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
Festival Fashion Round-Up: February 2013
February 27, 2013One thing we love about bass culture is the fashion that is starting to blossom…
-
#HYHT
HYHT: Cryptex
December 17, 2012After moving to L.A. at 17 for an acting career he was influenced by the…
-
HUMOR
Festival Do’s and Don’ts: A Guide to not Playing Yourself
July 19, 2012I am sure that we have all felt like we had “the best time ever”…
-
INTERVIEWS
The Big Gigantic Interview from What the Festival
September 20, 2012Coming from the hotbed of musical innovation that is Colorado, Big Gigantic has been winning…
-
MORE
HYHT: The Upbeats – Diffused (Official Video!)
January 14, 2013What can be said of the powerhouse New Zealand duo that is The Upbeats? Since…
RANDOM ARTICLES
-
Slow Jam Sundays: Afro Monk’s Alien Sessions
This weeks slow jam comes from a beat producer, DJ, music journalist and events promoter out of…
-
Looking Back With A Motion Notion 2013 Review
Motion Notion 2013 was a festival of unity, of non-separation, of real people gathering in…
-
How a DJ saved our lives at Loki Music Festival 2012
This Canada Day Long weekend played out in such an amazing unexpected manner! First, our…
-
THePETEBOX: Over & Over – Loop Petal Beatbox Live to Tape
THePETEBOX cover version of the track Over and Over. He’s performed a simpler version of this…
-
Festival Fashion Round Up: January 2013
Festivals have already begun selling their tickets for this year’s season. Many of them have…
-
Outlook Festival 2014: We Came, We Conquered
To say Outlook Festival is the most fierce beast of all bass music festivals might…
-
Downlink Launches Uplink Audio
These days it seems like owning your own electronic music label is almost a rite…
-
AYNiB’s interview with Erica Dee
Erica Dee is no stranger to the West Coast Bass Scene. Whether hosting the hip…
-
Slow Jam Sundays – Alchemixed Triphop Tribute
Alchemixed is a downtempo artist who’s sets I’ve been enjoying for quite some time. His…
-
Aphex Twin’s Syro Announced Through The Deep Web (and a Blimp)
UPDATE 08/21/14: ‘Syro’ is set to drop on September 22 on Warp Records What does…
-
Guest Blog: ParticiPARTY from Britz Bitz
Even though we all like the sound of our own voices, it’s also nice to…
-
Slow Jam Sundays: Robot Koch – 44 Flavors Mixtape
It’s Sunday, and you know what that means. It is time for our weekly…
-
When Life Imitates Art
Last week, I told my Father about AYNiB. Even though he has always been super…
-
#TBT: FozzyFest Pre Party 2015
Summer has been really busy for AYNiB. Clearly, festival season is for all of us….
-
HYHT: Fanu – Perky Percolator Jam
There is nothing like kicking off your morning with a pot of freshly brewed beats….
-
Snareophobe sits down with AYNiB
Our first interview from this year’s wonderful Shambhala Music Festival comes from the Bristol duo…
-
The Village Sessions: TwoTimer Live at Shambhala 2012
AllYouNeedisBass.com and PK Sound are proud to present The Village Sessions. This ongoing podcast will…
-
Motion Notion 2014: Five Must See Acts
Motion Notion is upon us. In just two days party kids galore will descend upon…
-
Our Top 10 Moments Of The 403DNBBQ Weekender 2013
To kick off our official media coverage for the 403DNBBQ Weekender, we thought it…
-
Kraddy Live at Coachella 2015
Just in time for the May long weekend, Kraddy has released his live set from…
-
HYHT: Opiuo’s Infected Mushroom Remix
I was pretty skeptical when I saw Opiuo post an Infected Mushroom remix on soundcloud….
-
The Village Sessions: Evol Intent Live at Shambhala 2012
All You Need is Bass and PK Sound are proud to present The Village Sessions. This…
-
Lightning in a Bottle 2015 Documentary Series
The Do LaB celebrated their 10th anniversary of Lightning In A Bottle over Memorial Day…
-
HyHt: Kraddy – Into the Labyrinth Dub EP
I’m stoked to showcase the new EP Into the Labyrinth Dub from Kraddy and Heavyweight Dub Champions, because…
-
HYHT: Cryptex
After moving to L.A. at 17 for an acting career he was influenced by the…
-
Case of The Pagoda Mystery Headliner at Shambhala 2015
Everybody is wondering who is the mystery headliner for Shambhala 2015 at the Pagoda Stage….
-
Bass Egg Portable Speaker
Have you ever wanted that epic bass when you’re just sitting around your camp site?…
-
BASSpod: Exclusive Love Mix from Benny B-Side
This Valentines Day all of us here at AYNiB want to present to you an…
-
Dreaming of Outlook – Veteran Tips For North American First Timers
Festival culture is consistently gaining popularity. There are more and more converters all the time,…
-
Festival Safety: 7 Tips to Stay Safe and Healthy
Music festivals can be a great place to express yourself in a safe environment….
-
Ultimate Guide to Bass Fishing Lures
Bass fishing at festivals is all the rage these days, but for a lot of…
-
Yoga Under the Earth Harp with Andrea Brook
This spring, All You Need is Bass went to Envision Festival in Costa Rica to…
-
AYNiB’s Guide to the Lightning in a Bottle 2013 Workshops
Over the past 10 years we’ve seen a surge in festival culture all over North…
-
2pac isn’t dead, he’s at Coachella 2012!
Snoop Dog didn’t do a good job to help quell my theory that 2Pac is…
-
Lovers at a Dangerous Time
We loved hanging out at the Lovers Ball – The liquid music was erotic and…
-
HYHT: FX No Rest for the Wicked feat. CAde & Mahesh Vinayakram
Dub FX is rocking it out pretty hard while on his world tour. Recorded…