The Line-up:
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Sometimes, you hear a DJ perform for the first time and the music is so incredible that you are in disbelief of what you are hearing. However, as time goes on, you usually begin to have an expectation of every DJ and they no longer “wow” you in the same way. Tipper is, without a doubt, an exception to this rule. Despite having experienced Tipper multiple times within the last year, I was still blown away by his set at Enchanted Forest Gathering. Tipper brought me on a magical journey to a place of pure happiness; and technically speaking, his scratching was unparalleled to anything I’ve ever heard. Easy to say this was the best set I have EVER heard!. I like to consider myself a hardcore headbanger (I’m a HUGE Excision fan!), but after that set I have to say that David Tipper is hands down my favorite producer. If that doesn’t say how good his music, is, I don’t know what does.
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If not for Tipper, I can safely say that the set Stylust Beats layed down what was the filthiest set of the weekend and easily the biggest surprise for me. I had heard about Stylust Beats before, my friends had mentioned him many times, but had never been to a show or taken the time to listen to his music. This was finally my chance to catch him and see what my friends were talking about. Holy sh*t! They did not do Geoff Reich justice. I had originally only planned to stay for the first half of Geoff’s set and then catch the last half of another set I had been looking forward to, but I never left. In fact, I completely forgot that there was another set for me catch because the music was that incredible. His bass heavy style mixed with dubstep and trap was the PERFECT combination for me. The entire set from start to finish was a high energy adventure that left me wanting so much more. Luckily, Stylust Beats is set to play at the 20th Anniversary of Shambhala in Canada in August (look out for our review!).
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Rounding out my top 3 from EFG is none other than Opiuo. I was first introduced to Opiuo last year at Sonic Bloom through his side project, The Opiuo Band, a funk and glitch-hop based live-tronica group. Live-tronica, in case you are unfamiliar, is DJing with the combination of live instruments. I have been a big fan of the genre ever since I started listening to Electro-Swing (electronic music mixed with 1920’s swing music). I had been told by a friend that when Oscar Davey-Wraight played a full DJ set it was more bass heavy and thus more my kind of music. Oh boy was he right on both accounts. Opiuo brought the funky, glitch bass hard and even though I was only able to catch half of his set it was still one of my favorites of the weekend.
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The Venue:
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I’ll start by saying I’m a little biased about this venue as it’s only about a 3-4 hour drive from where I live. That’s a HUGE deal for me, considering it allowed me to bring all my camping gear without worrying about flying and checking bags. With that said, the venue sits in an absolutely gorgeous area here in Northern California. Black Oak Ranch is located just outside of Laytonville, surround by a small (enchanted) forest. I think my favorite aspect of this venue is how intimate it is. You can easily walk from one end of the grounds to the other in less than 15 minutes, which makes switching between sets and making stops at camp a breeze — keeping you from stressing about missing any music. It also means that you will run into basically everyone at one point or another. If a friend attended without you knowing, you’ll most likely bump into them on accident!
The Community:
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Hands down this is one of the best communities I have been apart of for a festival. This is my second year attending and each year everyone, from the those attending to the volunteers, are so warm and welcoming. So many amazing and unique souls gathered together in one place for the same love of music have created a truly beautiful community at Enchanted Forest Gathering. It is such a warm and welcoming community, in fact, it is the most family friendly event I have ever been to. I saw countless children of all ages running around experiencing the joy of flow toys or dancing their heart out. It made me happy to see the next generation of festivals goers and ravers starting out right before my eyes. For these reasons and so many more, I now plan to attend EFG every year. Hopefully next year comes around quick!
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