Here’s part two of our coverage on the BPM Festival, with Viva Warriors, Boiler Room, a jungle rave.. Viva BPM!
If you haven’t read part one yet, do that first: PART I on BPM Festival
It was kind of a rough night after the Circoloco and Pets Recordings party, but we just couldn’t miss the already legendary afternoon Life & Death party. We actually started off by watching it on be-at.tv as some work had to be finished, but when Tale Of Us came on stage we rushed over to there immediatly. Naturally the place was packed, but the vibe was great and the music even better. The set from the Italian-American duo was great and DJ Tennis topped it off right at the end with a great closing set. When it was done, I regretted not coming earlier.
That night I was planning to stay in, but god damn that’s a tough job at BPM. When walking into Darius Syrossian he invited me to come over to Viva Warriors and could not resist. When thinking that the Coco Maya could not be much fuller after what I had already seen in the previous days, the Viva Warriors party proved me wrong. It was bursting at the seems with a fantastic crowd. Unfortunately something happened that is difficult to confirm in what precise way it has taken place. After Darius said he was allegedly beaten up by security, many eyewitness accounts later refuted this claim on Facebook. In the end, nobody knows exactly what happened in that DJ booth, except the people who were in it. And that’s all there is to it.
Another day, another night. We were supposed to visit Apollonia but instead Luis Leon got invited to play at Boiler Room amongst artists like Art Department, DJ Tennis, DJ Three and many more. When we got there we arrived at this cosy little garden and walked right into some sort of fairytale. The spot was magical and so was the music. With an hour delay we had some time to walk around in Tulum and see the stunning view of the beach and the coast line. With Heineken sponsoring the event and serving free beers it felt a bit like home, only a lot warmer at this time of the year. Luis Leon played B2B with his buddy Memo Insua, who is running Union Jack Recordings. Their set was a very nice build up for the artists that were following and perfect for the setting we were in. Louie Fresco played B2B with Robbie Akbal and nailed it! But then came DJ Tennis, which was of course a treat to listen to. The combination of the music, the setting and his mix of old school vibes was just perfect in every way. When we got back to the car we saw the front window was broken by a falling coconut. Not something you think about in Amsterdam. But thanks to our special coconut insurance we were in the clear.
Straight after Boiler Room we got to Hot Creations’ event ‘Paradise’ at Coco Maya, which was now even more crowded than during Viva Warriors. The line was insane (also the line-up but we mean the line here), even this time with press passes it was difficult to get through. We eventually got in and Richy Ahmed was up, an artist that is up for big things this year. After Richy his set we went over to see Nick Curly for a bit at TABU but his night couldn’t compete with the popularity of Paradise. A shame. When we got back it was Derrick Carter playing and afterwards Jamie Jones. A great night of quality music that you should definitely give a listen at be-at.tv: http://www.be-at.tv/brands/coco-maya/bpm-2014-paradise-bpm-2014
After all these days of partying we were hoping for a day of rest, but again, our party animal instincts told us not to. And besides, how could we with the Diynamic showcase at Blue Parrot? Adriatique and David August played the best sets. Also Solomun and H.O.S.H. did a great job. The sunrise with HOSH at the decks was also a very special one. If you do not believe us, check it out for yourself: http://www.be-at.tv/brands/blue-parrot/bpm-2014-diynamic-party
After the Diynamic party we had to switch hotels, which was a pain in the ass but the good thing was that the sun was shining and our new hotel had this amazing rooftop with pool, so instead of going to bed we decided to sleep on the beds at the rooftop, which was our best idea so far. After a little rest and a nice dinner we geared up for another night of musica. This time: Innervisions. The event was not at the regular spots but right on the beach bordering the jungle. A deserted spot which exactly fits the label and their sound. Otherworldly probably describes it best. When we got there by cab we still had to walk a bit through the dark jungle to arrive at this magical spot. We caught the last few tracks of Mano Le Tough’s set after which AME (LIVE) was on. There was a very mellow vibe as people seemed to take it easy during this marathon ride till three in the afternoon. The music was absolutely beautiful with AME (DJ), Dixon and David August (LIVE) being our favorites of the regular program. But then it was 7am, there were no more artists left on the bill. What followed was an amazing b2b2b with Dixon, AME and Mano Le Tough, something we will never forget.
The next day we were half past dead but there was no time to relax. We had to get ready for another promising event, which was not a BPM official event, but it sounded very promising. It was a Jungle rave on top of Mayan ruins and the stage was located on top of a pyramid.. And besides these amazing surroundings the line up was great as well. TEED, Acid Pauli, Mathew Jonson, Infinity Ink, Damian Lazarus, Francesca Lobardo, Magda, Fur Coat and a bunch of others made sure we were treated well in this magical area. Not all were on top of their game but TEED, Acid Pauli and Magda surely rocked it! It was a great way to end an amazing experience of the BPM Festival and we will definitely see you next year! I want to thank Plexi PR for their great care and all others that made my stay worthwhile. <3
