The Hyp Experience: MOOGFEST 2010

Where: City of Asheville, North Carolina
Venues: 6 different style venues throughout the downtown of Asheville
-Asheville Civic Center (ACC), Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (TWA), Orange Peel, Stella Blue, Moogaplex and the after party central, The Garage.
When: October 29th-31st (Halloween)
Who: Over 60 acts!!! Big name artists such as Girl Talk, MGMT, Big Boi from Outkast, to local talent such as Two Fresh, Paper Tiger. Moog invited the international as well, like Gramatik (Slovenia), Ikonika (U.K>) and Micharl Menert (native of Poland).
Genre: Everything from glitch hop, indie rock, dubstep, house, hip hop and a wide array of electronica.
Friends: Derek Johnson, and IRD member, Brucey B
Raging: Hippy city Asheville, costumes and Halloween weekend= Extreme raging!

Day 1:

Thursday night, Derek and I hit the LIE around 7:30 in his newly purchased Acura TL (with newly installed JL audio speakers). We made sure we had the essentials; CDs with 10 hrs. of music, a case of energy shots, camera, water, and Indian headdresses. We muscled through the 12.5 hr car ride and arrived to Bruce's around 7:30 Friday morning, hallucinating from exhaustion. We took a nap to recharge and awoke to a breakfast by Bruce's ma (she's awesome, always letting me eat!) After preparing ourselves with the needed tools for the evening, we headed to UNCA studios where Bruce goes to school and works. Before heading to the first show, Bruce and I usually do a beat battle of sorts. Since we don't see each other too often, we hold on to our beats that we have made, so we can blast each other with a  bunch of new tunes. I was happy with progression that he's taken and he said the same to me.

Now amped with fresh music, it was time for the kickoff of the festy, Big Boi. I am a huge Outkast fan, and in my opinion one of the best hip hop groups ever, so needless to say I was pumped for Big Boi's performance. Sir Luscious Left Foot definitely knew how to set it off and his band of horns, female vocalists, drummer, bassist, and guitarist were also well informed. I was excited to hear Outkast classics such as the entrancing "Ms. Jackson" and the sound explosion "Bombs Over Baghdad". Big also played solo jams as well, along with some new jams I have not yet heard. The energy was bouncy, the crowd was moving, and the party was rolling; MoogFest had begun. We stayed inside the ACC to see Brooklynites MGMT, and they sucked... hard. I''m disappointed we missed whoever else was playing and that's all the attention I will give those syrupy-pop cock suckers.


Next we headed to the Orange Peel to catch the end of RJD2's set, but the venue was already over capacity and had an hour wait to get in, so over to the Moogaplex we went. This venue had a much more intimate setup than ACC or the Peel, so we were able to sit down on the floor, or go to the front, basically go where we pleased. Locals of Asheville, Paper Tiger, were already rocking and we caught their groove. Headed by female vocalist, LadySlippers and her partner MINGLE. It was down tempo with a trip hop sound, something we weren't ready for at a rager of weekend like this, but made us feel right at home. The drummer was the one who stole the show though. Only being 5 feet away, we witnessed him shred beats to death and carry the energy throughout the set. During an improv on one of their songs, LadySlippers kept crooning, "Welcome to MoogFest," which was stuck in my head throughout the weekend.

Now back to the ACC for some ragealicous acts that were sure to send us into a frenzy. As we walked into the ACC, I wondered if Girl Talk had started early because the stage was packed with Moogers dancing their asses off. No, it was Dan Deacon, the pioneer of the on stage party. His music was a frenzy in my brain and he had the entire place going nuts. With the stage packed from left to right with audience members in outrageous costumes, I knew that  was the place to be for Halloween weekend. The last act at the ACC was Girl Talk. To be honest, I don't have much respect for Girl Talk because what he does requires minimal skill and creativity and to me his mash-ups are just party music. A mash-up artist has one thing always going for them and it's that everyone will recognize the music, which keeps the audience engaged.  On the other hand, the shred of respect I have for him, goes to his live show. Basically, it's a party, and the entire audience is invited and we for damn sure RSVP'ed! Ink filled balloons, confetti, light show... yup it was mos def a hell of a party! After Girl Talk, we wanted to check out Bonobo for his DJ set, but the Moogaplex was at capacity and the wait was outrageous. That put an end to Day 1 of MoogFest and we headed back to Bruce's for some rest for Day 2.

