Zen Awakening, a music and arts festival will be returning to Orlando this November 20-22 2015. After its inaugural year in 2014, Zen Awakening is expanding its music, art, and reach. The three day festival includes camping, art installations, themed villages, yoga, food vendors, Cirque performers, fire performers, a 20 foot water slide, and much more. As the name might suggest, the festival aims to integrate music with art, nature, and spirituality.
This year’s musical performances include Eoto, Thriftworks, Govinda, Archnemesis, Sugarpill, and more. Early bird tickets have already sold out, but three-day general admission camping ($89) and VIP TeePee camping passes ($500, includes four passes) are still available. Make sure to come prepared by checking out the rules and guidelines and camping info.
It was the end of summer 2014. My girlfriend and I had the privilege of attending Electric Forest and the Hudson (Mudson) Project over the course of those summer months. Eforest was nothing short of magical and the Hudson Project was awesome while it lasted. But the start of the new semester was right around the corner and we weren’t going to let the summer conclude without one more bass- filled hoorah. Scouring the Internet for our next musical adventure, we came across Imagine Music Festival in Atlanta. The lineup looked decent enough. Destroid, ill. Gates, Caspa, Minnesota, at less than a hundred bucks a ticket, we were sold.
The end of August rolls around, we pack up the car and head towards Atlanta. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, coming off of two camping festivals out in the middle of nowhere to a two-day non-camping festival in the heart of a major city. I knew the vibe was going to be different but that didn’t matter as long as the music was good. The schedule had been released; we knew the artists we wanted to see and left some room to discover new ones. August 30th had arrived. It was the first day of the festival and we couldn’t have been more stoked.
Immediately upon entering the festival I was impressed. Sporting a magical underwater theme on all the stages, it was apparent the Iris team had put tons of thought and time into the preparation of the festival. The stage designs were beautiful, the sound system was on point, and the weather was beautiful (at first). Walking around the festival grounds, smiling faces and dancing people everywhere set the tone for a great day. There were some incredible acts on the first day as Phutureprimitive and Colorado natives Unlimited Aspect (a combined force of Unlimited Gravity and Project Aspect) who blew us away.
Day two proved to be just as much fun with the exception of a debilitating rain storm which cut Wick-It The Instigators set short much to our disappointment, cause the dude was CRUSHING it. Despite the rain delay, epic artists like Minnesota and Caspa quickly brought us right back to rage mode. Imagine Festival last year was nothing short of incredible and we bought our tickets for this year’s event as soon as they came out. Little did we know that Imagine would step their game up about twelve notches.
As incredible as last years lineup was, THIS year blows last years out of the water. Like seriously Iris, you guys really outdid yourself. This lineup is absolutely STACKED and I could not be more excited for the festivities. So in order to deal with my growing level of excitement, I have compiled my personal list of my top 5 artists at Imagine this year that I’m super psyched to see.
GRiZ
This selection is entirely biased. Griz is my all time favorite. I’ll admit it. Despite having seen him several times, the Detroit native turned Colorado resident brings some next level awesome every time he steps on stage. His unique and original blend of funk infused bass music is unrivaled. The sound design of his bass elements combined with the absolute shredding on the saxophone leads to the most boogie-filled groovetastical dance floor extravaganza the likes have never been seen. Throwing in crowd-pleasing sing-alongs along with his funky filled creations leads to one of the most dynamic, nonstop fun sets in the electronic music world today.
MartyParty
This South African native BLEW MY MIND at Electric Forest. It’s funny because you think I’m exaggerating. I’m not. As half of PantyRaid, I was familiar with the name MartyParty and his work as part of PantyRaid but I had no idea what to expect when I saw him live. On the first day of Electric Forest we went to check out his set more out of curiosity than anything and oh. my. God. This guy blew my face off. His own self-proclaimed “weird music” thundered from the sound system, engulfing everyone present in enormous amounts of sub bass and ridiculous bass lines. His music gets down and dirty and he’s got the dance moves to go along with it. I was lucky enough to secure an interview with MartyParty at Imagine (time permitting) so stay tuned here for some words with the man himself after the festival.
