The return of the Lightning in a Bottle Festival, plus a Pop & Hiss-premiered artist mixtape
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Examine the mathematics: Burning Man + Coachella = the Lightning in a Bottle Festival. But that arithmetic might be a bit too simplistic.
In its sixth year, the electronic music-centered festival is wired with its own unique circuitry. Held over Memorial Day weekend in Silverado, Calif. (an hour south of L.A., 45 minutes north of San Diego), last year’s celebration featured 7,000 people gathered on 100 acres of ranchland, featuring rolling hills, trees and reservoirs.
To add to the singular character, Lightning in a Bottle offers organic foods, courses on living a sustainable lifestyle and yoga and dance classes -- because there is nothing like seeing Inspired Flight and doing the airplane pose.
Befitting its earthy and bohemian aesthetic, the festival is inviting local artists to ‘transform oversized mural panels into paintings which are then sold in a silent auction with the proceeds benefiting the Do Lab’s brand new nonprofit organization, The DoArt Foundation.’ Presumably, hemp will be involved in some way.
Of course, the centerpiece is its sonics, and as always organizers have wrangled a deep lineup of dance music. Sets from Thievery Corporation, Bonobo, Pretty Lights, and the Lucent Dossier Experience. In particular, the roster includes a slate of local heavy hitters, many drawn from the Low End Theory constellation, including Baths and Virtual Boy. Plus, a set from afro-popsters Fool’s Gold.
Each year, the Do Lab runs a contest offering a performance slot to the DJ who makes the finest mixtape compromised solely from musicians on the bill. This year’s winner is the marvelously named Sex Pixels, whose, ‘Follow Me Now To A Place You’ve Only Dreamed Of: THE LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE EXPERIENCE’ transforms the familiar in uniquely creative ways -- a mission statement that neatly parallels the festival itself.
Tracklist after the jump.
Track list:
1. Eskmo - Color Dropping
2. Pretty Lights - Finally Moving Remix
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can’t Stop (Love and Light Remix)
4. Love and Light - Slap and Tickle w/ beatsantique/Roustabout
5. PaperDiamond - Levitate w/ FreQ Nasty vs Bassnectar - Viva Tibet (East & West Mix)
6. Rustie (KRADDY Next Level Mash-Up) vs Gladkill - In Two [SEX PIXELS LIB REVAMP]
7. beatsantique - Dope Crunk w/ djlynx & Alix Perez feat. Kemo - Keep It Low
8. Pretty Lights - Hot Like Sauce w/ Dirty Vegas - Days Go By (TigranMiMoSA Remix)
9. davidstarfire vs an-ten-nae SEX PIXELS COME TOGETHER REVAMP]
10. Virtual Boy - The Future Holds a Beat
11. UnderWater Love (Stephan Jacobs Remix) vs Lebanese Blonde [SEX PIXELS LIB REVAMP]
12. Heyoka - The Roswell Stomp
13. Blind Melon - No Rain (Pumpkin Remix)
14. beatsantique - Scratch
15. davidstarfire vs. Outkast - Bombs Over 2 Baghdads (Rusty Meeks Mashup)
16. Heyoka - Cameche (remix)
17. jaytripwire - Saxtronik
18. Claude VonStroke - Twang Chung
19. Bonobo - All In Forms vs leeburridge & Steve Porter [SEX PIXELS RAW DOG REVAMP]
20. Claude VonStroke - Who’s Afraid Of Detroit [SEX PIXELS LIB EDIT]
21. Stephan Jacobs - Yellow Cone w/ David Bowie - Dance Magic Dance (Pumpkin Re-fix)
22. KRADDY - Android Porn
23. Heyoka vs Pretty Lights vs Thievery Corporation - Aimin At The Richest Man In Brobylon [SEX PIXELS LIB REVAMP]
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-- Jeff Weiss