These mysterious performers come to show us their acts and bask in the nighttime, making bright shapes appear in the air around them. With amazing displays of beauty and skill, they shine for the other ravers attending, illuminating the dance floor with tools seemingly from outer space.
You can get most flow arts tools online. Things like poi, whips, staffs, and others are some of the most common flow arts tools, but they're definitely not the only ones. The world of flow arts is immense and inspiring. If you’re looking to venture into it, the first step is picking your first tool. There’s a lot to choose from so we narrowed it down to five must-have flow toys.
One of the most popular forms of flow arts tools (or “props”) we see at raves is poi. Weighted rods or spheres swinging at the ends of string, ropes, or chains. Poi spinning actually has a very rich history in New Zealand as a way to train strength and balance for warriors, as well as a form of entertainment.
Advanced spinners can use digital poi to create detailed images and designs in the air while they’re spinning or even spin poi on fire. They're simple, durable, fun, and can really improve mental and physical balance. You can get a pair of poi from our sister company, Emazing Lights, right here!
Another flow-tool that love is pixelwhips. These are LED whips used by performers to wrap themselves in light or to make a statement that’s bold, sexy, and dangerous. With new kinds of color modes and customizable parts, you can let your imagination roam free and create your own world. Get a pixelwhip of your own here!
The third prop on the list is one I’ve been noticing more and more at raves. One that is both elegant and mysterious: is LED fans. Much like the famous fans from China, these fans are generally flat, crescent-shaped flow tools. Extravagant dances, routines, and freestyles allow you to tap into your mystic self. You can get a fan for yourself here!
The next flow tool up on the list isn’t new. You’ve probably tried it already, but it’s still a fantastic form of flowing. LED hula-hoops are a great way to connect with our inner child and express ourselves as adults. Their circular shape often produces popular shapes resembling beautiful mandalas that add an almost spiritual feeling to performances. You can hone your focus and simultaneously rediscover joy. Imagine how freeing it would be to hula hoop in an LSDREAM set.
The last tool on the list is contact staffs. Contact staffs are a form of contact juggling. It’s a form of juggling where instead of focussing on tosses and air-tricks you focus on “object manipulation” and rolling the tools over your hands, arms or other parts of the body. The tactile movements connect your mind to your body and also look super cool. Add a powerful, grounding aesthetic to your vibe and blow people away with your skills with a new staff!
Flow arts are an incredible form of creation. They’re a way to bring light into our raves and create fantastic spectacles of light in the night time. They’re a way to train and condition your body while also freeing your mind. They can make you feel like a ninja or a princess. You can free your mind and center your focus. Or just play and waste hours on end. Many of them have histories that go back centuries. The world of flow arts is really fascinating. These versatile tools can spark fascination and wonder back into your routine. All you have to do is take that first step.
]]>Shambhala takes no corporate sponsors. It prides itself in staying close to the people and reflecting the community as purely as possible. The festival focuses on being one of the most heady and underground music festivals while also providing cutting edge visual and audio productions. It takes place on the Salmo River Ranch in the West Kootenay region of Southern British Columbia. In 2015 Vice called it the “The definitive Canadian bass music festival.”
The ranch is a real working farm for most of the year and is tucked off far away from civilization. Then for 5 days out of the year Shamabhala is actually the largest city in the region. The closest gas station and grocery store are in Salmo, BC about 12 km (7.5 miles) away, but the experienced folks at Shambhala suggest stopping in Nelson, BC which is 47 km (29 miles) away for better selections.
If you’re traveling from the States, the closest border crossings are Nelway (11.7 miles away), Waneta (34.1 miles away), and Paterson (49 miles away.) It’s recommended to use Paterson however, because it is open 24 hours a day and is less backed up around the time of the festival.
A note on international travel:
You will need a passport to go to Shambhala if you live outside of Canada, and it's a good idea to check in with your phone carrier and ask about any restrictions that may apply in different countries.
It's also a good idea to know what the COVID-19 restrictions are for Canada at this time. It does look like there are some requirements for what you'll need to do before you can cross the border, so check the Canadian government website here to make sure you have everything.
The nearest airports are Trial, BC (about 27 miles away), Castlegar, BC (about 27 miles away), Cranbrook, BC (about 122 miles away.) If flying internationally is a pain and you’re from the States, there’s an airport in Spokane, Washington about 169 miles away.
If you’re driving your car to the festival make sure it is safe for taking off road and in good working condition because the road can be rough. Or you can skip the vehicle line and give your car a break by taking the shuttle from Vancouver. Parking and camping packages are also included in ticket purchases.
It’s called P.L.U.R. and it stands for Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. For a lot of people it’s a sign of home. For a lot of people it’s a sign of hope. I like to think of it as a sign there’s still some people rooting for the good guy, and they know how to party.
