Event Coverage

The humble position to take would be that Submersion Festival is akin to its many contemporaries; a gathering of like-minds, hosted by like-minds, with the intention of furthering musical and artistic experiences in a space that makes us all feel at home with the event and its surroundings. The more modest position is that Submersion has achieved a standing in our wider community that is reflected in the circuitous return of fans, friends, and acts year on year. If you’re still on the fence, now’s the time to get serious. Tickets are running out, the doors open in three days’ time, and we’re hoping to see each and every one of you out in crowd for three days of sun, shoreline, and serendipity.

Every seasoned festival-goer in North America should try to attend Bass Coast at least once. But be warned - once you go, you’ll want to return every summer. That can be challenging for those who live far from Merritt, British Columbia, but the trip is worth every mile. Tucked into a hot, dusty valley in the BC interior, Merritt is Canada’s country music capital, or used to be, depending on who you ask. The likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Tanya Tucker have handprints on the town’s Walk of Stars, and Merritt Mountain Festival used to bring more than 100,000 people to the area. In this context, Bass Coast is a natural fit for the area.

Why is it important to consider equity and diversity in dance music? From house and techno to jungle and dubstep, electronic dance music often came from marginalized diaspora communities which, at least in North America, were often Black and Latino. Yet as dance music has become a mainstream, multi-billion dollar business, it is impacted by racism and exclusion like any other business in a society where these challenges remain all too present. In 2019, Bass Coast started collecting detailed demographic data about its bookings and using it to “critically look at strengths and gaps in our programming choices.” In 2024, the Phase 1 lineup featured more than three dozen women and gender non-conforming people, and nearly 30 artists of color, including several indigenous and Métis DJs and producers from Canada. So with this in mind, in addition to Leikeli47, here are 10 can’t-miss artists of color at Bass Coast. 

It takes hard work to host an enormous music festival in the middle of the woods without leaving any waste behind, but Bass Coast in Merritt, British Columbia (BC), Canada strives to make it easier, for both attendees and crew. Boasting a modest 6,500-person capacity and operated independently in the southern BC interior, it’s been twice awarded 'Best Boutique Festival in North America' by DJ Mag and 'Best Midsize Festival in Canada' by the Canada Music Awards. Curated by Andrea Graham aka The Librarian and Max Ulis, the lineup is of course stupendous. But Bass Coast hasn’t earned these accolades for music alone. Excellence at the event extends beyond the music to things like harm reduction, cultural respect, and sustainability. 

On October 5th, electronic music fans flocked back to the Pine Barrens for the third annual Submersion event. For the second year, the three-day festival was hosted at the picturesque Paradise Lakes Campground, nestled among moss-covered pines providing ample shade from the waning summer’s sun. The second and highly-anticipated installment of the Submersion camp-out once again housed two distinctly and carefully curated stages showcasing global and domestic veterans of the festival circuit, U.S. debuts, and up and coming stars of the underground. In the wake of its 2023 installment, Submersion proved that when the right teams come together, lightning can in fact strike twice, allowing creativity and inspiration to flourish while providing an exemplary experience for all of those who attend.

Driving off a modest Canadian highway and onto the Salmo River Ranch, 2 years after the pandemic-induced break, was the first time anyone in the “farm-ily” had laid eyes on the newest iteration of the globally-beloved grounds. In the professional fashion that their reputation is built around, the organizers took every opportunity possible to give patrons the chance to experience the best parts of what Shambhala Music Festival is, and to show what they are inspired to do moving forward. Shamabala 2022 was the people falling in love with the music and the culture all over again.

On October 6th, nestled in the verdant, bristly Pine Barrens, years of careful positioning came to fruition at the reimagined Submersion Festival. Hosted at the idyllic Paradise Lakes Campground, this year’s rendition came as an expansion from the single-day event that took place last year in Philadelphia, and allowed friends, family, fans, artists, and staff the chance to revel and relax in the crisp autumn air amidst a myriad of top flight artists and creatives.

Shambhala is to some a tradition, to others a bucket-list destination, and to a select few – a pilgrimage home. This magical event is a refuge for the different and the strange, where one is accepted no matter their differences or how weirdly they dance, and we’re incredibly excited to return to this premiere massive for 2022’s guaranteed weekend of iridescent festivities.

Earlier this month, The Rust team was privileged enough to glimpse behind the curtain into Arizona’s evolving grassroots culture. Flagstaff's own Junetember Jam was, simply put, magical. Previously referred to as Juniper Jam, and classically as June Jam, the festival celebrated its 3rd year with one of its most dynamic and provocative lineups of musicians and educators to date.

We had the opportunity to poke around behind the curtain of June Jam’s celebrated operation, and get a clearer picture ahead of this weekend’s coming festivities.

The cream of the crop in contemporary US glitch-hop - Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Mickman and 5AM - will soon share the stage together on October 26th at the PlayStation Theater in Times Square. All these producers have great history in New York, so it will be a crescendo of sorts: a great leap forward for Jade Cicada and his cohorts and a fitting way to close the books on an endearing venue. 

Placing community above all else, Solasta Festival is one of a growing number of events, gatherings, burns, and massives that exist to cultivate interconnectedness with one another, and with our own sense of health and wellbeing. For 2019, Solasta moved to the auspicious grounds of Deerfields, North Carolina, where it underwent the next phase of its ongoing metamorphosis.

