The What The Festival 2013 Experience
Posted by: Alex Gaynor on November 19, 2013As we drive through the night, down the windy Oregon roads our sense of anticipation and excitement is palatable. As we push forward for what feels like endless hours, we finally stumble into What the Festival 2013, we are in a delirious euphoria. Already, we know our long trek was worth it and when we wake up we find ourselves in the most delightful of places.
This festival experience really promotes creative freedom. Walking around WTF you never know who you might meet. And when you meet them, things happen. Maybe its just a jolly jig or an exuberant smile. Maybe you start painting a mural or playing chess. The entire place seemed to cultivate magical experiences.
The epic location nestled under Mt Hood really helps the entire atmosphere. There is a little something spiritual about the looming mountain peak that is Mt Hood. The meadows that lie below are both protected and enchanted by the beauty. This remarkable feature of landscape brings the festival into its full glory.
The summer climate of Oregon is hard to beat. The temperature range is ever so slightly warm during the day, perfectly conducive to pool parties in the sun or naps in the shade; which just happen to be two of my favorite things. At night it just so happens that dancing equipped with an epic costume feels just right.
If you don’t know who played, just check out this line up for plenty of shivers up the spine. To quote myself “I’ve never danced like this before.” The music is scheduled way into the night. Much later than the average festival can afford. At WTF the official set times go all the way until 6. There is music all night long. WTF supports and thrives on this aspect of festival culture.
The WTF Stage on Friday night did not stop. Polish Ambassador brought the dance party all over the stage and beyond. Followed by Flosstradamus whose unique style of trap anthems didn’t disappoint. Their giant underground sound was a crowd favourite. Finally, A-Trak closed out the stage with his perfected DJ set. It was a performance that cruised through an unbelievably massive gambit of genres and had the dance floor packed until the very end.
On Saturday Yacht played like she meant it. She was in her element, surrounded by her people. Yacht delivered a dancy set combined with minimalist messages. The local crowd support came through. They may have grown bigger than their roots in Portland, but there’s nothing like coming home.
Like a beautiful fire consuming itself, the music consumes the dancer. Given the choice, we’d dance forever; but instead we dance until we drop. And when that time comes, there is a lovely welcoming campground 5 minutes away, in the populated forests under Mt Hood. The music fades away when you can’t dance anymore and drift off to sleep. It is a strange mix of emotions at the end. We had reached the end of our journey at WTF?! It was an amazing, beautiful experience but we were sad for it to be over. As we packed up our car and started to make our way back home I couldn’t help look in the rearview mirror and smile knowing that next year we’d be back.
For more What The Festival 2013 photos check out our album on facebook.
All photos by Alex Gaynor Photography.
About author
Related Articles
-
-
Boomtown Fair: A Photo Journal by Black Dahlia Photography
October 1, 2016 -
Motion Notion 2016: A Photo Journal by KreateLove
September 19, 2016 -
Astral Harvest 2016: A Photo Journal by Jeff Cruz
August 23, 2016
-
FASHION
5 Reasons why Etsy.com is the #1 source for all your festival fashion needs
April 16, 2012From junglist to hippie, steampunk to hipster and everything inbetween. One of the thousands of…
-
#HYHT
HYHT: Nu:Tone – Future History
March 2, 2015If I had to pick one album that I could listen to if I was…
-
HUMOR
Glow Stick Chronicles: The Pirate and the Ninja
April 26, 2012Pirates Vs Ninjas – The age old question is finally answered in today’s Glow…
-
INTERVIEWS
Transforma Pounds Neurofunk in Western Canada and Motion Notion
September 14, 2015Transforma Interviews with AllYouNeedisBass.com Australian drum and bass producer Transforma (Neil Bartlett) loves the Western…
-
MORE
Opiuo talks with AYNiB
June 13, 2012The North American resurgence in electronic music has allowed bass music to blossom into…
RANDOM ARTICLES
-
Want to know what happened at PK Sound Victoria’s 1st Year Anniversary Party?
