ConSynPro

Last night I slept like a true champion of sleep, and proclaimed this fact to the Laser Kick crew in the morning. The sun was out, so we headed down to the beach of the rocky Salmo River. CT had a little surprise for me as we set out along the path to the banks. Sensual pleasures abounded in this heavenly scene, as people waded and basked in varying degrees of nakedness. Some hopped into flotation devices and casually meandered downstream, spinning and turning with big grins. Soon I was feeling relaxed and sprawled out on the warm rocks of the beach, listening to the ambient din of glee while looking up at the blue sky. At night, just two sound stages were open: I made several trips between the Rock Pit and the Labyrinth to get samples of the DJs, becoming mesmerized by the Miami-style bass at the Pit which took me back to an earlier era of clubby dance music. In the late evening I took a front row seat at the outdoor movie theater, there watching a documentary about previously undiscovered undersea ecosystems, and Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision, a BBC interview with the illustrious Hunter S. Thompson. The next day, Shambhala continued… upon waking, I returned to Laser Kick to get the skinny on the day’s events along with a dose of good humour; next I proceeded with the morning routine of beach bathing with the goddesses. From there I walked across the prairie floor to drop a ticket at will-call. At dusk the bats were flying overhead, and I took this as a sign that my Bat Country friend had arrived. Tonight all stages were open. The thrill was undeniable as a lightning storm erupted while the Lawnchair Generals played a proper tech-house set and the visual screens went haywire, also showing streaks of lightning blazes. Back in the tent at camp, I discovered AG and her sis had arrived, but I lurked, preferring to make my introduction in the light of day. The next morn, I was happy to catch up with the sisters, and the festivities continued. I carry caffeine pills when I camp, and was a bit heavy-handed today; I went out between the stages with the sisters but eventually lost them in the masses, ending up feeling a bit frustrated, lonely, and overwhelmed from the crash/crush combination. The sampling of the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper in a crushing technobreaks set struck a chord, raising a smile from me all these years later. Now on the last day of the event, I woke from some good sleep and went to hear some slinky breakbeats by DJ Pollywog, at a volume that pleasantly turned the stomach even from the side opposite the speakers. Next I rolled back to camp to spoon some food from tin cans directly into my rattled gullet. After a sunset river plunge I returned to the Rock Pit – the didgeridoo live sound check went on far too long, so we had to leave – on to the Fractal Forest, and from there to the Village for a wild, wrecking DJ Scream, followed by Bassnectar who twice called to ‘make some noise’ before rocking out as dancers packed into the Endor-inspired stage for some grindy-bassrock. Soon a bit claustrophobic, I decided to head back to camp for a rest. It started to rain again, coming down in short intervals as the sounds from the music stages bled into a moshing, gyrating black hole audio amoeba – intermittent DJ yells and battle cries on the microphones added the fills and accents. I was intending to rest up for the Moontribe DJs set, but I never did make the four to six AM appointment, as, being mortal, I ended up naturally choosing sleep instead…