What do you call a $15-million dollar villa, endless drinks and pure booty bangers? Answer: The festival of a lifetime. SXM Festival (SXMF 2017) was an event given to us by the festival gods. Each day was a new experience with all five days differing in sound and every attendee unique in their own way. It was sublime and exclusive, with just around four thousand people in attendance. Only the fully dedicated were there, because in all honestly it was an absolute bitch to get to, trust me, I'm on crutches.
As I sit on a flight back to the US, having just traveled for 24 hours straight, there is not a single thing I would have done differently. SXMF 2017, which took place March was truly one for the books.
Day one was filled with eager festival-goers highly anticipating the nomadic sounds of the showcased artists Behrouz, Bedouin, NU and Yoko. The festival grounds were held at Happy Bay, located on the French side of Saint Maarten. The stages were situated on a secluded ocean beach front with acres of land to explore. The path to the grounds was a long and windy road. Palm trees and lush bushes lined the pathway making it seem as if you were about to enter a jungle. Really, this was jungle, although not in the conventional sense of the word. It was a jungle filled with techno beats, bright lights and animalistic humans dancing as if they had never danced before.
I had been eagerly waiting to see NU, the Peruvian DJ with a sweeping reputation of well-traveled music. Hitting the decks however, the set was slightly disappointing. His music was mellow with a Latin and Arabic melody. It sounded faded and sad. The sound was almost sleep inducing. Although NU’s set was good overall, the mellow vibe was not placed well on the schedule as a nighttime show. (Nevertheless, he made up for this on day three.) Behrouz stole the night, bringing Yoko on stage for a collaboration. The played back to back, and I swear the palm trees were dancing at the sound of the music. When the music ended at midnight, the crowed floated up the path reminiscing on the sounds that had just graced us.
Let's skip ahead to day 3; the boat party. Tickets for the boat party went fast. They sold out in just a week and I can see why. It was one of the highlights of my week. Newly discovered Norwegian sensation Crussen, along with Bedouin and NU absolutely killed it. It’s interesting to see the progression and evolution of this scene. Often, when people mentioned SXMF (including myself) they spoke about Richie Hawtin and Richardo Villalobos. After attending SXMF my sound preference has changed. The sounds of Crussen, NU and Bedouin are unlike any other. They have tapped into a different realm of music- a different dimension you could say. Their sound is completely unique and new. Imagine being a snake charmer, now imagine laying on a bed of pillows in the middle of Morocco smoking opium, NOW imagine a synthesizer with deep house beats- can you picture it? That is their sound.
The boat, looping around Phillipsburg, Saint Maarten on the Dutch Side was the perfect location for sightseeing, ocean dwelling and sun bathing. With the sun beating down, tequila in my hand and Crussen by my side, I was in my own sort of heaven. Interacting with Crussen in such an intimate situation reminds us that DJ's are just as normal and weird as we all are. We often forget that celebrities are normal people. We put them on pedestals and idolize them but really they are just the same as us (with one or two more Grammys!). Crussen said his music was meant for an escape. He told us, “this world is too hectic to be around hectic music- some times you need to listen to things that will calm you the fuck down.” The guy never stopped smiling the entire time I was with him. He told me how much he likes experiencing things first hand and incorporating them into this music. I respect that. As the boat came to an end, Bedouin finished off his set with dwindling sounds of falling stars and Latin undertones of house. A mellow way to finish off the day.
Day 4 & 5 – the day the music never stopped. Alongside Happy Bay from 12pm-12am, there was the VIP Villa party, 6 official after parties, and then Lee Burridge, All Day I Dream at 5am to ‘close the night.’ We started off at the VIP villa party. It was meant to be for the ‘elite." This was humorous to me. I am no elite, just really good at sneaking into places. Hidden 30 minutes within the island, the villa was at a disclosed address. Eleven-foot tall brass gates opened up to a 15 million dollar villa with a hot tub, a ground pool with waterfalls, an infinity pool over looking Saint Maarten, five bars, two DJ decks and a grilling station with food for the low price of just $30 a plate (ha!). Spinning the party was Thugfucker, whom I admire, but not the best choice for a day party. The environment here blew my mind, while the alcohol prices were trying to blow through my wallet. Women in their two hundred dollar bathing suits and stiletto heals were roaming the grassy areas of the villas and massage tables were laid out around the party. Meanwhile, I sat in the corner drinking a bottle of alcohol trying not to overdraw my bank account.
We left the villa and made our next stop at Happy Bay to see Jamie Jones, Skream and Kate Simko. The crowed was buzzing. This day at the festival felt like a dream. All genres came out– techno, house, disco, melodic sounds and everything in between. As Oliver Jones (aka Skream) approached the decks, the crowed went wild. It was a great set. Many songs unfamiliar to the fans, but everyone adapted. His disco jams were the crowd favorite. Jamie Jones hopped on stage next. His set did not disappoint. Leaving Happy Bay, I attended Refuge for the after party. The night sped by in the blink of an eye, leaving us at All Day I Dream with Lee Burridge. After seeing me dance in the crowd with my crutches, Lee came over and spoke about connecting people with music. He said, “Its about that one person that I see in the crowd- that one person that gets totally and completely off to his music, and that is the reason for being a DJ.” His ability to make someone feel connected and at home is quite unique. All Day I Dream turned into "all day I drink", which eventually led to the closing party – Richie and Ricardo.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Richie Hawtin but he sounded like a broken record that night. Same beat, same sound. I was hoping to end the 85-hour festival with some groovy jams so the mood he set was a bit disappointing to me. Ricardo Villalobos however, crushed his set. As the festival came to an end, the clouds darkened in the sky and it started raining. Was this an omen? Was it a sign from the universe? It was if the gods heard our requests and washed away the sins people performed over the weekend. The perfect end to an amazing weekend.
SXMF is not to be missed next year. The remarkable location, the miraculous sounds, and the mind-blowing experience of getting to witness your favorite DJ’s amongst less than 1000 attendees is uncanny. Start planning your trip now, because SXMF 2018 is bound to blow your mind!
