Dreamscape Festival Undercard Spotlight
Written by Kevin Madert
Dreamscape is fast approaching, and we can’t wait to join Badvss Raves and all of you at Camp Ramblewood May 8-10. In the days leading up to the festival, we’re hoping to get you better acquainted with some of the artists playing the festival; if you read about them here on the AltFreq page, you should definitely catch their performances at Dreamscape.
Festival lineups these days are often loaded with big names – so much so that it’s easy for the smaller print to be overlooked or unheralded. Dreamscape Festival is no exception, with the talent appearing at Camp Ramblewood May 8-10 being both impressive and in ample supply.
To help you become a more informed festivalgoer, we’ve compiled a shortlist of our favorite musicians on the undercard. Call it an attempt to combat “headliner bias,” – a term we just made up but are confident is a real thing. Familiarize yourself with the acts below and step out of your comfort zone this weekend; you just might discover your new favorite artist.
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Meet Washington DC’s Rucca, Hear The “Summers In DC” Mix
–Written by Kevin Madert
For regular patrons of nightlife in the District of Columbia, familiar faces abound in the world of opening DJs. While the early-evening timeslot regulars aren’t lacking or slacking by any means, it’s always nice to see a fresh face now and then. A few weeks back Rucca – real name Lucca Vaselli – was that face, warming up the bass bins at Echostage for Bro Safari and Brillz at another sold-out Steez Promo Mega. From the moment doors opened the exuberant DJ/producer worked the crowd with subtle precision, never straying beyond his unspoken sonic boundaries as a lead-off performer.
It’s nothing new for the Philadelphia native, whose career extends back well before he came to the nation’s capital in pursuit of higher education. He got his start in a duo known as R&D (Rucca & Dux), gaining experience at a plethora of live engagements & honing his own skills as both a curator and a producer. When the pair was put to rest in early 2014 he continued on his own, briefly holding onto the R&D moniker before embracing Rucca for good. Since then he’s played everywhere from the 930 Club to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum (yes, that Air & Space Museum) and compiled several solid mixes – the most recent of which being why we’re here today.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 16: Dreamscape Edition
-Words & list by Kevin Madert
Plenty of the artists on the Dreamscape Festival lineup can throw down bangers with the best of them (Friday’s warm-up is plenty proof of that). Yet it’s a mark of true comfort behind the decks when an artist can weave in moments of sonic respite throughout a set. This variation allows the crowd those brief moments to catch their collective breath and makes the inevitable return to heavier and faster tones that much more satisfying.
Naturally the fine folks at Badass Raves are savvy enough to populate their event lineups with artists who possess such skills. From the funky undertones of Dr. Fresch’s “Dreamin'” to one of my all-time favorite Michal Menert tunes in “Tomorrow May Never Come,” it’s clear Dreamscape Festival is no exception. A cursory glance at the remainder of the tracklist confirms there’s no genre boundaries on piloting a diverse set. Whether you’re into liquid drum ‘n’ bass (Total Science), downtempo trance (Aly & Fila), or whatever the heck you want to call Vibe Street’s ingenious melding of bluegrass and bass (he prefers grasshop), Dreamscape Festival has you covered.
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AltFreq Weekly Planner (5/3/15-5/6/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the events going on in the area, so we’re here to let you know what’s happening in live music over the next few days. Watch out on Thursdays for the “Weekend Planner” where we’ll cover the most important 72 hours of the week.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 17: Dreamscape Edition
–Words & list by Mike Hogan
It’s getting close now, BADASS Raves’ Dreamscape Festival is less than a week away, and that means it’s time to start getting hyped up for a weekend of good music, good friends, and pool parties. So while it is the weekend, and that’s certainly something to celebrate on it’s own, I’m choosing to more or less take it easy this weekend in preparation for an absolutely huge weekend looming ahead of me. And considering the fact that this time next week, you all will (hopefully) be getting down at Dreamscape Festival instead of sitting in front of your computer, I figured there was no time like the present to start getting excited. So to get your weekend, and indeed your Dreamscape Festival started off on the right foot, this week’s Weekend Warm-Up features some of the hardest hitting headliners that you can find at Dreamscape.
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Dreamscape Artist Spotlight: Metrik
–Written by Kevin Madert
Dreamscape is fast approaching, and we can’t wait to join Badvss Raves and all of you at Camp Ramblewood May 8-10. In the days leading up to the festival, we’re hoping to get you better acquainted with some of the artists playing the festival; if you read about them here on the AltFreq page, you should definitely catch their performances at Dreamscape.
Liquid drum ‘n’ bass is a big deal here at AltFreq. Existing on a wide spectrum – from those upbeat ragged bouncers to more soothing minimal turns – it’s a genre that has the power to both move you and make you move. Today’s spotlight features one of liquid’s most prevelant and prolific acts in recent memory: Metrik.
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