Day 2
*There are pros and cons to a music festival in a city rather than a campsite. A major pro is being able to live like a human. Let me tell you how amazing it is to be able to go back to a house and shower (in hot water), eat a real meal, and sleep on a bed in silence. Those things really help you to rage to your maximum and doesn't make the week after feel like your dying. 

Woke up decently early to head to the Groove Park Inn Resort and Spa. I went there with Bruce's family on my last trip and I NEEDED to go back. The Grove Park Inn is located in the mountains of Asheville, and was where our current President resided when he visited Asheville. Their buffet was definitely fit for the leader of the free world and only 25$ a person! A view of the mountains, while eating strawberry bisque and a custom omelet, I felt like I was in heaven. I highly recommend checking this place out if you visit Asheville.

After breakfast, we hit Brucey B's lab to concoct some beats for the IRD crew, using his newly obtained sound module. We did our thing for a couple hours and went to go check out our first act of Day 2, Thievery Corporation. Instead of viewing from the floor, we headed up to the second floor of the ACC and witnessed Thievery from the comfort of our seats. This band had a groovy, big sound that filled the whole arena and had everyone's heads nodding. They had two drums sets, horns, female vocalist, and a sitar player. I really meant it when their sound was BIG! I enjoyed this set because I was able to relax, and focus more on what was going on stage and watch the crowd's reactions from our seats.

The next act was Massive Attack, which Brucey and I were very excited to see, but there was a 45 minute gap in between sets. We realized we could head upstairs to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and catch the tail end of Jonsi and Alex B (Pnuma Trio) short DJ set. Upon walking into Jonsi, I was stopped in my tracks. This was something I have never seen or heard before. This was one of those moments where music changed my life and grabbed me in such a way that I couldn't move, blink, breath or let a single cheer out. The entire crowd was silent, watching a movie in the form of music. The singer was dressed with a large Indian headdress and a Indian dress. The large screen behind the band had a black background with a white tree swaying, with white rain drops coming down. It began with the vocalist, who had a incredible vocal range, entrancing the crowd. The acoustics in the TWA were amazing and the sound was full and rich as it filled the venue. As the music began to build with a slow snare roll from the drummer, the storm on the screen started to build as well. The guitars came in next (with heavy feedback), while the drums were getting heavier. The storm in the background was now full blown with strobe lights representing the lighting. I actually felt I was outside in a epic thunderstorm during a pivotal part of my life. It was a surreal moment in my life, I can't explain the emotions I felt. It may sound cheesy, but I swear something changed in me after this song. The only word I can describe what I felt, saw, and heard is beautiful. The video will provide an idea of what was going, but this truly a moment where you have to be there to understand what was felt during this song.


After having my mind torn to shreds by Jonsi, Alex B was up next to rock his DJ set. Only sporting a half hour set time, he for sure kicked it into high gear. With a laptop and APC40, Alex B showed off some off his new beats he was working on. Some electronica trip hop, mixed in with some dubbed out beats. He brought crazy energy to the stage and put everyone back in to rage mode. It was unfortunate his set was short, only because the Disco Biscuits had a three hour set?!?! Well, The Biscuits aren't my cup of tea, unless I'm tripping balls, so we were out the door immediately and off to Massive Attack in the ACC. Massive Attack was again, a whole different sound and feel, from the other acts at the festival (that's why this festival was so sick, so many genres and sounds!). Massive's screen had scrolling letters, numbers, and politically driven messages flying across the screen like it was the New York Stock Exchange. Their sound was something I couldn't put my finger on, but if anything it had a trip-hop feel. I was pleasantly surprised by their uniqueness and array of sounds they used. Massive just made a new fan.