It’s a good thing there’s video evidence of this bumping and grinding night as PK…
-
Interview with Phutureprimitive
Phutureprimitive has just finished his Fall tour with Sphongle and is now in the midst…
-
HYHT: Cryptex
After moving to L.A. at 17 for an acting career he was influenced by the…
-
403DNBBQ Weekender 2014 Massive Line Up Release
Oh gosh! The second annual 403DNBBQ Weekender 2014 line-up and event information is here! Last…
-
HYHT: Mista-Levi – Death By Breakbeats
When we all piled back into our slightly cramped vehicle last Monday morning after Sync…
-
HYHT: Crazy Daylight – Want Blood Remixes
I Don’t know about the rest of you, but I had a little too much…
-
BASSpod: 403DNBBQ Ragga Jungle Showcase with Logo and Proph
This edition of AYNIB’s BASSpod series is a showcase from the upcoming 403 DNBBQ festival….
-
Benny Page Remixes Major Lazer’s Lean On
It’s truth that every summer, Major Lazer brings us an anthem that gets heavy heavy…
-
#FBF – Metropolis 2015 – The Party of the Bass Face
Last year, 403 DNB brought Calgary an all DnB multi-venue party, a completely new concept…
-
HYHT: Kether – What You’ll See
Kether has done it again with their newest EP Moon Boom that was released this…
-
Calyx & TeeBee: Sawn Off
What is arguably one of the top Drum & Bass albums? Calyx & Teebee’s “All…
-
How Artists Chose Their Names: Vibrant Festival Edition
In this edition of How Artists Chose Their Names we’re shining the spotlight on…
-
Le Cirque de la Nuit: Lunari – promo video
Cirque de la Nuit from Orlando Kelly on Vimeo. Le Cirque de la Nuit: Kintala…
-
Cans of paint and skill, Sofles – Limitless
It’s pretty amazing what a group of graffiti artists can do with a lot of…
-
The Village Sessions: Chris B live at Shambhala 2012
All You Need is Bass and PK Sound are proud to present The Village Sessions….
-
HYHT: Lost City JNGL (Noah D and No Thing)
After freshly releasing collaborative projects Feb of 2014 this duo is instantly top of my…
-
The Do Lab Does Coachella Video!
The first week of Coachella 2013 is only a day away and if you are…
-
Glow Stick Chronicles: The Piss Slip ‘n’ Slide
In order to protect the not so innocent, this story takes place at a festival…
-
Yoga Under the Earth Harp with Andrea Brook
This spring, All You Need is Bass went to Envision Festival in Costa Rica to…
-
HYHT: Datsik Firepower
Datsik’s been a busy man this summer. After laying it down heavy at Shambhala, he’s…
-
Hop aboard the Bass Caravan!
Since getting the tip about the set, I’ve been drawn back over and over again…
-
Slow Jam Sundays: DJ Sw@t
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that everyone is enjoying…
-
Serial Killaz Interview: Killin’ it One Riddim at a Time
Serial Killaz have become a household name in the world of ragga jungle. For years…
-
The Village Sessions: Slim Pickins Live at Shambhala 2012
All You Need is Bass and PK Sound are proud to present The Village Sessions. This…
-
HYHT: Minoru
One of my favourite producers I have discovered in the last year is Minouru. I can…
-
The Village Sessions: Amadeus Live at Shambhala 2012
All You Need is Bass and PK Sound are proud to present The Village Sessions. This…
-
Top 10 Moments of Motion Notion 2014
Well known for its mystical psytrance music and divine reconfigurations of classic beats by well-known…
-
AllieKat’s Motion Notion 2013 Picks
A few of us here at All You Need is Bass are getting hyped up…
-
Slow Jam Sundays: Gladkill – Our Differences
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Everyone!! Okay, so this Sunday slow jam is featuring just a track…
-
Tomorrowland Brazil 2015 Official After Movie
Tomorrowland Brazil took place April 21-23, 2015 and featured a full roster of international headliners, mind-blowing…
-
Festival Fashion Round Up: May 2012
One thing I love about bass culture is the fashion that is starting to blossom…
-
ill.Gates – I’m EEL
After his unbelievable performance at Shambhala there is no doubt in my mind that ill.Gates…
-
Bass Coast Lineup: First Wave be Like Whoa
As we all patiently wait for this summer’s festival lineups to be released, Bass Coast…
-
The Village Sessions: Arlen Live at Shambhala 2013
There is not a better person to be able to translate the beauty that is…
-
HYHT: Krampfhaft – Spit Thunder
I could only shake my head when I first saw the tragic cell phone video of…
-
Studio Side with DJ WakCutt
In this first edition of Studio Side, All You Need is Bass took a trip…