BUKU Music & Art Festival 2013

Break Science

The people that came were all there for the same reason. To listen to amazing music, meet new people, and, of course, have a once in a lifetime experience. One so amazing, that just thinking about it will get you through the worst days. With BUKU, that is exactly what you received. Everybody I met was so happy to be there, everybody was friends. I literally have never seen so many people get their cell phones returned to them in one day. It was like something out of a fairy tale, and not just because there were literally fairy princesses and jesters and kings all over the place. I’m pretty sure that was just a total coincidence.

Just Take A Look At The Official Harlem Shake Video From BUKU To get an example of the crowds intensity

The actual grounds of the place were set up perfectly. It was easy to get into it was easy to find, and it was easy to get around. The sound was great, the lights were great, the artists were having a great time… Do you see the picture I’m painting for you? Mutha F**kin positive vibes out the Wazoo Mutha F**ka.

Just Look At This Face

And This One Too

You see it now?!
Good.

The Power Plant stage was the Main Stage during the day, but the best sets (at least in my opinion) took place in the Ballroom & The Float Den. The late night set’s at these two stages (which I will get into a bit later), were mind blowing. Including sets from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (T.E.E.D.), Datsik, Major Lazer & Dillon Francis in the Ballroom, and in the Float Den. Some of the craziest sets I have ever seen from (and this is just to name a few) Brown & Gammon, Big Gigantic, Flosstradamus, and two sets from STS9. Alright, actually you know what. I’m just going to talk about the sets right now, otherwise I’m going to go crazy explaining this all to you.

T.E.E.D. Killing It @ BUKU!!!!!!!

Let’s start at the beginning

Brown & Gammon

Brown & Gammon was the first set that I saw at BUKU. He had the 4 pm Float Den set, and let’s be honest not enough people were there or knew about B&G to understand what they were missing. In the beginning it totally showed. There were literally two people at the beginning of his set (including myself) it started off great, and me and this other dude were going hard, with this giant dance floor at our fingertips (and our feet). Soo as he played “Ruckus The Jam” (Zeds Dead). That’s when s**t started getting poppin. I’m not sure if it was just the fact that people were actually showing up to the festival, but people started pouring in. We went from two people to a couple hundred in like five minutes. You could see the expression on change B&G’s face, and he knew, just like I did. That it. Was. ON. By The time he dropped “Masta Blasta The Rebirth” (Dillon Francis). There were probably over 1000 kids, getting the f**k down. All I could think was “And this is just the start?” I knew I had barely even begun to get my feet wet.

Ok this is not the best video, but the sound is decent and the track that’s playing is dope. But this was probably about half through this set & remember. He only started with two.

Lettuce

Now I am not the one to know all the Lettuce tunes. I know I love Adam Deitch, and that was enough for me to make their set at BUKU a must see. I was totally correct to go to this as well (of course). This was by far the best set I have ever seen them play, and believe me. I have seen them enough times to make a wild accusation like that. I don’t know if they were trying something new, or if I just hadn’t truly heard them before, but the jams that they were throwing my way were beyond funky, beyond classic, it was some of the coolest music I think I have ever heard in my life. I will never underestimate them again for as long as I live, and I swear I will learn their song names. So I can report back next time. For serious.

Lettuce VIP Area View BUKU 2013 (I Did Not Make This)

Birdy Nam Nam

Birdy Nam Nam was an act I had never seen before. So I was definitely extra stoked to catch them. Glad that I did too. They started off with an amazing As The World Turns (Glich Mob) Live Edit. Did you know that there are four of them up on stage at the same time. It’s pretty f**king crazy to watch. All in all they played a perfect combination of Dance & Trap. As well as put out some of the most radical vibes as anybody who was played in either of the two days. I will be seeing them again for sure.

Flux Pavilion

Well I could barely even hold my pen for Flux. Which is not a bad thing, I just wish I wrote more legibly about this one, because so much of it is important. The biggest highlight for me was when he dropped his new track that has Childish Ghambino on it. It’s called Do Or Die, and the best part about it (for now) is that not a lot of people know it. So when that drop comes, people go insane. I personally got a group of about thirty unsuspecting BUKU goers to follow my hands and legs with the drop. It was intense to say the least, and everybody (especially those kids) were loving it. From there he played VIP mixes of Knife Party, then Cracks into Louder. Later he played his Collab with Major Lazer “Jah No Partial” and connected that I can’t stop which then went into “I Still Can’t Stop”. I wanted a relentless onslaught of Bass and that is exactly what I got. One of the best sets of the weekend for sure.