Before 1990 the word “rave” in America was still only used by English and Drama professors for its classic definition—to rave on about something, as in to rant or talk nonstop, or to talk about something with enthusiasm as in "a rave review." The “Raves” we know and love today were really just going on in Europe at the time, though some cities like Chicago and New York had pretty awesome underground music scenes that were havens to Black and LGBTQ+ people during the AIDS crisis.
At that time, Frankie Bones was still just a DJ from Brooklyn, and P.L.U.R. wouldn't come around for another three years. Frankie Bones is widely considered the man who brought Raving to America, and who popularized the idea of P.L.U.R. into a global phenomenon. But to understand the importance of P.L.U.R. you need to understand where it came from.
Brooklyn in the 1980’s was ruthless. Murder was rampant. Crime, poverty, and territorial gang activity were constant. It wasn't a safe place to live and Frankie Bones was not spared. In 1985 Frankie’s Dad, Miles Mitchell was murdered while working at night as a taxi driver, and in 1991 Frankie himself was targeted by an ecstasy druglord who wanted him dead. It’s no wonder Frankie and his brother Adam X focused their shows and records on peace and love.
As the Notorious B.I.G. made clear, to “spread love it’s the Brooklyn way.” Frankie was a prolific artist from a young age, and embodied that idea in his work from the very beginning. Toward the end of the decade raves were becoming extremely popular in England and were loosely modeled after the “hippie” movement from the 1960’s.
The records Frankie produced hit big in England, and with no internet everything spread through word of mouth and in the underground. In 1989 Frankie knuckles traveled to Europe to play at a rave called Energy. Frankie ended up performing in front of 25,000 people and, after experiencing the connective power of raves, he made it his mission to spread the light in America.
In 1990 a social club named Happyland was burned down in a jealous rage by a man trying to kill an ex-girlfriend. 87 people died in the fire and it impacted everyone in the scene. “Peace, love, and unity” turned into the Peace, Love, Unity, Movement, or P.L.U.M. A month later Frankie opened up a record store called “Groove Records” that served as a “home base” for P.L.U.M.
Frankie and his crew were generals in a war against hate. They threw the first Storm Rave on May 11, 1991—a giant underground party put on in the name of peace, love, and unity. These were the first American raves in terms of what we call a rave today. They began picking up momentum, but the last one was thrown on December 12th, 1992.
The series didn’t last long because throwing massive illegal parties in abandoned buildings with drugs and loud music didn't seem sustainable if they wanted to stay out of jail. But the Storm Rave crew (Frankie Bones, Adam X, and Heather Heart) kept throwing parties.
The party kept going, but unfortunately so did the violence in the city. In late June 1993 at a party in Ferry Point Park, a man and a woman in a fight bumped into the table where Frankie Bones was DJing. Memories of the Happyland fire came flooding back to Frankie. He snapped, got on the table and yelled into the mic “If you don’t start showing some peace, love and unity I’ll break you’re f*cking faces.” It’s in this moment of human emotion and extreme passion that popularized the P.L.U.R. phenomenon. That night the “M” for movement was replaced by “R” for respect.
The movement was known at the time, but now the respect was demanded.The world has always been a scary place. Divisiveness and hate have always been present. Dark times are almost constant. Fortunately for us, so is the fight against it. P.L.U.R.is a human accomplishment. Forged in some of the darkest moments of our history, P.L.U.R. is a light of hope for so many people. A diamond of an idea created by the intense pressures of the world we live in. P.L.U.R. is proof it doesn't matter how bleak or scary the world gets, all you need is some friendly humans, some peace, love, unity and respect.
]]>Everything brewed the perfect storm to starve us of our favorite things, but after all that 2020 had to hand us we were able to reconnect in 2021. We finally got to jump and scream and cry and mosh together. We finally got to melt back into the music and fall in love with everything all over again. Now, as we find our new center in a new world with new normals, it’s nice to know that good old-fashioned bass-in-the-face is just as magical as ever.
This year we hit the ground running and our favorite artists show no signs of slowing down. If you want to do it right this New Year's Eve at a New Year's Eve rave, here’s everything you need to know.
Massive lineups are popping up all over the place. From large production festivals to artist-curated special events, you’re never too far away from a New Year’s Eve worth remembering. Down in Louisville, Kentucky the young legend Griz will be teaming up with the OG powerhouse-duo Zeds Dead to bring us Zero Gravity. Both heavyweights will be performing their own individual sets along with a b2b set to top it all off. With special guests Jansten and CloZee for support, you know it’s going to be lifted, gifted and futuristic. You won’t want to miss this one night only event tearing down the Broadbent Arena on December 31st.