On one stage this Summer you can catch some of the best in American bass music from Jade Cicada, CharlestheFirst and Bogtrotter, international OGs like Hedflux, Rumpistol and Ott, and a living legend like Solar Fields; the Chill Out stage at Psy-Fi Festival: Seeds of Science, returning in its seventh year to Leeuwarden, Netherlands this weekend, August 28 to September 1.

As the climate, laws, music, people, and the popularity of the entire electronic music enterprise has changed, Shambhala Music Festival has preserved and grown. How? It’s run by an enduring crew that comes back year after year. It’s become part of Western Canadian culture. And It’s centered around ideas that don’t lose value with time or trends; respect for the Earth and oneself; independence from corporate influence; reverence for higher powers; passion for good music.

By presenting diverse lineups in an immersive summer camp setting since 2017, Elements Lakewood Music and Arts Festival has been edging towards becoming the premiere electronic music festival in the northeastern United States. This year on Memorial Day Weekend, they solidified that spot by taking their stage production, logistics, and guest offerings to the next level.

The atmosphere cultivated by Rezinate, Hennessey, The Middle East and all the fans on nights like these helps nurture a wholesome community based around freedom of expression and an appreciation for authentic performances. This Boston-based partnership consistently provides expert-level audio experiences, and with powerhouse glitch-hop act K.L.O headlining the historic venue’s basement, this night would be no different.

If electronic music is a proverbial rabbit hole, the deeper you go, the stranger it gets. The newly minted Bent Audio production company specializes in these depths by nurturing an “infatuation with IDM, sound design, experimental electronic music, and breakcore.” On April 11th, New York City dove down that rabbit hole. Aphex Twin made his first appearance in the Big Apple in over a decade, then Bent Audio hosted their debut event after hours with Richard Devine at Polygon BK.

Electronic music promoters worldwide try to cultivate a feeling of immersion. Whether it’s a claustrophobic dark room or a decorated festival field, promoters want their patrons to be able to lose themselves and forget their temporal concerns if only for a set or two. That’s why one often sees productions within existing spaces or venues that try to engage all five senses. Here lies the advantage of hosting an event with The Reliquarium at their event space and headquarters in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Recently, factors from gentrification and legalization to disuse and disaster have seen the psychedelic electronic music scene decline in the Bay Area that was once its mecca. However, as was the case half a century earlier, creators, vibrators, musicians, oddballs, artists and visionaries will coalesce along the Bay’s misty shores to partake in a new medium of communication and entertainment, this time at Coalesce with Cosmic Synergy

“Buy the ticket, take the ride,” writes Cosmic Synergy, quoting the late psychedelic journeyman and journalist Hunter S. Thompson to describe their event Coalesce, taking place December 29, 30, and 31 on the San Francisco Bay. These words gesture towards a spirit of faith on which DIY shows and communities thrive.

The event was conceived with the intention to do something different. With just a single stage, a niche lineup full of rare international and coveted local acts, a dedicated lounge and performance theater, and a pervasive emphasis on health and self-care, Solasta didn’t stray from this conception.

With 21 years at the same location, seven stages of music, event direction handled by the landowner's family, no corporate sponsorship, and now the purchase of a mass spectrometer, Shambhala Music Festival at Salmo River Ranch, British Columbia, Canada is perhaps the most successful music festival in North America.

On August 17 & 18, the homegrown gathering Solasta Festival returns to Spirit Crossing in Sneedville, Tennessee for the second year. The lineup is dreamy and the extracurricular activities include audio development workshops and a unique Sunday Brunch. The Rust Music has been corresponding with the festival’s three key organizers about their intentions and areas of focus for Solasta, as well as the festival's short history. 

The Chord Marauders are London-based, jazz-infused label that is a collective between artists Geode, Congi, B9 & Jafu, and a beacon of originality in the dubstep universe. They’ll hit Shambhala Music Festival on August 10-13 for what appears to be one of the only label showcases in this legendary festival’s history.

Psychedelic Sleepover raised the expectation in the Northeast US for what a family-style bass music festival can be. Praise for its curation and operations was widespread. The hype surrounding the festival was substantial, but Taproot delivered and then some.

BangOn! set the stage for the 2018 festival season, and has since received a roaring response from all involved parties. Elements Lakewood has made an indelible mark on the community that propped it up in the first place, solidifying itself as a major contender for the affection and adoration of the Northeast US counterculture. 

The organizers and partners of Elements Lakewood Music & Arts Festival promote wholesome vibes and values and you could feel it in the air all Memorial Day weekend. At the verdant Lakewood Retreats there was so much to see and do, Something not so conspicuous was the strong infrastructure in place to keep attendees safe, supported and sanctified during their experience.

Headliners grab headlines for a festival, but its often the strength of the undercard that makes a great musical experience on the ground. By their nature, undercards carry unfamiliar names. There's value in wandering festival grounds hither and thither drifting towards whatever catches your fancy. In fact, we recommend this approach. But The Rust Music was designed to give unheard artists an audience, so we took a magnifying glass to the undercard at Psychedelic Sleepover. 

Presenting the second promo-mix in anticipation of Elements Lakewood this summer, Zoo Logic has provided a well-crafted smorgasbord of melodious interplay, evolving sound design, and excellent cuts between tracks. The mix features a majority of original Zoo Logic tracks alongside a few choice remixes and selectors, and is sure to whet a multitude of palettes with its varying stylistic directions.