G Jones
This is a new artist for me to see. For years I’ve wanted to see G Jones and literally EVERY person I’ve talked too who’s seen him has said his set is not to be missed. I haven’t had the opportunity to see him until now and I can’t wait. Known for his weird, glitchy beats, G Jones has been slaying festivals everywhere. With a recent release with Bassnectar and new side project with DJ Shadow, it seems G Jones is unstoppable. I’ve heard a lot of hype about this young festival slayer and I’m psyched to heard what all the hype is about.
Tipper w/Android Jones
After having his set brutally torn from me at the Mudson Project, there’s been a hole in my soul that hasn’t been able to be filled until I see Tipper. It was going to be my first time and the extreme excitement followed by crushing disappointment (and rain) was almost too much to handle. But then Imagine Fest came to the rescue, booking Tipper with his INSANE visual artist Android Jones. The king of glitch is sure to take us all on a crazy trip to holy shitsville and my excitement level is quite high.
iLL Gates v.s. KJ Sawka
This one should definitely be interesting. The two Ableton wizards have been on tour together doing head to head MIDI fighter battles. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, essentially they will be performing by finger drumming (or stick drumming) on what I assume is a clip launcher of some sort such as a MIDI fighter or other type of Launchpad. I can’t confirm the details but I imagine they will take turns composing or performing songs live on the spot, putting their finger drumming skills to the test. This type of performance is unique and I’m excited to hear it in action.
It’s that time of the year when rising temperatures across the country signal the start of the summer festival season. This year, Tampa, FL will see the return of Sunset Music Festival at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What started in 2012 as a small single-day festival has grown into a destination two-day event, drawing crowds from across the region. On its steady rise to prominence, Sunset experienced a bit of a breakout year last year when the festival spanned two days for the first time since its inception. Last year’s show touted headliners of Zedd, Benny Benassi, Hardwell, and Krewella, along with a range of other artists like Alex Metric, Tchami, Adventure Club, Candyland, The Chainsmokers, DJ Snake (with a special guest appearance from Lil Jon), and many more.
This year, Sunset continues its growth as a major dance music festival in Florida and the South East United States with the lineup being billed as the biggest in Sunset history. This year’s lineup includes headliners of Tiesto, Skrillex, and Armin Van Buuren, with other artists that are familiar to the festival circuit like Flosstradamus, Porter Robinson, and Showtek. However, Sunset will also see some relatively new faces that have been experiencing success with the resurgence of House music in recent years. Expect artists like Thomas Jack, SNBRN, Viceroy, and Sam Feldt to bring the tropical beats that helped kick their careers off, a sound that artists and fans have dubbed Tropical House. We’ll also see the return of Tchami to Sunset this year, who rose to prominence with music that he’s previously described as Future House. Expect similar styles that of Tchami with artists like Don Diablo and Oliver Heldens, the latter of which has seen breakout success in the last year. We’ll also see performances from a slew of other artists ranging from genres of drum & bass to trance and everything in between. Check out the full lineup for more.
Responding to criticism of VIP amenities and security issues that occurred last year, the organizers have stepped up efforts to make the experience a memorable one. Sunset has highlighted some of the improvements made this year, which include VIP amenities, security and entry improvements, water facilities, and more shade structures. While festivalgoers enjoyed shaded areas and free water last year, expect shade to be more abundant and water lines shorter with increased shaded areas, additional water stations, and increased personnel to cut down on wait times for water and security checks. You’ll also be able to light the night up this year with LED hula hoops and glow toys, which will be allowed this year, a move which will help satisfy fans that were not allowed to bring their glow toys in last year.
Remember that this festival is rain or shine! Despite some inclement weather last year, the festival still spanned both days (aside from a short break to allow for some thunder and lightning to pass). Food vendors will be available across the festival grounds. For more information, check out the festival guidelines and information.
Tickets are currently on sale for $149 (not including $13.19 fee, $5.50 shipping, and taxes), but prices are slated to increase this Friday, April 17. VIP tickets are available for $219 (not including $17.04 fee, $5.50 shipping, and taxes). Hotel packages, lockers, and other amenities and merchandise are also available at the website.