Ganja White Knight will also be making noise with their first curated New Year’s event called Wobble NYE. It’s a two night party at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan on December 30th - 31st with two unique sets from the wonky wizards themselves. The Iconic two-man group from Belgium always knows how to make us feel right, so you know this one is going to be special. The first night kicks off with Subdocta and Apashe setting the vibe. The second night follows up with Kll Bill and Ivy Lab.
Just a little further east in Philadelphia we got the Hijinx Festival with a killer lineup for bassheads all over. Set times are yet to be confirmed but headliners like Alison Wonderland, Excision, Griz, LSDREAM, Wooli, and a b2b with Jauz and Kayzo are already announced. This well-rounded lineup will be shaking up the Pennsylvania Convention Center on the 30th and 31st. Also gracing the east coast this New Year’s will be Slander performing in D.C. for a solo night in our nation’s capital.
On the west coast there’s even more large events with groundbreaking lineups. Make contact with other lifeforms at Countdown in San Bernardino. Insomniac’s premiere NYE event will have you raving with aliens. This two-day, space-themed rave has four world-class stages and a galactic-sized lineup. The first day lands on December 31st with acts like Subtronics, Troyboi, Dion Timmer, and a twonky b2b with Boogie T and Dirt Monkey. Day two lifts off on January 1st with Deadmau5, 3lau, Blunts and Blondes, Liquid Stranger, and more. Countdown will also feature beautiful art installations, interactive space technology and real-life aliens walking around the Nos Events Center! General admission, single day, and VIP tickets are available. Insomniac will also be hosting one in Orlando, Florida on the same days so we can all take a trip to other planets.
If you don’t feel like making the trip all the way out to outer space you can stay classy here on earth at the Decadence Music Festivals in either Colorado or Arizona. The city of Decadence will be returning in all of its elegance to both The Colorado Convention Center, and The Rawhide Events Center to indulge its citizens in a night they’ll never forget. In Colorado, catch sets from The Chainsmokers, Zedd, Herobust, Rezz and DJ Snake. In Arizona you got Alesso, Kaskade, Dillon Francis, and Marshmellow. Both locations are holding their events on December 30th-31st, but if you want to go to Decadence in Colorado you must be fully vaccinated.
It’s a good idea to double check the current COVID-19 regulations from whichever state you plan to be in this New Year’s Eve before you travel. They are subject to change. Most events will have their COVID-19 guidelines accessible on their website, but you can also find them on the venue website as well.
Now the year is almost over, and 2021 will soon be behind us. It was a year of healing, and a rebirth of rave culture. We got to reinvent and rediscover who we want to be. Let’s keep it going and make sure to and welcome this new year with our highest selves. Let’s make it to all the shows we can and forget to post the videos. Let’s trade all our kandi and headbang with strangers. Let’s drink lots of water, dress in layers, and if you see someone fall down let’s pick them back up. 2022 will be full of new challenges and new wonders. Put your best foot forward and kick the New Year off with a bang.
]]>Bass Canyon really feels complete. You can visit to the Pivot for things like food trucks, clothing vendors, LED accessories, lingerie and festival merch or you can drop by the activity tent for scheduled yoga classes, sound baths and guided meditations to help you meet and align with your highest self.
Then, when the gates open, you can head down to the amphitheater and rage to some of the biggest and best DJs in the world. Bass Canyon was created by Excision in 2018 and the dubstep legend has done it again. This year’s vibes were unmatched. Excision used all of his industry experience to curate this festival and it unfolded perfectly. Here’s how it went at Bass Canyon 2021:
The festival is technically three days long—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But in order to really get the best experience you need to get there on Thursday to set up camp and go to the pre-party.
The first thing you need to know about camping is you have to get there early because there will be people lined up all throughout the night to get their camping spot. The first thing you need to know about the pre-party is you absolutely must go. If your group is still undecided when the time comes I strongly recommend urging them to make it because it is worth it. There’s nothing quite like the Bass Canyon pre-party probably in the world. It's six-hour b2b2b2b2b with some of the biggest names in the game right now.
This year’s pre-party included Yookie, Svdden Death, Champagne Drip, Kompany, Eptic, Sullivan King and more. The thing that makes the Bass Canyon pre-party so special is it doesn’t just feel like all those guys are just taking turns playing songs. The pre-party set was an incredibly exciting, cohesive mix of all types of sounds, personalities and genres. It has to be called a party because there’s no actual lineup.
