Lightning Strike - LIB reviewed

Last weekend in Santa Barbara was the 8^th annual Lightning in a Bottle festival and I just could not resist the opportunity to bust out of town for a good old fashioned boogie fest in the woods. LIB focuses heavily on the electronica side of music and performance art. Think Burning Man meets Love Fest then make it intimate and put it in the woods instead of the desert and you have Lightning in a Bottle.

Festivals like this are always great because you get lured in by names you know and recognize and then ultimately you leave with new artists and music that you love and can’t wait to hear again. At LIB, the headliners definitely delivered but it was the lesser known (at least to me) artists that stole the show. Here is a brief run down of the people I heard while there that I think you need to check out.

Ganga Giri- Not sure how to explain these guys other than “They Rock!”. I think their site says it better… “Ganga Giri mixes red natural elements with fat tribal beats and dirty funky bass lines to create a unique tribal-technological deep earth dance experience.”

The Glitch Mob - I walked into this show at the Treehouse Stage and these guys were tearing the roof down. Some of the sickest, deepest, funkiest, hip-hop infused beats you will ever hear. Luckily these guys are Cali based and play SF a ton. Look for them at the next Get Freaky throw down.

Goddess Alchemy Project - These 4 female MC’s are lethal. They destroyed the main stage on Sunday morning. Again, their description says it best: “In collaboration with many artists and producers, Goddess Alchemy’s sound alchemizes a fresh, feminine flavor by integrating elements of underground hip hop, world accents, spoken word flows, and soulful melodics.”

BLVD feat Souleye - BLVD is a three-piece band that fuses live instruments with electronic samples to create a truly unique sound. Combining elements of house, breakbeat, and rock, their high-energy sound is perfect for the dance floor.

Others that you need to check out if you haven’t already…

Kid Beyond - Human Beat box master

Heavy Weight Dub Champion

March Forth Marching band

DJ's that rocked!

Bassnectar

Random Rab

The Ianator

Blue Tech

Jesse Wright

Sammy Bliss

I could go on… Bottom line is that this festival rocked and there are some fast rising stars in the genre that are going blow your socks off so watch for ‘em.

For a view into the wonderful madness, check out the Lightning in a Bottle video.

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