Future Bass Music Is Alive & Well in NOLA Thanks to Buku Festival 2017
kvnphm
If you’ve ever wondered what the music scene is like down south, look no further than New Orleans’ annual Buku Music and Arts Project. This was the festival’s 6th installment, and there was a lot of great music to go around, especially in the Future Bass genre.
For those of you curious as to what I’m talking about, the term Future Bass – although genres are vague within EDM – grabs its influences from post-dubstep, electro, UK garage, acid house, and techno, among many other subgenres. The music is geared towards more complex and unique sounds, from dolphin samples to dubstep wubs in an 808 drum beat. Where other genres seem to not quite satisfy the love of music, future bass steps in, takes a scoop out of your beloved genre, and makes it a upside-down orange creamsicle with sprinkles on top. A better way to describe the genre is through the artists that represent it, which could be found on almost any stage at Buku’s unique festival setting. What follows is a stage by stage breakdown of how well represented future bass was at this year’s Buku Music & Art Project.
VIP S.S. Buku
One stage that had a clear advantage on this genre’s up-and-comers was the VIP S.S. Buku. This unique stage offered VIP attendees an opportunity to party right on the Mississippi River. Where the upstairs area of the boat is used as a spot to chill and grab refreshments, the downstairs was an underground-type stage where some of future bass’ biggest artists stepped up on the 1’s and 2’s. Day 1 saw highlights from Moving Castle’s Chet Porter, Daruma’s Andrew Luce and Ekali, which stopped boat access early on in the set due to overcrowding. Day 2 had just as good sets that included Pusher, Stelouse and a special set from Josh Pan, who brought out his homies k?d and Oshi to play b2b.
Float Den
If you weren’t VIP, there were still plenty of future bass artists to go around, especially floating around on the Float Den. This stage held some of the biggest names including San Holo, who played tracks from his Future Bass label, Bitbird. Cashmere Cat made a return to Buku that was one to remember, ending his set with a smooth remix of Usher’s ‘My Boo’. Other highlights came from TroyBoi bumpin’ his track “Afterhours”, REZZ giving an homage to Gessafelstein’s “Pursuit”, and Slushii hitting the crowd with his remix of Marshmello’s “Alone”.
Back Alley
Other stages saw a plethora of Future Bass artists as well, including Back Alley, where some of the most unique artists got to spin right next to the river. Whethan played his new track ‘Savage’ with Flux Pavillion, SOPHIE hit the crowd with “Lemonade” and Oshi threw down with his remix of Kali Uchi’s “Ridin’ Around.”
Power Plant
Power Plant, Buku’s main stage, saw a reputable member of this subgenre in none other than Lido. He stepped up to a live set and gave the New Orleans crowd something to talk about after Day 1. His use of percussion and melodic instruments, as well as his sultry voice, made their way in to every track he had prepared – including an insane remix of Alison Wonderland’s “Messiah”.
Whether you are a fan of the genre – or any electronic genre, for that matter – Buku is the festival for you! The city of New Orleans is alive and well with jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and many other genres that have thrived there for years. Now, they can proudly add a new twist to their long history of music: the genre of future bass.
