#festivalseason - Just when you think you're done, RIFFLANDIA is there to pull you back in.

Festival season just won't end. Every year it seems a little longer and every year on the Canadian west coast, Rifflandia is there to usher out the jam-packed nights of summer with four days of ridiculously diverse musicians. This year's lineup is a feast of groovy selections spanning the rowdy (Wolf Parade, Keys & Krates), the soulful (Khari Wendell McClelland, Chance Lovett & The Broken Hearted), the weird (Prozzak, Bomba Estero), the moody (Grossbuster) and everything in between. It's an exhaustingly huge list of performers and looking at it may induce panic. To help ease the burden of research here are just a few of the many acts I'm hoping to check out over this, one of the finest weekends of music the west coast has to offer, right in the heart of my beloved hometown of Victoria, BC.

Get your single-day and full-fest passes here!

DJ Kwe

A few months ago, I didn't know a thing about DJ Kwe. I picked her name randomly off of a list of writing subjects for the Rifflandia festival guide and started my research. Immediately I was drawn to the idea of a female, aboriginal DJ (I later came to find she's half Irish, further adding to the multicultural allure), as both of those traits are something I have very little experience absorbing into my ears when it comes to my DJ music, and like any good music fan, I'm always looking for new avenues and perspectives. Turns out Kwe is doing some of the most original work around the West Coast right now. Her audio stories are unlike anything you've ever heard, built from the ground up, incorporating music, words and the sounds of nature. As she expands her repertoire into original music production and all-vinyl Djing, DJ Kwe promises to deliver something you're not going to hear anywhere else right now. 

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5 Questions with Rags #18 - DJ Wood (Wood 'n' Soo)

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Wood ‘n’ Soo are kind of a west coast institution. The duo has been dropping that good funky shit, with their 4 turntable attack, for years in and around the Vancouver area and beyond. If you need a consistently reliable funk-delivery system, Wood ‘n Soo are the guys you turn to in these parts. This was going to be a doubler with both homeys, but Soo has disappeared from my scope! I really hope he’s okay because I’m pumped to see them in just a few short weeks. (Gates open 29 days from the day of this posting!) So today, we’re going to bring a shorter but no less sweet entry of the 5 Questions with the other half of the duo, DJ Wood, who’s real name is Sherwood, which is unassailably badass.

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Since it’s time to be getting ready for Shambhala…Do you have a favourite Shambhala memory?

DJ Wood: 2005 I remember there was a flash rainstorm on Friday afternoon, just after we got there. It poured rain for like a half hour. It left so much water in the field that we saw people skimboarding in the grass on the field. There’s a lot of memories outside of just general merriment and good music. That’s the one that sticks out.

If you’re around the Farm make sure to catch the funky duo opening Fractal Forest at 4pm on Saturday (Before SCRATCH NIGHT!).

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1. Do you remember the first album you purchased with your own money?

Wood: Probably would have been Run DMC Raising Hell. I’d probably have to say “Peter Piper” is my favourite track on there. It’s probably everybody’s favourite on there. Classic tune.

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