And This Is Just My Favorite Flux Song At The Moment…. That Drop!!!!

Flying Lotus

It may come as a surprise to many of you, but I have only seen Flying Lotus once. It was amazing, but so long ago. That being said, I think he surprised everybody with his almost entirely trap set. It was a definitely something that could have totally flopped, but it did just the opposite. It was a totally killer set, beyond killer actually. In my expert opinion, it was the best set I had seen up to this point. So kudos go out the the Flying Lotus crew, who went for it and came the f**k out on top. So many dope edits of songs, and a few obvious shout outs to Flosstradamus sealed the deal for me. I gots to see them again, real soon.

Datsik

Since I saw his set at BUKU, I have seen Datsik two other times after, but this set was by far the best. From his Bass Cannon remix to his Swagga VIP. This set had me shook, scared, and paralyzed. I swear there was a point that the only thing I could do was stare at my feet, and rock my shoulders. Which is really all you could ever ask for when you see Datsik. He played like almost ten minutes straight of jams that I could only compare to breaks from the 80’s. Datsik is at the top of his game right now. Maybe it was the people around me, maybe it was something else, but his set at BUKU, was the highlight of the first night for everybody who saw it. For some (like me), it was the absolute highlight of the weekend as well.

The Datsik Crowd was filled with the best and brightest of the weekend for sure.

Flosstradamus

So the last time I saw Flosstradamus was like last October @ Grand Central down here in Miami. That set was amazing, but it was nothing compared to the way they tore the fucking roof off the Float Den. It was unreal to watch that crowd move in perfect unison to the dirty dirty trap tracks they all know and love. By far one of the most fun sets of the weekend to be at. I’m also quite sure that nobody missed it, because N’awlins gets the fuck down to the dirty beats all day. So that crowd was ready for fucking anything. Which they got because they had some crazy tracks in that set, including: Candylands’ Sandstorm remix, The RL Grimes Satisfaction remix mashed with Lil Jon, and an Original Don VIP. That blew everyone’s fucking mind straight outta that place.

This Is a Video I Found Of Their Finale……. Ahhhhh Memories

Big Gigantic

Ok, so I’m not going to on and on about Big G, because truthfully it’s almost unfair how talented these two are. They are my absolute favorites, and I could write a million things about them all day. Everybody who saw them at BUKU was so happy to be there. They gave off the most amazing vibes, and there was not one person in the Float Den that was not grinning ear to ear. They have this new Thrift Shop and I need a Dollar mashup, which is a sure fire crowd pleaser. They also did their Bonfire cover. Which I thought was very fitting to the vibe that was happening. Big Gigantic has definitely claimed their spot as a “Gateway Band”, I know a lot of kids who look at music very differently after watching that set. Long Live BIG G!!!

STS9

Ok so I have seen STS9 a million times, and I still have no idea what the fuck is going to happen at one of these things. They are like adventures into your heart mind and soul. I swear on everything as confused, scared, angry happy as you get. In the end. They will explain everything, make you feel better, and you will be a better being because of it. They played two sets, neither of them anywhere near the same. Both of them just as amazing in their own ways. They played everything I know by them, and so much more I don’t. They even had this crazy Daft Punk part. It reminded me of this time Lotus covered Daft Punk back in the day. They seriously are the most ridiculous live electronic act on the planet. Like. They know what’s up. Nobody can touch them.

Dillon Francis

Ok, so not only did Dillon Francis have to play right after Major Lazer, but NERO was playing at the same damn time. I mean that Major Lazer set was the most amazing thing I have ever seen (your gonna hear about it trust me). It’s totally fucked though, because Dillon Francis’ set was amazing. He is killed it and not enough people saw this s**t go down. I think that Dillon Francis deserved a better visual set up, in fact he needs one. Furthermore, Dillon Francis is by far the best DJ/Producer at getting the women wild. Case & Point. He played this track that I still can’t find, but the hook was like “Gonna Hit It From The Back”, and every chick in there grabbed the first thing with flesh and started rubbing their booty on it. Not even Diplo can do that, but that’s also probably because they are already doing it. It’s just like I always say, and he proves it every time: Everybody is f**king something during a Dillon Francis set. And next time, let Nero compete with Major Lazer, because that was some bullshit (No Offense I just needed more peeps in that crowd).

Ok so I’m also creating an article about the fact that Diplo & Major Lazer took over N’awlins on the second day. It includes more about Dillon Francis as well. It was just too ridiculous to not have it’s own separate…. Thing.

Check That Article Here (Mad Tunes For You To Grab)

Also Find Yourself In Our BUKU Photo Gallery Here