From brutal, headbanging dubstep, to sad, emotional cry songs, to fun, bouncy deep-house, to some freaky minimal-trap, no matter where you are on the basshead spectrum you’re moving the entire time. All on the highest quality visuals and sound systems available. It’s just a big conglomerate of everything bass, performed by some of the most talented bass music artists out there. I walked back to camp that night asking myself “that was just the pre-party?” I was fired up and ready for whatever the festival had waiting for us on the first day.
Day one was no mercy. Not only did it have the heaviest sets of the whole festival, it was also the day you found out just how much hiking/walking would be involved over the weekend. Unlike other large-scale venues, The Gorge is not on flat land. There are hills everywhere—which means if you like hiking and being outside it's great. This is also the first year they decided to add an extra stage. Originally it was just the main stage overlooking the canyon and a local’s stage on the side.
This year they added another slightly smaller main stage called the “hilltop stage.” Which, you guessed it, is at the top of a hill. Made for artists that aren’t quite superstars yet and might still be too underground for the big stage. Here we saw names like Luzcid, Bawldy, DMVU, Au5 and Inzo.The added dance floor is a great addition because Excision gets to invite many more DJs, but it also means because of set times and the commute between stages you may have to miss one of your favorite artists to catch another one.
Day one holds a lot of chaos as rave-crews are still learning the layout of the festival and how they want to carry out their plans for the rest of the festival. I recommend trying the yoga on the first day to get you nice and loose for the weekend. I tried it, it was my first time ever and it was amazing. Getting rid of all that stiffness and tension from work and our daily lives before going out and raging all night really made it easier for the rest of the weekend. Even only doing it for one day really made a difference.
The food is delicious, my favorite is the pulled pork mac and cheese with a barbecue sauce that's just heavenly. The musical highlights of the day included sets from Yookie to start things off, Champagne Drip next, Calcium b2b Kompany, and a bone-snapping set from Phaseone during the day. Then, when the sun went down we got into a b2b with Sullivan King and Kai Wachi, Svdden Death after that, Liquid Stranger and finally Excision followed up last for probably one of the best order of set slots I could’ve asked for. Each one brought more energy than the last, and each one was better than the last time I saw them. It was amazing. I knew as soon as Excision’s set ended that I would be sore for day two.
The second day was vibe city. Everyone now knew what to expect. Everyone had their gameplans and meet-spots. It was time to party. It rained for about an hour that day and no one missed a beat. Day raving started with Eliminate, then Dirt Monkey, ATLiens and Space Laces. The vibes were high. Love was abundant. The booties were shaking. The sun came back out. It was Phenomenal. Everyone was smiling, laughing, dancing, hootin’, hollering and just letting their joy fill the entire Gorge. Take me back.
When nightfall arrived it got even better. First, the vibes stayed high for an amazing Dion Timmer b2b Wooli set. Then they went crazy for Twelfth Planet b2b Riot Ten. My group and I then caught Bawldy at the hilltop stage and were not disappointed. BTSM got us all the way down with our bad selves, and to finish off the night there was a blistering hot set laid down by Ganja White Knight. It was my first time hearing them perform and I could not have asked for a better introduction. If you haven’t seen them live yet you’re sorely missing out. After the day ends, they kicked us out of the amphitheater and the party continues. A silent disco was going down at the activity tent, food trucks were still open, and camp-site renegades were everywhere. Day two really hit the spot.
Day three the party just kept going. Decadon, Level Up and Ray Volpe started things off to keep the energy high. The sun is beaming and the music is fire. It looked like it was shaping up to be another beautiful rave day, but half way through Boogie T’s set they shut everything down due to high winds. First they just shut down the main stage but eventually stopped the music altogether. The festival organizers finally announced they would allow re-entry if they wanted to wait at their camp and all was calm while we waited to rage again. This lasted for about two and a half hours. Then, as soon as Boogie T came back on it was like nothing ever happened. The last night went on and the DJs crushed it again. This time we had LSDream, Subtronics, Slander and a gorgeous Excision b2b Illenium set to finish it all up.
It was the perfect finish to the festival—a night full of fast-paced excitement and slow moments of tender intimacy. They hit every note and it was a bitter-sweet ending to an unforgettable experience.
And then came Monday and it was time to pack it up and go home. I was left with a feeling like I never wanted it to end but also couldn't think of what else to add. It’s finished, it’s over, it’s done, but it feels complete. The good vibes never left. Some people left early in the morning, some people stayed into the afternoon. It’s a time for reflection. The air was filled with gratitude and residual excitement lingered in the campground. Memories are still fresh and muscles are still sore. I departed from The Gorge feeling fulfilled, happy and feeling like you’re finally able to fully breathe again. Bass Canyon Music Festival is a place made for spiritual growth—a festival for down-to-earth people that focuses on health, balance, fun and acceptance. I hope you’ll be there when the time comes again. I know I will.
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