As I headed up North for my first year at Northern Nights Music Festival, I saw a beautiful rainbow that swept across the sky. It was then I should have known that the weekend was going to be an amazing one. Nothing is better for the soul than camping with a bunch of your friends under the redwood trees and next to a beautiful river that would help cool the hot summer days. Friday I set up my camp with my friends; you might have seen us. We had the Bill Murray “you’re awesome” sign with us and multiple Towelie towels.
Northern Nights felt like a huge party and also like a scavenger hunt with great surprises popping up throughout each day. The redwood grove was filled with hammocks for lounging, intricate and colorful artwork was on display and was being painted live as well, aerial silks were set up with people flying down them like acrobats, and there were so many unique vendors who had set up shop that it was truly difficult for me to decide where I wanted to put my money. Large packs of friends were prevalent at Northern Nights which may sound exclusive, but really brought the crowd together as it felt like one big family reunion. After setting up camp Friday afternoon, my friends and I went to catch some music.
FRIDAY
The first duo that I enjoyed was Made in Heights. They were playing at the main stage which was closest to the merchandise and food vendors, the press lounge, and the silent disco. Made in Heights consists of Alexei Saba and Kelsey Bulkin; the two have amazing chemistry and when watching them you can’t help but bounce along to their beats because they have short but sweet dance routines that they do on stage as well. If you check out their Facebook page they describe their music as “beauty slap,” “vogue trap,” and “mythical filth.” Kelsey’s voice is soft, sweet, and just a little bit haunting. Alexei is charming with his own unique voice and the two together create magic.
After enjoying Made in Heights, I went back to camp and got ready for the evening. The theme for the evening was House, and it was going to be the night of the Martin brothers. As you might know, the brothers are both Dirtybirds, and as my friends and I walked to Christian’s set, we saw Justin and immediately took some selfies. Christian threw his tech house sound at us which made all of us wiggle in weird but very good ways, and as the crowd grew larger and larger, so did the dance party. Not long after Christian, Justin took the stage with his set being my favorite of the night. As per many requests, “Stay,” his Henry Krinkle remix, was graced upon us, and no one could stop their feet from moving. It is impossible to be a stick-in-the-mud during Justin’s set because the guy wears a permanent smile and bounces up and down along with the audience’s energy; it was a superb way to kick off the festival.
SATURDAY
Saturday was the day I was most excited for. I spent the day at the river, as I am sure almost every single person at NNMF did as well. The river was jam-packed with inflatable rafts, inner tubes, more inflatable pool toys, and tan, beer-wielding attendees. While the rocks that surrounded the Eel River, housed the River Stage as well as sun-bathing festival-goers, were a bit of a pain to walk and dance on, nothing could stop me from enjoying an afternoon Pumpkin set. Tears of river water rolled down my body as I sung along in bliss to his remixed oldies like “Dream Lover” and “I Want You Back.” Pumpkin kills his sets each time, and really, there’s nothing I love more than an oldie but goodie. Pumpkin has a beautiful way of turning the old into something new and putting a personal spin on everything he does.
As my friends and I made our way back to camp and dried off, we got ready for the evening and more amazing music. Some of my friends had shared their interest in going to catch Dimond Saints at the main stage. I had seen Dimond Saints not very long ago at Enchanted Forest and I honestly was not very impressed; I recall leaving not even halfway through their set. However, their set at NNMF was way better than what I had recently seen. Heavy, futuristic beats and bass were shaking the dance floor and I found myself getting’ down to An-Ten-Nae’s latest project.
Next was The Floozies, the set I was most excited to catch all weekend. Matt and Mark Hill are brothers that produce such funky beats that whenever I listen to them, they turn my frown upside down. I was so ready to dance when I heard “Love, Sex and Fancy Things” start up, and their funky, glitchy, energetic tunes made my ears so happy that my smile probably looked similar to the Cheshire Cat. Not only did they place a favorite of mine, but they also dropped their newer beat, “Back on It” which was really everything I could ask for.
To close Saturday night Beats Antique hit the main stage which was, as always, trippy, psychedelic, eclectic, and eyebrow-raising. Animal heads were worn, visuals on the behind screen were surreal and almost 3D, belly dancers jangled their booties across the stage, and Beats delivered some sounds that were circus-esque, ethnic, and had the audience dancing around with some monkey-like moves.
SUNDAY
Another day spent at the river. Sunday wasn’t as hot as the previous days, therefore the river wasn’t jam-packed like on Saturday. I chilled under a canopy with a friend, watched multiple people’s belongings as they gave me beer and jumped in the river, and listened to the music going on behind me which was the “Tormenta Tropical River Takeover.” The vibe was just right as I felt like I was lounging on my own private island. Not long after the river, a few friends and I headed to the main stage to check out Sabo. I was not familiar with Sabo, but one of my friends convinced me to join her, letting me know that I was going to dig what I was about to be hearing; she was right. Sabo is funky in a way that makes you feel like you’re exploring through the Amazon. It was easy to dance right through to his hour-long set.
Time seemed to pass so fast after I saw Sabo. Next, I was about to see EPROM. EPROM was so bass heavy that I thought my insides were going to drop onto the floor, and I liked it. Lasers lit the sky, asses were shaking, and the energy was so high during his set that I never wanted to come down. However, time did pass and EPROM was over. Next was Giraffage; Giraffage was interesting in that during the first half of his set, I did not like what I was hearing. His sounds were way too mellow than what I had previously been enjoying during EPROM, but as he continued, I grew to enjoy him more than I initially did. With cats, anime characters, pizza, and 8-bit art filling the screen behind him, his set grew to be more and more colorful. As embarrassing as it may seem, I couldn’t help but totally jam out to his remix of Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus; sue me.
To end the weekend festivities at the main stage, ODESZA came on and awed the audience. The duo’s beautiful sound which made me feel as though I was dancing through a lucid dream definitely made my heart flutter. As my friends and I grabbed each other and swayed along to the music, I was sad to even think about the festivities ending. Moments after ODESZA ended their set, the festival MC for the weekend was lifted above the crowd on a cherry picker, and made me feel like a giddy child at Disneyland. The MC brought the family who owns the land where the festival was held onto the stage and the crowd applauded them with big smiles, loud whistles, and heartfelt claps.
Conclusion
Northern Nights Music Festival blew me away. It was better than I could have imagined, and on Monday when my friends and I were taking our camp down, I felt as though I was going through a breakup. I never wanted to leave the redwood trees, the flowing river, the amazing music I caught all weekend under the hot sun, or my camp who promptly handed out mimosas each morning. Northern Nights popped the cork off of my festival run for the summer, and I am so thankful and grateful for a festival that brought so many people together to experience what was pure bliss. If you don’t have this festival on your radar for next year, you are crazy.
Connect with Northern Nights Music Festival
Original article: *Event Review* Northern Nights Music Festival | July 18 – 20 | 2014
©2014 Music You Need | The Premier Electronic Dance Music Blog. All Rights Reserved.
The post *Event Review* Northern Nights Music Festival | July 18 – 20 | 2014 appeared first on Music You Need | The Premier Electronic Dance Music Blog.