Bass Coast 2017 was an intergalactic journey of excellence, to rival anything experienced by Bill and Ted. Cosmic rays of musical vibration harmonized with photons from the booty twerk nebula, and pulsars erupted for the art installation constellation. Not to mention, there were tacos.
It was nearly 40 degrees out when my buddies and I set up our camp. Thankfully, the nearby river flowed at a much cooler temperature. So we did some dunking, lounging, and frolicking on the riverbank.
The Funk Hunters played a groove-tacular set on the opening night. Longwalkshortdock got the crowd headbanging that same night too. Both acts were rad, but I have to admit that I spent a lot of time getting weird with some of the interactive art installations. The opening night highlight, for me, was the fluid transition from night to morning, thanks to the groovy morning set from Lazy Syrup Orchestra. As the sun began to reappear, we all thought of the hot day that lay ahead of us. Then before we knew it, LSO had musically initiated a super plush cuddle fest. The crowd was adorned in extraordinarily plush attire, and they danced atop a plush, astro turf dance floor, between speckled inflatable furniture. To top it off, a truly heroic LSO fan graced us all with fresh stacks of hot pancakes drizzled in syrup. My friends and I all revelled in the beauty of this shared moment. The set climaxed with a spin of “Mountains” by the Kootenay’s very own Moontricks. Warm morning sun rays, and cool breeze, dancing next to the river enchanted the dancing revelers. A sample of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” set a tone of intergalactic bass-exploration.
Our group had a glorious camp spot right off the river. Good friends, cool water, and a BBQ, was the ultimate combo for recuperating from a long night of dancing. Inflatable rafts dilly dallied their way from the bridge to the beach. Unfortunately my batteries didn’t recharge in time for the second evening, and I had to sit out the bassy tribal vibes of Bassos Rancheros at another early morning crowd pleasing time at Slay Bay.
After a good night's sleep, a solid breakfast and some good ol grounding time I was ready to check out the daytime scene around the festival. This began with catching some nostalgic classics being thrown down by The Tailor at the Cantina stage. Bringing everyone back to earth and waking them up with samples like Dream Lover from Bobby Darin, the mood was just perfect for getting a drink on. With the Sun shining, the cocktails flowing, and Weston dropping some creamy dub beats, we were off to a fantastic day of summer time low riding, bass gliding glory.
Wandering on to Slay Bay, Justin Martin was heating up the beachside vibes, beginning what was to be a killer three hour set. Bikini tops and booty dancers wiggled in time with the beats, as far as the eye could see. The summertime vibes were strong, bass lines and booty rays were ricocheting and reverberating into a cosmic cacophony. By the way, did I mention the vendors? The goodies on offer were frigging spectacular, yet deadly. I did some serious damage to my wallet, and still had time to catch the end of Justin Martin’s set, as he soaked the sun-drenched Slay Bay stage with house banger after house banger. Also, there was a giant inflatable flamingo.
My amazing friends and I headed back to our riverside campsite to fire up the BBQ around 6. We had a feast of tacos, and baked potatoes stuffed with cheese and onion. We may have over stuffed ourselves just a little bit, but we needed the extra fuel for the long night of inter-galactic funking ahead.
The transition from daylight to evening was a shift from shimmering, soulful colour, to earthy tribal roots. Alex Perez typified this change perfectly with a beautiful, rippling, tectonic drum and bass aesthetic. It was time to get low and sexy. Until we got sucked into the art installations, like moths to neon flame. We gorged our inner nebula with extra dimensional creative phenomena. This put us in the perfect headspace to enjoy the tour-de-force set by the one and only, The Librarian.
She dropped basslines that were deeper than the inside of a black hole. Every person on that dancefloor was transformed, from a member of a crowd, to a witness of an auditory event horizon. Like puppets on a string, the librarian twisted us into her dancing playthings, using nothing but a jaw dropping Rhythm Dub Selection, a sprinkling of Hip Hop, and a kickass soundsystem. The high quality performances continued well into the night, with Alex Perez and Eprom performing their duo act, Shades, and El Papachango causing the crowd to wiggle in ways that defy the laws of physics.
The Moon hung high and bright even as night turned to day and the haze of the wildfires burning nearby gave the festival an eerie cult classic vibe. I couldn’t help but feel gratitude for the firefighters, tirelessly working to protect the communities of British Columbia, during this dangerous time. I would also love to express gratitude for the exceptional First Aid and Harm Reduction team, whose contribution was truly invaluable. Basscoast has a beautiful community vibe, in which we are all looking out for the well being of fellow Coasters. I have to mention at this point, that Basscoast is a festival curated entirely by women, which could go some way to explaining the welcoming, feminine energy at the venue. I am filled with gratitude for the beautiful experience I had , and shared with so any others at this year’s festival, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to next year!