After Massive, we moved swiftly to catch L.A.'s Dam-Funk at the Orange Peel. As like most places at Moog, they were giving pat-downs and searching bags. My boy Derek was ahead of me in the security line and I noticed the security card found something in Derek's pocket and told him to remove it. The guard found a bowl and small bag of ganja and said he was going to have to confiscate it. Derek was having none of that, he said "Listen, give me back my stuff and I'll leave." The guard's face was a priceless. He was surprised by the balls of Derek to demand back his illegal contraband, but he actually obliged. Unfortunately, we couldn't catch Dam-Funk, but fortunately no one got arrested and Derek was given back his "items".

Since Dam-Funk was out of the picture, we went to the next act, Pnuma Trio, at the only venue we had yet to experience, Stella Blue. The first time I saw Pnuma was in Asheville at the Orange Peel and they blew me away. I was excited to see them again because they do a lot of improve and bring a real chill atmosphere to the show. Stella Blue was by far the smallest venue at Moog, but it provided for an extremely intimate show. Pnuma consists of bassist, Alex B, a keyboardist/synth player, and a drummer. They combine the organic and electronic so naturally that their music can be played at anytime. During their set, the guy next to me must have been tripping balls, because he was dancing like he had a seizure. I couldn't stop laughing because of the 10ft radius everyone kept around him. Pnuma, as I stated before, is a chill, head nodding experience, but we were ready for a change of pace.

For the end of the night, we moved to the Moogaplex for female artist, Ikonika  We are amped because the artist description said she was a U.K. dubstep DJ and we were all ready to rage. Instead of heavy bass and head banging, she was playing house/techno, that in my opinion, was garbage. All of us were highly disappointed in this act because it wasn't even good house. Since she was the last act of the night, we said fuck her and bounced back to Brucey's to charge up for the explosion that is known as Halloween.

Day 3: Halloween

We made sure we were well rested for the adventurous night ahead of us and woke up sometime in the afternoon, fully charged! Brucey B had to go his college, to work a concert for a couple hours. So Derek and I threw on our Indian headdresses, and headed into the city to grab something to eat at one of the fine restaurants Asheville has to offer. Before we hit the pub, I decided to take a trip down the rabbit hole to start Halloween off right. While enjoying my meal, I whiffed a faint smell of something burning, and looked down to realize my Indian headdress just caught fire from the candle on the table! Luckily, I put it out in time before I ruined the headdress, and made myself look like a complete idiot. Before beginning the festivities we needed to complete our costumes. We had ordered glow-in-the-dark UV paint, but unfortunately it did not arrive in time, so we had to improvise. Derek and I walked around until we found a small costume shop, and the best product we found, was neon hair spray. After tagging my chest and back with neon hair spray, I through on the Indian headdress, a pair of sunglasses and my costume was complete: the Raging Indian.

It was now 6,  Halloween night was in full blast, and first up, Two Fresh. Asheville's own, beat making twin brothers, Two Fresh were opening the night in the ACC with their drummer. Two Fresh's studio albums are nothing amazing, crazy or even good (average at best), but their improvisation with their beats, coupled with the driving force of their drummer, Colby Buckler, make for a entertaining show. Their music doesn't sound like it, but the energy Two Fresh provides is very similar to Pnuma Trio; chill and groovy. The juices were flowing and rage-o-meter was about to hit 11 with Mimosa on deck in the ACC.

