For millennia, humans have gathered together to make sounds and celebrate the profound nature of sharing life on earth. This ethos forms the bedrock of a California-based music festival known as, Symbiosis Gathering. This Sept 22nd – 25th, nearly 18,000 humans will congregate at the Woodward Reservoir (2900 acres) near Oakdale, CA, for a weekend of difference, art (much of it floating in the water), connection, swimming, and of course – phenomenal music.
Many music festivals miss the one simple fact that we are all humans. As Lost In Translation’s (2003) seminal film poster writes: “Everyone wants to be found.” Well, everyone has the chance to be found at Symbiosis Gathering 2016 (also being referred to as The Family Tree) – all you need to do is arrive with an open heart, mind and soul.
Symbiosis Gathering has evolved into an international community that’s much more than an amalgamation of the parts of which it’s comprised. There’s really nothing as simultaneously profound, yet so fun and silly, to be around thousands of people expressing themselves in such a spectacular environment. That’s something Basque Hrbek, founder of Symbiosis knows well – over the course of its existence, Symbiosis has been produced in five different locations and more than one continent.
Awareness of difference is evident considering Symbiosis’s musical offerings: intersections of genres from many artists on the bill can be so blurred as to render genres almost meaningless. When it comes to the Symbiosis 2016 lineup, there’s the FKA Twigs whispy yet powerful minimalist electronic R&B. Gramatik’s hip-hop influenced jazzy boom bap funk overlaid with his excellent live saxophone. Santigold, whose 99 Cents album has received places on many album of the year lists already. Dirtybird Records boss, Claude VonStroke, plus fellow ‘Dirtybird Players” Justin Martin and Shiba San, whom all are predicted to be bangin’ 808-heavy tunes. The always breathtaking Zoe and her band, Beats Antique, will also be present performing their unique mix of electronic and middle eastern music.
The variety of artists within the Symbiosis lineup is even more astute considering bookings like Desert Hearts core label members (Mikey Lion, Porkchop, Deep Jesus, Marbs and Lee Reynolds); one of the crews responsible for establishing the “Playa Tech” genre, and who will certainly bring along a romping party. Burning Man mainstay and Sol Selecta label boss, Sabo, alongside fellow roster member, Nu, will spin at the gathering for some spiritual loveliness and inward exploration.
The Gaslamp Killer, a founder of experimental hip-hop mecca Low End Theory out of Los Angeles, will scramble brains with his eclectic collages of sounds. Worldwide respected DJ/producer, Seth Troxler, who’ll be dropping tech-house bombs for the techno heads is one Detroit-bred act not to be missed. Rising Appalachia are on the bill to slow things down a bit with folksy Appalachian twangy country porch tunes, as well as, the group Oh Wonder; who’s introspective indie is a nice touch to a lineup featuring such incredibly nuanced bass music.
The team behind booking talent at Symbiosis is clearly astute and has done their homework, and we could go on and on about the quality of music that will be on display. In addition to curating one of the most diverse, world spanning musical lineups, Symbiosis producers are focusing more time and effort towards filling the grounds with more art instillations (most floating in water; so be prepared for rafting to get down with your festival friends) for even more visually compelling experiences.
There’s an obvious awareness of underlying philosophies of the festival from organizers (next year’s gathering was planned specifically to coincide with a solar eclipse!). As Hrbek notes, “The philosophy behind Symbiosis has always been to create not just another music festival, but something novel. Rather than have music be front and center, we wanted the goal to be a creation of a community.”
That community has grown into something special that you can feel at the gathering, something worldwide. The growth and scale of the gathering have allowed organizers to bring in some of the best talent around today, but that’s not the core of why Symbiosis is special. It’s the community, the people, the creators that make Symbiosis Gathering something not to be missed – we hope to see you there soon!
BUY SYMBIOSIS GATHERING TICKETS
