As you read this I will most likely be well on my way to a festival in BC, Canada. Bass Coast 2013 is set to be a special festival, with a good blend of different artists, DJ’s and workshops. The hardest part about festival season is deciding which festivals to go to and how to spend your time when you are there. This weeks article takes the place of the Friday Guest Mix, but don’t worry thee is plenty of cool music and even an hour long movie to occupy you.

About Bass Coast

Bass Coast is a collection of ambitious creatives with a common love of underground arts. It was Co-Founded in 2009 by Liz Thomson, Andrea Graham (the Librarian) and Andrea Oakden, but consists of many more core members since before it all began.

Bass Coast isn’t your usual cookie cuter festival with big well known DJ’s or headliners. It is more routed in the coming together of a rich culture of music and art, with a firm respect for the environment. The intention is to bring together like minds and souls to form a community. Consisting of artists, scientists, designers, yogi’s, environmentalists, freedom fighters, business minds, intellectuals, party-goers, poets and dancers, the festival aims to create a supportive environment inspiring each participant to find deeper layers within themselves.

Bass Coast has no corporate sponsorship, meaning that no one large company is supported or has any say in the direction of the festival. The stages are all built from re-claimed wood and recycled materials, pieced together by local volunteers and carpenters.

Bass Coast’s mission is: To contemplate, to educate, to innovate and to CREATE! This is our festival. This is our coast. This is our Culture.

Bass Coast Line Up

For many the line up is potentially a collection of unknown names, due to many of which being locals. There are however some international names punctuating the timetable. The bigger names in the musical world that you may be familiar with are the likes of, Goth Trad, Desert Dwellers, Random Rab, J Phlip, Jimmy Edgar Dark Sky and Fort Knox Five to name just a handful.

The festival is now in it’s 5th year and as with any festival it can be hard to keep it on the cutting edge and remain underground. I would suggest then, that this is the reason that you are likely to be very unfamiliar with much of the line up. Yes, there are some of the same names playing this year that were playing last, but they have definitely changed it up a great deal to keep it fresh. Keeping some solid names that have a consistent following in the BC Area, is a good move to guarantee some interest.

This festival is not solely about music however. It is about art, health and the environment, with workshops and video competitions. Including sessions covering Lucid Dreaming and how to invoke such dreams, Ayurvedic Cooking with Sachin Kevatha Sudra, and the science and magic of Mantra; covering the primordial sound, neuroscience and resonance. Yoga sessions will be provided throughout the days and various dance workshops can be joined. The festival will also feature a facilitated discussion on love, conscious relating and sexuality, from Sobey Wing all in a safe respectful and alcohol free environment. If that wasn’t enough to wet your appetite, you can even learn how to use a drum kit to play a ‘drum n bass’ soundtrack.

Musical Diversity

If you’re reading this on Traktor Tips though, it’s likely you’re a DJ, or just starting out on your journey to become a DJ. So for you, you want to know how all this Bass Coast nonsense effects you?

Well, in my eyes, as I look at a festival like this and I work though the line up and browse all the artists’ Facebook Pages and SoundCloud Pages, it becomes apparent that a good number of the DJ’s are still fairly fresh on the scene. For me then, these kinds of festivals are an excellent way for DJ’s to break into the industry. Bass Coast gives ‘up-n-coming’ artists a good crack at the whip, allowing artists that may not have had an experience playing at a festival, to get involved and to showcase their talents.

The festival is capped at 4000 people, which makes sure that it remains intimate and doesn’t escalate into the realms of ridiculous. Smaller festivals like this are ideal for DJ’s wanting to play alongside bigger names and getting to add something cool to their DJ C.V. (or resumé).

A few months before Bass Coast was scheduled, they opened submissions for local artists and DJ’s, giving them a shot at being heard and being ‘found’. Submitting your DJ sets to events like this is a great way to promote yourself and to put yourself out there. Obviously, you’re going to need some prior experience DJ’ing out, but if you’re at that level wondering what’s next, then hunting down a festival in your area like this isn’t a bad start.

In order to make it at this level though, you need to be doing it all for the right reasons, having a true passion for the music will transfer into your mix submissions. DJ’ing at a place like this is a gift to you and your music is a gift to the people. You do not do this for money or fame, it’s an exchange of good vibes. Setting out on the right foot with the best intentions may lead you to where you want to go, but you must remain focused on the true passion which is music.

What it’s really all about?

I’ve mentioned all the yoga, the environment, the no-alcohol rule and the workshops. I admit, I’m sure there will be some alcohol smuggling taking place, but to really note what humanity is trying to create with all these ‘intentional‘ and ‘transformational‘ festivals; positivity, connectedness, music, art and health, organisers such as those at Bass Coast want to move away from the alcohol fuelled nonsense and enter into something much more deeper.

When we all look at our social interactions, the human race seems to struggle without some form of intoxication to loosen us up. If we were all able to interact without this requirement, I think we would all evolve into special beings. Instead of having to use alcohol to lower our inhibitions, perhaps we could train ourselves to lower our inhibitions consciously and to open up our hearts and souls to our fellow co-creators. Wouldn’t that be nice?

I think humanity is certainly a long way off from that, but the seeds have been planted and it’s only a matter of time……

Featured Artist Random Rab

Just the other day I received an email from Random Rab, he will be playing at Bass Coast this year: He offered up this free documentary for his fans and I wanted to share this all with you.
Set aside an hour to watch this – It’s a fascinating story and collage of his music.