Shambhala 2011 | Episode 3 of 4: Saturday

The hump of the weekend brought the big guns out, big names and big sounds, in addition to a fine accumulation of neighbor hood bad men.

Lyricist, Zumbi , and wizard, Amplive , raised the bar for hip-hop acts at Shambhala, and I’d argue that it was not met again. The duo has been generous as of late. If you’re still hungry, visit the dot com .

Infinite – Vs. Lee Bannon – Zumbi [hip-hop]

Playing With My Tremelo – Amp Live [beat] [recommended]

Differ.e.n.t. – Amp Live [beat] [recommended]

Familiar faces of the unfamiliar Vancouver ware house scene, Basketball , brought their hallmark tribal energy to the Rock Pit. The four piece of live electronics, spirited vocals, and layered percussion, dished out a uniquely primal sound. They hollered in their native tongues (Croatian and English) over pulsating subs. These guys are apart of the west coast label, Lighta! Sound , a collective that was well represented this Saturday night. Here’s a taste of their first experiment. Their latest release, Maw , can be acquired at bandcamp .

Suspiros de Chile – Basketball [indie] [bass]

Vancouver stationed, Taal Mala, continued the LIGHTA! onslaught, with a chilled, yet ecstatic set. This BCIT grad is notoriously possessive of his consistently relevant music (his style tends to evolve with the trends of electronica) but he does dole out his mixes like rice at a wedding. The first showcases his current style. The second showcases my preferred period in his career. Both are worth your time and speaker. When you’re sold, spend some cash at his dotcom .

Taal Mala – Bass Coast 2011 Mix [future-bass]

Track list available here

Taal Mala – like clockwork [dub]

Track list available here

The following set sparked an undeniable feeling of pride. Not in myself, of course, but in Downlink ‘s progression as an artist. This being my fourth time seeing him, from the tiniest club and seemingly nested under Excision’s wing, to the Village stage, his development in to the polished monster he has become is stark indeed. Every trusted associate agreed; Downlink had the best set of any Rottun Record artist. It had a story; an ebb and flow that is so seldom present in a heavy dubstep performance. His new material was refreshing in terms of rhythm and synth, building our anticipation for his coming releases.  Furthermore, he honoured the expertise of our dear friend, and uncanny talent, Sub-Antix , by playing out his recent release ‘ Culture Shock,’ with heated reception from the Village audience. To top it all off, Downlink wished our very own lowlife, Rader , a, “happy fucking birthday.” I was, and still am,  applauding. Until he unleashes his new work, peruse his fine collection at beatport, and enjoy an All Hallow’s Eve favorite.

Culture Shock – Sub Antix [dub] [recommended]

Downlink – Halloween 2009 DJ Mix [dub]

Track list available here

Yet another Lighta! torrent proceeded. Max Ulis was followed consecutively by Self Evident at the beach stage. They, “played a perfect mix of the most current and progressive dancehall, dubstep, and techno,” reports the respected opinion of Mr. O’Neill. While associate, J. Perchie, noted their consistency, as well as Max Ulis , “being the standout.”  These guys can be caught all over Vancouver, so I suggest you keep your eyes glued to the Lighta! Sound facebook page . Max is known as a staple in the Vancouver electronic scene where as Self Evident has been recently working like a battery to produce a slew of new music. Have a listen to the tracks below, then eagerly await the next Lighta! event.

The Sick One – Self Evident [dub]

Neverstop – Self Evident [beat]

Floating With The Tide – Self Evident [future-bass] [recommended]

I Don’t Like You – Max Ulis [dub] [recommended]

Slow Drug (Max Ulis Remix) – Pj Harvey [dub] [recommended]

The anticipation surrounding Excision ‘s 2011 Shambhala mix was almost tangible. We all asked the questions; how could Kelowna’s king of filth tour with the stadium hopping Deadmau5? Would this new relationship taint his trademark sound? Can he live up to what are widely considered to be some of the greatest dubstep mixes ever created? The answers are; “money,” “not yet,” and “eeeuu-not reeeally”  It was pretty good, and very heavy. Granted, a number of tracks smeared that snear we all pursue so fervently across my willing face, but it wasn’t particularly memorable, nor clever. His very recent release, X-Rated , pleasantly surprised us with some gems, and though this is not a glowing recount, I will most certainly howl in excitement when this mix is released. Here’s a little something to spawn some much-needed nostalgia:

Excision – Shambhala 2008 Mix [dub] [recommended]

Track list available here

As expected, A.Skillz brought the party to Fractal Forest. Samples from, and remixes of, a number of the 20th century’s most iconic tunes (Public Enemy, NWA, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, and Black Sabbath all included) were juxtaposed cunningly by the contemporary ordure of Koan Sound, Skrillex and alike. To put it bluntly, his set was fun, and I mean playground-bouncing-cotton candy-faced-pillow-fighting fun, albeit with an extra dollop of sub-bass. In addition to the success of his time slot, his smiling remix of “California Soul” was played more frequently than any other tune all weekend, excluding the dozen or so rehashings of Rolling In The Deep.

California Soul (A.Skillz Remix) – Marlena Shaw [breaks] [recommended]

A. Skillz “Beats Working Volume 1″ (Dj Mix 2011)

Track list available here

The disappointment of Bonobo ‘s no show was in some way eased by Malente ‘s stellar performance in what would have been his time slot. It was spacious in the Rock Pit, but in a comfortable way. I stood at the very front and watched every flick and twist he carried out on those Pioneers. It was house music, I suppose, but there was something more charming about it. Perhaps it was the sampling, the clever layering of melodies and bass lines, or his acute ability to work the knobs on his decks. Whatever it was, it was phenomenal. His soundcloud is stocked with goodies, if you feel so inclined.

Carcola (ft His Majesty Andre & Lazy Ants) (Malente Remix) [bass] [recommended]

Marcellus (Malente Remix) – Light Year [house]

Malente – Dj Mix 2010 -12-15 [house] [bass] [recommended]

Track list available here

The night began to end at 4:30, with a rhythmic and haunting exhibition from Brooklyn’s Night Slug , Kingdom . He looked over the scattered crowd with the serene intimidation of a meditated heron slinging a baseball bat over its shoulder. I’ll admit it, he looked cool; like he knew exactly what he was doing. And he did. His set was commanded by percussive arrangements and, to be honest, it was my first time hearing anything like it. It was intricate and punchy, whilst maintaining the spooky quality his time slot offered. Head over to Night Slugs and spend a dollar.

Monster ( Kingdom’s Nicki-centric Edit) (Dirty) – Kanye West [hip-hop] [bass]

Hottest Dub In America – Kingdom [future-bass]

Kingdom – FADETOMIND Mix for Oki-ni [future-bass] [recommended]

Track list available here

See you Sunday night.

sam.i.am