightning in a Bottle is no exception. This SoCal techno troupe will be taking its talents to the Favela Bar all day and all night Friday. At the forefront of it all is Mikey Lion, who will also be turning The Woogie into a tropical techno rainforest. The young house & techno DJ knows as well as anyone how to bring good vibes to the dance floor, and we can’t wait to be on both dance floors vibing with him as well. House. Techno. Love.
2. an-ten-nae
Thursday – Favela Bar @ 1am (Thursday night)
Oakland-based bass music veteran and Acid Crunk mastermind an-ten-nae is no stranger to Lightning in a Bottle. Him and fellow Oaklander Releece (who also has a set at 3pm on Friday at Pagoda Bar) threw down one of the most memorable sets of last year’s LIB as Dimond Saints. an-ten-nae’s passion for experimental, memorable bass-heavy sounds knows no bounds, and we can’t wait to celebrate opening night at the festival with him at Favela Bar. Oh and we are also desperately hoping for a secret Dimond Saints set at some point throughout the weekend.
3. Stylust Beats
Saturday – Thunder Stage @ 9:30pm – 11pm
Stylust Beats could very well be my most anticipated artist playing at the bass Mecca, Thunder Stage, all weekend. The variety of bass tracks that he spins into his sets is limitless. Whether you’re into dub, trap, drum & bass, glitch-hop, hip-hop, trip-hop, Stylust Beats will have you hopping one way or another. West Coast Bass is more than a style of music, it’s a style of life, and Stylust Beats is a worthy ambassador to this culture of low-end lunacy. Bass genres will drip into one another like liquid during this can’t-miss set. Words don’t do it justice. Check out his set from Shambhala below.
4. Kraddy
Friday – Pagoda Bar @ 11pm
This set might provide the hardest set conflict of the weekend for me. Yes, Odesza will be soothing souls and shaking shit at Lightning Stage at this time, but LA-based bass musician and The Glitch Mob co-founding member Kraddy (though he his no longer part of the crew) will be relentless in his assault of sub-bass for the Pagoda Bar crowd. Every drink at the bar will look like a scene from Jurassic Park when Kraddy takes the decks. As a Do LaB and LiB regular, this won’t be his first rodeo, but it might be one of his wildest. It’s loud, it’s heavy, and it will be intense.
5. Pumpkin
Friday – Lightning Stage @ 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Photo by Daniel Zetterstrom (from Pumpkin Facebook page)
Lightning in a Bottle without Pumpkin would be like Christmas without Santa Claus. Luckily for us, Pumpkin is real, and everyone and their mothers know that we’re in for a special treat when Pumpkin takes the Lightning Stage on Friday for the 2015 edition of his legendary Lightning in a Bottle sets. I think everyone would prefer to see him in his natural habitat at The Woogie, but there’s no denying that this guy deserves to take his talents to the main stage. Pumpkin is no doubt one of the most talented DJs and remixers in the scene, and his song selection is near flawless. House fans and bass fans alike can find some common ground in dancing the afternoon away to Pumpkin’s thumping beats. It’s going to be a good time. Check out his legendary set from last year’s LiB below, one of the most demanded SoundClound links I’ve ever seen.
6. Lucent Dossier Experience
Lightning Stage – Saturday @ 11pm – 12:10am
Photo by Spirit Shutter
Imagine a troupe of psychedelic spirits dancing with fire to music produced by your carnie dentist who lives on the moon. Imagine acrobatic stunts, facial expressions, and body movements that you didn’t know existed. And imagine some of the loudest, proudest bass music known to man. Now mix all of these things together in a witch’s cauldron, add some paint and lighter fluid, and throw it EVERYWHERE. A Lucent Dossier show is a finely tuned, intricately crafted, and thoroughly polished experience, but it celebrates a new age of creativity, spontaneity, and downright madness. Oh, and onesies. Because no matter how bad things get in this strange world we live in, we will always have onesies. This is the Lucent Dossier Experience, the face of Lightning in a Bottle, and for the uninitiated, this will be the most memorable set of the weekend. If you’ve never seen a Lucent Dossier show, you have to see this set. If you have seen one, I already know you’ll be there.
7. TV Broken 3rd Eye Open
Grand Artique – Saturday @ 4pm – 5pm
Oh hey, live music. I swear we didn’t forget about you! TV Broken 3rd Eye Open is an awesome psychedelic jam band, and they come to LiB’s Grand Artique in hopes of expanding your mind via a bevy of world music sounds, tribal instruments, and an intricate arrangement of– well, psychedelic jamming. Where would we be without psychedelic jam bands, honestly? We probably wouldn’t all be gathering at music festivals the same way we do, so let’s show live music some love as one of California’s greatest takes the stage at the Grand Artique on Saturday.
8. Random Rab
Lightning Stage – Sunday @ 9:40pm – 11:10pm
It’s Sunday night. Random Rab’s set finishes. What just happened? I was just in a paralyzed trance for the last 90 minutes. I cry, and you do too, because Lightning in a Bottle 2015 is almost over. This is going to happen. Random Rab’s incredible downtempo compositions are that emotional, and this is going to be one of the most mesmerizing sets of the weekend. The audio/visual experience Random Rab will take us through is going to be one to remember. But would Lightning in a Bottle be complete without a secret Random Rab sunrise set somewhere? It has to happen. Please let it happen. As epic as his Sunday night set will be, his sunrise sets are truly out of this world. Please. Do it.
9. The Human Experience
Lightning Stage – Sunday @ 4:15pm – 5:45pm
Photo by Kyle Doodle Block (from Human Experience Facebook page)
While we’re on the topic of downtempo bass, we might as well bring up David Block aka The Human Experience who will be sharing his musical goodies with us Sunday afternoon. This will be some of the most unique music you’ll hear all weekend, and I wouldn’t dare miss an opportunity to catch The Human Experience at work. Global, downtempo bass galore. Intricate melodic compositions infused with world sounds, dripping with liquid drops and heavy basslines. This is Burner music at it’s finest. Come get weird with us.
10. GoldRush
Pagoda Bar – Friday @ 7pm
Photo by Spirit Shutter
No weekend at Lightning in a Bottle is complete without Do LaB regular and Headtron hero, GoldRush, who will be repping his crew during the Headtron takeover at Pagoda Bar on Friday. The bass is strong with this one, as GoldRush will be blending bass genres like it’s nothing. GoldRush will bring it in this bass buffet at Pagoda Bar. His genuine love of entertaining a dance floor shows, and we can’t wait to get down. It’s gonna get loud.
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