I've just returned from my first experience of attending the annual Camp Bisco music festival in upstate NY! Camp Bisco was created by the energetic, electro-rock band the Disco Biscuits to bring together some of the most exciting music acts around, especially live electronic performers! I managed to see every act on my must-see list and there were many other performers as well, the gist of which created a dub to world to hard electronic vibe for the weekend. Here are the bands I got to see perform with a brief impression they made on me:
The Disco Biscuits - So much consistent energy and epic performances. If a "galactic stadium rock band" was a real way to describe a band, I would say that's what they are.
Pretty Lights - Great sound choices. Pretty Lights has a way with putting a song together. Live electronic mixing is a strange and complicated art especially when you are a lone DJ, and I understand having things backed up to be safe, but I think he over did it and it made his performance lacking as a live experience..
LCD Soundsystem - Fun and full set with live instruments. Great upbeat energy that got EVERYONE going on the first night.
Caribou - One of my favorites of the festival that got me and everyone in the dance tent excited. These guys have a unique approach to music that really works for them; they are intricate and create great live electronic music with live instruments and performers. Awesome.
Album Leaf - The most laid back band I saw there. And for some ridiculous reason they followed Wu Masacre. ? Pre-recorded beats with live drums, synths and strings. They were making gorgeous music on stage and it got into everyone there for them.
Thievery Corporation - Amazing live performance! I've been a pretty dedicated fan since I was 14 and they played many of my favorite songs and I still love them all. They are a DJ duo but only half (Eric Hilton) were up mixing along with their live musicians (horns, bass, guitar/sitar, percussion) and a different singer for almost every song! Seeing a favorite band give an awesome performance is always a gratifying experience.
Major Lazer - Major Lazer (Diplo mixing and Switch as MC) was a popular set. I think Diplo was great live and I'm glad I got to see him perform. The music was great, but I'm not a fan of Switch. And he definitely made it impossible for anyone to forget their name since he just yelled "MAJOR LAZER" every chance he got. Kind of a put off performance wise. Still like their recorded tracks though.
Bassnectar - Absolute favorite of the festival!! He had a perfect night slot and the turn out was HUGE. Everyone was dancing their hardest to the some of the absolute dirtiest dub tracks I've ever heard. Bassnectar is tearing his own path through the realm of dubstep and it is so raw and awesome, you can't help but be amazed. His energy was great and he was so into the crowd. He was a solo set, but he had a powerful impact.
Telepath - A chill switch from Bassnectar the night before, Telepath is electronic meets world influenced act that got the hulahoops going and the smoke rising in the hot sun. Live instruments with sampling.
Break Science w/ Talib Kweli & David Murphy - I saw Break Science over a year ago at my college and they were this great hip-hop and DnB duo which consisted of a DJ and a spectacular live drummer. At Bisco, they were joined by Talib Kweli. I perform and I know that the sound techs screw up and equipment will fail, but there was no excuse for this guy. It started with him asking to crank the vocals to the point where they were literally feeding back to stopping the middle of a song so he could do some mediocre a cappella spiel. It was sadly my least favorite performance.
Felix Cartel - Solo DJ performance that kept everyone moving. Constant build ups and bass drops that were pretty clever in composition and made each one interesting. Music you can dance to plus intriguing listening is a prefect combo.
Kill The Noise - Another solo DJ performance. Urban electro of the Boyz Noise variety that was unfortunately mostly cancelled because the dance tent was on top of a hill during an intense lightening storm. What I did see, I really liked.
Girl Talk - I'm not that big of a fan but I'll admit he was fun to see live. Lots of energy from the solo DJ.
Rusko - made the dance tent go CRAZY. Upbeat dubstep, solo performance that was awesome! Lots of cool and fun ideas coming from Rusko and great remixes as well.
Aeroplane - I love Aeroplane and the solo DJ is making some of my favorite remixes out there. But he seemed kinda nervous after following Rusko (bad placement). His stuff is a lot more laid back and classic electro-remixes where Rusko was more intense. Aeroplane, however seems to pay more attention to detail and making everything sound perfect, which I understand completely. Lots of fun. His music is pretty sexy. Oh, and BARBARA STREISAND!!
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