Symbiosis Gathering 2015 is NEXT WEEK. Wow. We have been waiting a long time for this one. Two years in fact, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most spectacular events of the year. With extraordinary art and music, round-the-clock workshops, interactive areas, swimming, and ART BOATS (!!!), Symbiosis has an overhwhelming amount of immersive experiences to offer. It also just so happens to have one of the best music lineups we’ve ever seen. On that note, here are 11 sets that you really should not miss at Symbiosis 2015.
1. EPROM (Thursday – 10:45pm @ The Grott0)
Oh EPROM… Can you ever do any wrong? Of course not. This connoisseur of low-end lunacy comes to Symbiosis on a mission to shake things up and turn the Woodward Reservoir into a makeshift wave pool. When it comes to bass music production, none are as innovative and effective as EPROM. His sound is a signature, and his presence at Symbiosis will be known whether you like it or not. This set will be the closest thing to an earthquake we’ll get all weekend (unless there’s an actual earthquake, that is).
https://soundcloud.com/theglitchmob/skullclub-eprom-remix-1
2. Minnesota b2b G Jones (Friday night – 12:15am @ Big Island)
Both Minnesota and G Jones have been on a tear as of late in their own rights, constantly producing, touring the country, and showing off their West Coast Bass chops at countless venues and festivals. Both in the prime of their careers with nowhere to go but up, this b2b set will be a convergence of two similarly minded friends and musicians, and a showcase of the leaps and bounds they’ve made in the bass community this year alone. Minnesota vs. G Jones has always been one of my favorite sets, and it’s bound to be a special one at Symbiosis.
3. Crying Over Porcelain (Saturday morning – 6:30am @ The Spring)
This may very well be my single most anticipated set of the weekend. This very special, very rare performance is a collaboration between The Glitch Mob’s edIT & Ooah, and their respective solo projects, “Crying Over Pros for No Reason” and “Of Porcelain.” Together, this collaboration becomes Crying Over Porcelain, and it’s going to be a truly spectacular way to enjoy the sunrise on a beautiful Saturday morning with a downtempo, bass-heavy soundtrack.
4. Nicolas Jaar (Saturday night – 12:15am @ Big Island)
He is technically the “headliner,” after all, if you want to call it that. And for good reason. We are oh so lucky to have Nicolas Jaar as part of the Symbiosis family. His distinct sound is unlike any other yet instantly recognizable. Needless to say, this Nicolas Jaar DJ set will be chock-full of groovy tunes, otherworldly dance tracks, and that Chilean kick that really gives his music some extra flavor. This is like the art house version of… well, house music.
https://soundcloud.com/nicolas-jaar/mi-mujer
5. Desert Dwellers (Sunday – 3:30pm @ The Spring)
The West Coast festival scene wouldn’t be what it is today without Desert Dwellers. The psychedelic, ambient, and emotional sound of Desert Dwellers is hard to describe, but the atmosphere of a Desert Dwellers set always leaves its mark on its crowd. To be part of a Desert Dwellers set is like being in a trance. When the music ends, you look around and wonder, “Where am I? What just happened?” Seriously, it’s an intense experience, and no festival is complete without it.
6. Random Rab (Sunday – 6:45pm @ Juke Town)
Everyone loves a Random Rab sunrise, so why not try a Random Rab sunset? It’s Sunday evening. 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 Symbiosis Gathering 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. Here’s to hoping Rab will also pop up for a sunrise set somewhere. He did it in the Android Jones MOVA gallery at LiB, so maybe he’ll do it again at MOVA for Symbiosis. 😉
7. Lucent Dossier Experience (Friday – 11pm @ Big Island)
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, 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.
8. Dimond Saints (Friday night – 3am @ The Spring)
If the city of Oakland was a sound, Dimond Saints would be that sound. Beautiful, artistic, passionate, and oh-so-dark. Oakland’s best bass duo continues to rise from the Easy Bay underground in their quest to take over the world by means of future bass domination. When that Dimond Saints sound drips and drops through a loaded sound system, or bodies turn to slaves in worship of our bass masters. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s the lowest, deepest, darkest, heaviest bass in town. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of bass. When performed live, it’s an artillery of bass. It’s a line of tanks opening fire with low-frequency mayhem. It’s just so underground East Bay. There’s simply nothing like it. Yeah… these guys kill it. And they’ve been rocking awesome outfits at their sets lately, so don’t miss out.
9. Merkaba (Saturday – 7pm @ The Grotto)
To categorize Merkaba’s music would be a disservice. The simple way to put it would be to call it Kalya Scintilla’s progressive psytrance side-project. But it is so much more than that. The only thing I can express for sure is how excited I am to immerse myself in this set. This is arguably the most psychedelic music that Symbiosis will offer all weekend, so whether you’re a dedicated psytrance devotee or someone who runs to the hills in fear every time the word “psy” is even mentioned, this is a set worth experiencing. It’s not psytrance, and it’s not Kalya. It’s Merkaba, and that’s the only way to put it.
10. Blond:ish (Sunday – 4pm @ Juke Town)
Symbiosis wouldn’t be Symbiosis without techno & house, so I had to make sure to include at least one techno artist on this list (again, it’s really hard to make a concise list with this ridiculously stacked lineup). If you had to pick one techno artist to see during the weekend, it’s hard to argue against Blond:ish. The French Canadian techno duo from Montreal has been killing the festival scene for quite some time now, and we should be grateful that their exploration of techno will bring us many new sounds and tracks that will have us dancing for hours. Symbiosis is home to some truly high-caliber techno, and Blond:ish is certainly no exception.
11. Tipper (???)
Let’s face it. Tipper is one of the biggest musical selling points of this event, and everybody has been talking about it. Well, now there’s even more to talk about, because he’s not even listed on the schedule! How weirdly crazily awesome is that? He is performing, we just don’t know when and where, but we have reason to believe that’s it’s going to be even more special because of it. Tipper’s glitch-heavy music knows no bounds, and we’re excited for the emotional sonic journey his set will take us on. Now let’s just hope that it’s paired with some live Android Jones visuals. Pretty please.
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This is just a very small sample of the incredible music that Symbiosis Gathering 2015 has to offer. Other sets we are really excited for include Plantrae, Kaminanda, Shpongle, Bleep Bloop, The Human Experience, and countless others.
Experience passes are still available here! Check out Symbiosis Gathering for more info. Do not miss out on this one!
