Night Vision's Top 12 Must-See Artists at Shambhala 2014!
It’s hard not to feel mixed emotions as we say adieu to July. Indeed, the realization that we are down to just one month left of summer is saddening; however, the start of August also signals the approach of a different beast: Shambhala—not winter—is coming.
It should come as no surprise that we at Night Vision get as excited as anyone for the arrival of North America’s premier electronic music festival. If you have not attended yourself, no doubt you know someone who has—we’re sure they’ve told you allllllll about it. Shambhala is a place that simply must be talked about it, so please, indulge us for a few minutes as we share some our most anticipated acts for this year’s festival. Who knows, when you’re wandering through the forest between Fractal and the Village at 2am, you might just remember some of it.
Dan Solo
When: Friday, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Where: Fractal Forest
Like last year, local boy Dan Solo (Santums / Slope) finds himself in an early evening slot, warming up the Fractal Forest. While the Forest is usually home to breaks and funk, expect to hear something a little different from Dan Solo. Last year he set the mood with an eclectic, smoothly mixed set of house, techno and experimental bass music, and we expect to hear something in that vein this year as well. Don’t take our word for it though; check out his Slowcast from earlier this year:
J. Phlip
When: Friday, 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Where: The Pagoda
Jessica Phillippe AKA J. Phlip is the latest member of San Francisco’s dirtybird records crew to grace Shambhala’s hallowed ground. It’s no secret that we at Night Vision dig all things dirtybird, and our minds are no different when J. Phlip is the topic of conversation. Her sets are truly prodigious, as she appears to move effortlessly from deep house cuts to eerie techno vibes to peak-hour bass whompers without ever feeling like a track is forced or out of place. If you’re still not convinced, check out her latest dirtybird release: the ghetto-flavoured, bass-house monster Say My Name.
Skream
When: Friday, 9:30pm - 11:00pm
Where: The Pagoda
Having played sets in both 2007 & 2008 in the Village, Skream—one of dubstep’s earliest and most revered pioneers—is no stranger to Shambhala. His return is bound to both excite and confuse as he has since undergone a drastic transformation as a producer and DJ. As is outlined in Vice’s mini-documentary “Come With Me”, the former dubstep superstar has radically revamped his sound, playing sets consisting of house, disco and techno. While some are bound to be disappointed by this change, others, ourselves included, cannot help but be intrigued, and cannot wait to see what he has in store for us.
Danny Byrd
When: Friday, 2:00am - 3:30am
Where: The Village
When it comes to drum & bass, there’s Hospital Records, and then there’s everyone else. Representing the renowned South London label in the Village this year is none other than one of its first signees, Danny Byrd. Influenced by genres such as house, UK garage, R&B, and old skool rave, his signature style of drum & bass is set to provide Shambhala with one of its most energetic sets of the weekend.
Ursula 1000
When: Friday, 3:30am - 5:00am
Where: The Pagoda
There are two types of people in this world: those who saw Ursula 1000 in 2011 at the Pagoda, and those who heard us all talking about it. Words can only say so much, so do yourself a favor and check out the recording of that night. It’s bouncy, it’s fun; what more could you want?
Mr. Scruff
When: Saturday, 4:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: The Living Room
There could not be a more appropriate artist for both his timeslot and stage this year than Mr. Scruff. Expect a warm and blissful journey on the beach as this Manchester DJ has 4 (!) short hours to spin, twist, and tangle us in his web. There gon’ be viiiiiibes aplenty.
Mark Farina
When/Where: Saturday, 2:00am - 3:30am @ The Amphitheatre
Sunday, 6:00pm - 9:00pm @ The Living Room
Veteran Chicago house DJ Mark Farina makes his Shambhala debut this year playing two very special sets. Saturday night he’ll be featured in the “Legends of House Showcase” at the Amphitheatre, while Sunday he switches it up to deliver his signature “mushroom jazz” sound to the denizens of the Living Room. While the first performance is bound to be a funky, groovin’ house party, the latter will take a step back into softer, slower, head-nodding territory. Whatever your tastes, you’ll find something you can jam to with Mark Farina.
Neighbour
When: Saturday Night / Sunday Morning, 5:30am - 7:30am.
Where: Fractal Forest
Owner of Vancouver’s Homebreakin Records and one of western Canada’s top house producers, Neighbour’s early morning Fractal set gains more and more notoriety with each passing year. Like a warm cup of coffee, Neighbour’s deep, funky vibes invigorate the soul at a time where most festivalers are thinking about their pillows. Trust us when we say this one is worth staying up, or, failing that, setting an alarm for.
B. Traits
When: Sunday, 9:00pm - 10:30pm
Where: The Pagoda
Hailing from Nelson, B.C., Brianna Price AKA B. Traits returns from the UK this year to perform a long, long overdue set at the Pagoda. What has she been doing across the pond all this time? Why, only hosting a couple shows on a little radio station called BBC Radio1. Needless to say, she’s a fantastic DJ, and we’re mega-excited to see what she has planned for her homecoming.
ODESZA
When: Sunday, 11:30pm - 12:30am
Where: The Grove
With their sophomore album In Return due out in just one month, expect an abundance of new, melodic, sensual sounds in The Grove when Seattle duo ODESZA make their Shambhala debut Sunday night. And did we mention they’ll be performing on the first Funktion-One soundsystem ever at Shambhala? It’s gonna be a wavy good time.
Justin Martin
Photo credit: Lisa Sunde
When: Sunday, 12:00am - 1:30am
Where: The Pagoda
There was a silver lining in the then-devastating cancellation of Eats Everything at last year’s Shambhala, and it came in the form of an extended, 3-hour set from dirtybird’s Justin Martin. The sting of “no Eats” was soon forgotten as Justin delivered what was certainly our favorite set of the festival. Having played three out of the last four years, the bass-dropping, pizza-loving, and all around awesome-human-being Justin Martin has become a Shambhala staple and we at Night Vision couldn’t be happier to see him year after year.
Hannah Wants & Chris Lorenzo
When: Sunday, 1:30am - 4:30am
Where: The Pagoda
Every year at Shambhala, there’s an artist or group of artists whose songs appear to follow you wherever you go. Their tracks are played at seemingly every stage, by every DJ, and quickly become impossible to ignore. Last year, those artists were Hannah Wants & Chris Lorenzo. Since the release of their single “Dappy” in January, 2013, the UK duo have experienced a meteoric rise to fame with their signature brand of bass-focused house music. Don’t be surprised to see the whole Night Vision crew shuttin’ it down at the Pagoda for these two on Sunday night.
We're hoping you all have a lovely Shambhala! Party safe out there!