Strobe Light: June (Part 1)
The Season
With summer just around the corner our senses are beginning to get glimpses of the months ahead. The smell of a trusty grill doing its work, the hustle and bustle of a busy patio and the steady thump of a kick drum emanating from various venues and vehicles. Windows are open, sunglasses are on and there is just something a little different in the air.
Maybe it’s the forest fires.
All kidding aside, these months are the cherry on top, the champagne cheers and the metaphysical hi-five from the universe for our top-shelf Vancouver existence. I mean sure, I’m leveraged to the tits but on the bright side, most parks and beaches are free! Same could be said in various locales around the world that suffer through abysmal off-season weather and then rejoice during peak season.
Opportunities to get down and exercise your soul have been vastly increased. Outdoor concerts and events are making hay during these months and taking advantage of mother nature’s better conditions. There is a whole lot to do, and if you can’t find anything there are ample ways to create your own scene while enjoying the beauty of the South Coast.
I spent the past couple months digging through some tracks to put together this year’s summer mix. Sometimes it takes a while to get them all together. Picking up 40 or 50 new tracks and sculpting them down to around a dozen seems to be a decent way to curate a vibe. After igniting your appetite with some favorites that didn’t make the mix and a few that did, I will be stoked to introduce you to some more bangers and my latest mix in the second and third parts of this feature in the coming weeks.
The Scene
This summer has some great events going down that are sure to capture the essence of what you gets that sweet little hiney moving. Here’s a list of this summer’s more notable concerts and festivals in the GVRD and beyond.
June 23rd: Wu-Tang Clan
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
There’s not a lot I need to say about this entity right here. It’s nothing to f@#% with. But you already knew that. (See. Meth, Rae, Ghost, Inspectah, Cappa, RZA, GZA, U-God, ODB)
June 25th: Slum Village
The Imperial
Although the makeup of this group has morphed through the years, if you’re a fan of SV and that soulful Detroit hip hop sound, then The Imperial is where you should be on June 25th.
June 28th: The Roots
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Before they were the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’s band, these cats represented the realness in hip hop. Real instruments and a real AF MC make them one of the best bands on the planet. With Questlove providing the foundation and Black Thought delivering the bars you can’t go wrong with seeing one of Philadelphia’s finest in action.
July 5th: FVDED in the Park
Holland Park
French Montana, Khalid, Louis the Child and my personal favorite, Green Velvet, will be ripping Surrey a new one, like this event does every year, at Holland Park on July 5th.
August 9th: Shambhala
Salmo River Ranch (Nelson, BC)
The OG of the Electronic Music Festival, I have seldom heard a bad thing about this event. With over 20 years of experience blowing the minds of attendees, these guys have made putting on a party in the forest a life changing experience. Diplo, Mark Ronson (Silk City), Kaskade, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Zeds Dead and Jauz are just a few of the literally hundreds of artist and big names that will be melting faces mid-August, alongside repeat offenders and favourites such as Mat The Alien, A. Skillz and Smalltown DJs.
August 31st: Anjunadeep
Malkin Bowl
This is the fifth stop on their Open Air summer tour featuring support from 16BL, Cri, Jody Wisternoff, Luttrell and Qrion. This is gonna be sexxxxay. Deep house at its finest nestled in Vancity’s crown jewel. See you there.
Next week we dig deeper into the music. Stay tuned.
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