Night Vision's Top 5 Sets of BPM Festival 2015
Photo Credit: The BPM Festival
The BPM Festival—one of North America's premier destinations for underground house music—takes place in one of the Mayan Riviera's most-traversed party towns: Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Although it was originally started as a small, after-New Year’s party for industry staff (festival producers claim the BPM stands for "Bartenders, Promoters, and Managers"), the event has become one of the world’s most internationally acclaimed party destinations, with the number of European attendees rivaling those from the United States and Canada. This year, our resident music festival connoisseur Trevor Olsson made the trek down to the 10-day marathon to take in the action and document some of his favorite sets.
5. Seth Troxler B2B The Martinez Brothers @ Blue Parrot
Photo Credit: The BPM Festival
Kicking off the list at #5 is Seth Troxler and The Martinez Brothers’ showcase of their recently formed label, Tuskegee Music. Taking place at one of BPM’s mainstay venues, Blue Parrot, the trio followed a gritty opening performance by Harvard Bass with a 4-hour back-to-back odyssey. While Troxler was certainly no slouch, The Martinez Brothers really shone through, demonstrating why they were recently named Mixmag’s best DJs of the year.
4. Dennis Ferrer @ Mamita’s
Photo Credit: The BPM Festival
After a 7am police raid at the trouble-ridden Blue Venado venue a few nights prior, BPM decided to cancel Art Department's No. 19 label showcase on the second last night of the festival. Fortunately, the event was rescheduled for the afternoon of the following day at the daytime beach club, Mamita's, which graciously extended its hours and combined their lineup (which already included Jamie Jones) with the No. 19 crew. Out of all the heavyweights on the bill, Dennis Ferrer's eclectic mixing and soulful selections proved to be my favorite, providing the perfect soundtrack to the final sunset of the festival.
3. Eats Everything @ Blue Venado
Photo Credit: Resident Advisor
Jamie Jones continued his Paradise series this year with arguably the most popular party of the festival. Held at Blue Venado—the jungle-enclosed beach venue 10 minutes south of PdC—Jones put together an lineup with the likes of Eats Everything, Steve Lawler, and Hot Creations favourites: Lee Foss, Patrick Topping, wAFF, and Richy Ahmed. Eats absolutely stole the show with a dynamic and energetic peak time set that proved to be the highlight of the much-anticipated event.
2. Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons @ Day Zero Festival
Photo Credit: Crosstown Rebels
Although not officially associated with BPM, Day Zero was one the most heavily attended events of the week. Curated by L.A. house giants Crosstown Rebels, the Burning Man-esque party (think Robot Heart without the desert) was situated deep in the jungle just outside Playa del Carmen. After a stellar line up of Crosstown artists (and other favourites such as Matthew Dear and DJ Harvey), label boss Damian Lazarus took to the stage just before sunrise—a time slot for which he is becoming increasingly famous—to debut his new live show along with The Ancient Moons. If this set were any indication, we’re in for a very promising record when the group releases its first album this spring.
1. Solomun B2B Âme @ Canibal Royal
Photo Credit: Resident Advisor
Expanding the brand of his famed Ibiza residency, Hamburg's Solomun once again brought his 'Solomun+1' series to BPM, inviting Berlin's Âme (Kristian Beyer) to join him on the beach for what was, essentially, the perfect party at Canibal Royal. After having already played two lengthy sets individually, the German duo hit the decks for a mammoth back-to-back session that lasted well into the night. The incredible venue, the spirited crowd, and of course, the world-class DJs, all resonated beautifully to make ‘Solomun +1’ the most vibin’ party of the festival.
By Trevor Olsson