I walked down the beaten path once more to enter the venue. There was a Renaissance festival going on next door, and a group of maids and mademoiselles were walking around near the trail entrance. Emerging through the trees, I walked through the turnstile-like gate, eager for the second day of Escape to Coconino. Steve Novia was rinsing out a new GRiZ track Mamacita on the stage. I stopped at the top of the lawn to get an earful. He then played an original unreleased track that was so sick!
I got my bearings and headed toward the stage. Austeria was up next. I’ve seen her name on many upcoming festival lineups, so I had to catch her set. She had this kind of elusive, ominous vibe to her performance, like something straight out of a fairy-tale dark forest. I understand why she’s been stirring up a lot of buzz in the underground. Her dark groove matched the cloudy afternoon perfectly. Her presence resonated throughout the crowd. I sat on one of the stadium seats near the bottom row to enjoy her show.
Against my window, I can’t stand the rain.
Somewhere near the end of her set or the beginning of Manic Focus’s, the crowd moved underneath the awning. I wondered, ‘What is going on?’ as I turned around. I was so caught up in the music that I didn’t realize it was raining pretty steadily outside. It didn’t stop most of the people; the flowstars and dancers kept moving at full force despite the light drizzle. I was a bit disappointed at the start of Manic Focus’s set because I had a side quest to do and would only get to see about half of his performance.
Either way, I sat nice and dry in my seat and watched his set as long as I could. His set was a funk-filled groove that loosened up the crowd just right. I think the underlying theme of the weekend was a foresty groove to vibe with. But then came the party… Next on the bill was Jantsen. Setting up behind the decks, his signature white tee draped over his tall frame. His black beanie lay perched atop his head. We’re in for it now, the Wakaan boys were in the building.
Jantsen F**K’s
Jantsen’s set was off the chain; his sets are always gnarly as f**K. He has this perfect yin and yang to his song selection. One minute he’s blasting you off the rails with some southern rap, then out of nowhere you’re banging your head to a Rage Against The Machine flip! Being a millennial myself, his song choices always resonate with my fellow Gen X / Millennials. This performance was no different; one minute I wanted to throw my hood up, the next I was ready for a stage dive and a crowd surf.
Notable track highlights included his ILL Behavior song, Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ flip, Slim Thug & Paul Wall’s ‘Still Tippin’’, and a wild reggae-infused banger with Green Day’s ‘Brain Stew’ guitar riff in the background. Taking you on a crossover journey through rock and rap, Jantsen’s style is truly unique in the world of bass music. Keeping the crowd’s energy flowing, next up was Ravenscoon.
It’s a party!!!
Gassed up and ready to go, he came out swinging with his Grove St. Party rework; ATL was in the building. Taking you on a journey through sound, you never fully know what you’re going to get from Ravenscoon until you are in the crowd, feeling the energy. Dropping the top and letting the bangers ride out, the group in front of me was vigorously shaking the rails as his set went on. The clanking of the rails shaking beneath my feet was almost distracting as Ravenscoon filled the air with a massive amount of cosmic energy.
His aura shone brightly as the dreary skies began to gradually fade into darkness amidst his performance. Known for his wave sets and downtempo adventures, I was eager to see what was in store for Escape to Coconino. As the darkness crept in, so did the ominous vibes of Wavenscoons’ chill side. Slowing things down a bit, the sound began to bend and warp from all directions. If you’ve never ventured down the Ravenscoon wave set/mix rabbit hole, it’s a journey worth taking. Even his latest album, Glass Orchid, has many wavy downtempo elements to it.
Lets Boogie!
Gliding us to an immaculate halt just before closing out with a few bangers, he brought out Jantsen to bless us with their newest collab. And just like that, those gorgeous locks disappeared to stage left. Racing up to the stage next was Boogie T. As his name states, whenever Brock graces the stage, it’s time to boogie. Boogie T’s sound design is very distinct. Having no rhythm whatsoever, it just makes me want to wiggle and shimmy this way and that. It’s wonky and weird and everything I love in a bass set! Scurrying off to perform another side quest, I was back as soon as possible to catch the tail end of his performance. Blasting loudly through the trees, I ran up the hill to the smoking area and prepared for The Ganja.
It’s time for the Ganja
A Ganja White Night performance is always a treat. Sometimes I don’t know which is cooler, their music or the way they’re dancing perfectly synced behind the decks. It blows my mind every time. Plus, their visuals are always insane. I started near the pit area at the beginning of their set, then I thought, screw this, I need to be beneath the pines with Mother Earth between my toes. I found a nice little spot on the lawn between two blankets and took a seat.
A sweet aroma filled the lawn all around me as I dug my toes into the blades of grass. Ahh… this is where I need to be. Playing multiple bangers off their most recent Sprouted Album Ganja White Nights’ set was badass! Reggae-filled drums echoed through the trees as the night went on. Then they hit us out of nowhere with a Zeds Dead – One of These Mornings rework, and the crowd erupted. There’s a reason these guys closed out the weekend. Their chill vibe spilled out into the amphitheatre as their set sadly came to an end.
Fare thee well Flagstaff
Chanting one more song! The crowd was relentless in trying to coax them into playing one more track. I stood up, dusted myself off, and headed toward the festival gates. Tipping my hat with a smile, it was time to go home. Until next time, Arizona.