I’ll never forget my deflowering. Bassnectar’s low end symphony topped the bill. I wasn’t able to attend for the whole weekend but I drove all the way to Poudre Canyon’s Mishawaka Amphitheatre on Saturday night to catch the San Francisco producer’s set. He made it more than worth my while when he dropped his woofer-friendly remix of “The Hokey Pokey.” An old songwriting buddy had previously suggested I consider reworking the tune with my then-EDM trio Friends in Stereo, and I’d actually actively thought about how it would sound. The bass boss beat me to the punch, though. I’ve never heard him play it before or since. Still, it was a legendary moment of musical whimsy that no other event can take credit for enabling. Sonic Bloom has facilitated its fair share of those in its lifetime.
Now in its eighth year, the country’s premier boutique electronic music festival has a gorgeous new “home-bass” at Shadow’s Ranch in Georgetown. This weekend’s lineup is stacked to the hilt as usual. There’s the low end funk of Down Under’s Opiuo and Erie’s Vibesquad. And the unpredictability of West Coaster Random Rab. There’s the conscious rhymes of Heavyweight Dub Champion and Grouch and Eligh. And the trance-inducing jams of fest founder Jamie Janover’s improv project Zilla. There’s the globally aware beats of David Starfire and Govinda. And the dubstep spectrum of Truth, Ill.Gates, Phutureprimitive, Bluetech and Coloradicals Future Simple Project, Seied, Coult-45 and Samples (Sub.mission’s hosting a dome). There’s the mind-bending beatboxing and adept axe-tapping of triple threat Lynx. And the synth experimentalism of Oakland’s Polish Ambassador. There’s the nimble acoustics of Michael Garfield. And the eclectic programming of Boulder’s Buddha Bomb. There’s the dream-tempo melodics of Verdarluz. And the anything goes track selection of Denver’s Ginger Perry. The list goes on.
Remember the above-mentioned musical whimsy? This edition’s moment is brought to you by a purple unicorn puppet DJ named Paragon, courtesy of Canada’s Fungineers (see teaser below). Poi spinners, aerialists, contact jugglers, hoopers, live painters, dancers and stilters (I’ll be the white unicorn, not to be confused with the just-discussed plush mixmaster) will provide visual percussion with their bodies and props. Art installations are set to pepper the landscape. And Sonic Bloomers can get intimate with Nature via rafting, hiking, yoga and pitching tent. The possibilities are infinite, and virtually define what a Colorado festival ought to offer. For the full monty, SonicBloomFestival.com
The Fungineers: Paragon DJ set Teaser from Fungineers on Vimeo.
George Peele enjoys dancing on stilts and delivering Custom Singing Telegrams. He is Music Editor for 303 Magazine. Follow Peele on Twitter: @Orangepeelmoses. Avatar image courtesy Jonathan Shoup.