The most awaited psytrance gathering in Ontario is almost here and the excitement is already through the roof as the limited to 600 pilgrims and only advanced tickets event is selling out quickly. Neuromantix along with their allies bring us the 4th running All Stars Festival starting from the 17th to the 19th of July, 2015 beckoning all stargazers and psychedelic travelers to find themselves shining amongst the All Stars.
All Stars Festival is conducted in the heart of Kawartha Lakes Region on a land spread out over a picturesque 100 acre landscape which is immersed in marsh and forest consisting of large openings for gatherings and dancing. Since it’s inception, this has been the home for the All Stars Festival as the festival has grown from a gathering of a few and now to hundreds of psychedelia lovers coming together under the bright blue sky in the lush forest. The land is very well maintained and more importantly very accommodating with the residents making sure the fire is always going; staying honest to the festival culture.
This three day festival, dubbed as the Dark Moon Chapteris a non-stop cutting edge beats ritual which is meticulously planned right from the time of kick-off to the order of artists, DJs and performances during the different times of the day and night. Although this is my first All Stars Festival, I’ve personally never been more confident of the standards of psychedelic traveling on offer as the Toronto gatherings organized by Neuromantix,The Zodiac Collective, and Organic Family are the best ones I’ve attended in Ontario.
The music will be complemented by a variety of performances and dynamic art installations courtesy of Neuromantix, LunoSol, Organic Family Promo Group, Glitch Doctors and some ‘yet to be announced’ performers to make the weekend as mesmerizing as it could get and some more under a starlit dark moon sky. Along with the psychedelic art there will also be 3D Mapped Projections by Sound Advice for the enjoyment of every psychedelic traveler.
The International Headliner at the festival is Nibana, which is the project of Kevin B, a French producer based in Paris. Influenced by Pink Floyd, Tool, Aphex Twin & many others from the young age of 10, Kevin began teaching himself production by playing every instrument he could find. He started to create and play any style of music he liked without any limits. I strongly recommend checking his diverse work on two sides of the coin, one of the darkpsy and other of the psychill. I haven’t been able to stop listening to his album “Ask The Universe” since I first heard it; grab that psybient gem here in your favorite format for free. His darkpsy soundscape productions are hypnotic and foot-stomping at the same time which in all probability will be setting the ground on fire during the Saturday night of the festival.
National audio shamans performing at the festival will be Florian MSK from Montreal, who is known to create music without limits as he merges elements of techno, minimal, hypnotic and psychedelic sounds all in a single tightly-knit package; Ben Rama from New Brunswick, who is a progressive techno producer from eastern Canada and has a unique blend of deep driving tech grooves and subtle but haunting melodies that he’ll be bringing along with his mind bending groovy sound that has captivated dance floors ever since unveiling his live set in 2010.
Showcasing his skills at the gathering will be Zentrix; originating from the West Coast of Canada, he has spent the past few years honing his style in the multicultural metropolis of Montréal. He has a reputation for dancefloor-rocking DJ sets that combine the high energy mixing of techno with the twisted sound design of cutting edge psychedelic progressive. Supporting the cause of musical liberation as he has been for the past many years, will be DJ Basilisk, who is the founder of the Ektoplazm netlabel group and free music portal, one of the world’s top online destinations for psychedelic trance, techno, and downtempo, which I personally explore a lot.
Amongst the many talented DJs that will be spinning the festival into a frenzy will be Alexx Flemming, a.k.a. Aio, who is a dark psychedelic trance DJ and promoter in Montreal, Canada, along with an experienced campaigner Érik Amyot a.k.a. DJ Rikam, who has a talent for getting people together and a genuine passion for underground electronic music leading him to being a very active catalyst with TechSafari Productions, the Eclipse Festival and the Amazone, Orion and Awakening events while launching his dream label TechSafari Records in 2013.
More psychedelic goodies will be brought out by Totemic, who is a rising star in Toronto’s diverse and eclectic electronic music scene and always guarantees a unique flavour to his live performances by combining live violin with fast-paced mixes of flowing, melodic original productions and minimal, aggressive drum and bass beats. More will be churned out by OmniOptiContraption represented by Rob Eckhardt, a multi-faceted musician living just outside of Toronto. A persona with an eternal love for beautiful, dark, transcendent, or haunting soundscapes, arcane synth experimentation and weird aural mood texture, Rob rightfully prides himself on creating all his sounds from scratch, and having an exciting live presence.
Showing their collaborative creativity will be MYDÄ; a collaboration between Mitchell Honok and Amir Daäna, two distinct artists with deeply rooted backgrounds in electronic music. Amir has been shaping frequencies as an accomplished producer for over 10 years under the moniker Daäna. Mitchell is an experienced DJ with a deep understanding of sound and progression, who has been rocking dance floors as DJ Mythrophan for many years. The two combine their diverse skills and shared passion for music, and the result is a mature and tasteful blend of glitchy progressive techno. Another DMT Records gem shining under the stars will be Der Denker, who is ready to bring a new energy to the scene.
Other Audio Shamans that are confirmed to play at this three-day epic are:
Mandelbrot
Rexin
Dopstar
Sidra
Otkun
Plan B
Shankar
Quivering Virgin
Kadmon
Discrete Infinity
Playdifferent
MachineElf
Mythrophan
There will also be organic and conscious food available to recharge your batteries and tickle your taste buds all thanks to Fractal Foods, Well Grounded Garden and Alternative Thinking.
I know I’m headed for the pilgrimage because I inherently know that the souls who arrive at this festival are coming to enjoy and contribute to the beautiful vibe in the lap of nature, dance with it, be a part of a like-minded and open-minded community as they grow as human beings by sharing knowledge and experience.
To quote the All Stars Festival event page, “At each new chapter we strive to try something new, develop new working relationships and reinforce our intention to create a truly memorable experience. Through collaborative creativity and participation we intend to create a product greater than the sum of its parts. We believe in the healing potential of intentional gatherings and ask all who attend to find unique ways to contribute.”
Don’t wait too long to acquire your tickets if you haven’t already as the event might sell out soon. Start packing that camping gear to be a part of this blissful journey to nowhere to find everything in the nothing and get ready for a psychedelic trip of a lifetime. Give the promo mix below a listen and I hope to see you at the festival!