We knew Mimosa rocks the dubstep, and Derek and I had been craving wobble bass all festival, so it was on like Donkey Kong. Mimosa introduced himself using a pitch shifter effect on his mic so he sounded like a kidnapper demanding his ransom, "Are you ready for some fucking dub-step?" The crowd responded with screams then... the beat dropped. The place went absolutely nuts because dubstep is a very popular genre in Asheville. Mimosa brought a lot of energy, making wild arm movements and poses while he played womper after womper. I turned to my right and I saw a single feather moving through the crowd; it was Brucey B! He had just got out of work and had joined the party at the perfect time. Things escalated pretty quickly, because the next thing I know I'm grinding hard with some random chick. We were somehow reptar stomping, grinding and making out at the same time. It got even more wild when I started biting her neck and then she reached down my jeans!?!? (We were basically front row around a few thousand people). The girl I was doing whatever with was in another world and wandered off somewhere, while the rest of us continued to reptar stomp until the end of Mimosa's set.

We moved quickly to the Orange Peel to get a spot for DJ Spooky, and upon our arrival we ran into Bruce's head teacher, who could only smile at our outrageous "costumes". Derek and I weren't really feeling Spooky because of the down tempo style set. Bruce stayed and we headed to Moogaplex for Pretty Light's labelmate, Michal Menert. (Be on the lookput for Brucey's write up on DJ Spooky and El-P). The Moogaplex was near empty when we arrived, I assume because Michal Menert is relatively unknown. I went to grab a beer and noticed a guy rocking a Raoul Duke costume (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). I've seen people wear this costume before, but this gentlemen actually took on the role of Raol Duke and copied his speech and mannerisms to a T. He even had a fly swatter and was batting at imaginary things in the air. He didn't break character for anyone, and made the usually stoic security guard, crack a smile. Michael Menert put out one of my favorite albums this year, Dreaming of a Bigger Life, and his act was one I was looking forward to all weekend. With a laptop and MPC, Menert banged away at the pads, laying down some feel good beats. He busted out a few new tracks that had me literally take up the whole front dance floor. His set only lasted for 45 minutes and we had to leave a tad early to get a good spot for Pretty Lights. Once we arrived to the ACC, it seemed everyone in the city had come to see Pretty Lights and everyone was ready to rage heartily for All Hallow's Eve! The place was packed, but Derek and I pushed through the crowd and set up shop next to some fellow "Indians".

Derek came out dressed in a "Bassnectar" costume (long hair wig and a white t-shirt) and his new drummer, Adam Deitch, rocked a DeadMaus head. Pretty dropped into his set heavy with Deitch hitting crazy drum fills and snare rolls. I couldn't get over the girl next to me, (who must have been rolling or tripping balls because her pupils were the silver dollar size), because every time the beat was about to drop her eyes popped out of her head like we were on a roller-coaster free fall. During one of my favorite PL songs, "Finally Moving", Brucey arrived, on cue, to enjoy the rest of the set and sing along. Once the show let out, the whole crowd started making their way to the doors. I was amped up more than ever and I let out one of my epic screams and started running through the ACC. Somehow I started a mini-riot and everyone in the ACC lost their shit and were screaming, cheering, and plain wiling out. Check the vid (aroudn 0:15, you can my scream in the background)


Well, once a major festival ends, what do you do? AFTERPARTY!! We drove a couple of miles to a spot called, the Garage, a place playing good music, open until 8am! I went to grab a drink and I noticed Alex B. is posted up at the bar, straight chilling. Then I saw Derek Vincent Smith (Pretty Lights) chilling over by the bathroom. I didn't want to bother them, but it was awesome to be around talented artists like that. The music got me grooving and hit the dance floor with no shirt and Indian headdress is full effect.
Again, I ended up dancing with some chick, and biting her neck (I don't know, it's a thing I do at these shows, but the girls LOVE IT!) Needless to say, I should have been Dracula as my costume, because I was marking up Moog girls, left and right. Our night ended around 3 or 4, and we headed back to Bruce's to rest before a 13 hour drive back to NY. MoogFest was a huge success and honestly the best Halloween I've ever experienced, can't wait to go back!!! This was your Halloween Hyp Experience, I hope you enjoyed it.

Signing out,
-Cpt. Hyperdrive