IT’S PARTY TIME!
Matcha’s Note: Post is a combo of film and phone content bc there were a lot of moments when I was running around with only one of the two or neither at all. Also, this title is a reference to my favorite Liquid Stranger song, “Hotbox,” which you should 100p listen to.
Happiest lil match of all time
Never in a million years would I ever expect to have one of the most remarkable weekends of my life in the state of Arkansas. Leave it to the inaugural Wakaan Music Festival to change that.
Move over, Bonnaroo. There’s a new favorite festival in town.
Best license plate I ever did see
There is no way I’ll ever be able to describe my time at Wakaan Fest that could ever perfectly paint the masterpiece it was. I was so carefree, so disconnected from the outside world, so loose and so genuinely happy up on the mountain. From just the first hours of being there, I smiled uncontrollably as Ari and I kept saying to each other, “This is the best festival” or “I’m so glad we did this.” I loved how confident I felt in myself, completely immersing in this experience without anxiety or regret in any sort of way. After the rough patch I hit during the summer, it was so freeing to be able to truly let go.
Each time I recall the weekend, look back thru my photos or proofread this post, my heart fills with immense gratitude for the safe haven that Liquid Stranger and his team created for one of the most beautiful communities I have ever been part of.
I attended the festival with my friend, Ari, who you might recognize from all my years at Bonnaroo, and we camped with some of his friends from Maryland. I love the connections you build with others thru festivals, and I was so glad that we all got along so well. Having good, positive people around you who are really on the same page is so, so important. Music is an incredibly impactful force, so for me, it’s really special to get to bond with others in this way, especially with such niche genres or communities.
Joe, Ari and I enjoying Lucii’s set
Being at a festival that’s only 7500 people with one main stage, Aura, until 2 AM and then two smaller stages, Chakra and Halo, running till 7 AM will make you never want to step into a large-scale fest ever again. The lineup for this festival was unbelievable, and I loved being able to see majority of the acts on that list. There was not one set that I didn’t like (other than being sad that Subtronic’s didn’t stand up to Hard Summer back in August). The whole time, you could tell people were really enjoying themselves during the music, and I’ve loved reading thru numerous Facebook group posts hearing about which sets people liked.
My favorite set of the weekend was absolutely Liquid Stranger’s closing “bangers” set on Saturday night. During his downtempo set on Thursday (where he also announced a new downtempo label called “Sskwan,” meaning “Father Sky"), he said that his bangers sets “grab you by the neck and say, ‘Dance, mother fucker, dance.’” This was 100p spot on. I left the set feeling like someone punched me in the chest – in the best way possible. Closing a fest on such a strong set is so important and rounds out the weekend so well.
Other than that, my other favorites were LSDream (holy fuck), Peekaboo (destroyed me) and Tynan (what the actual fuck). I really enjoyed others like Shlump, G-Rex, Lucii, etc.
Liquid’s closing set
W’S UP!!!!!!
Another huge thing I loved about Wakaan was how easy at all was. I never thought I’d be someone who enjoyed sitting during sets/fests willingly, but I loved having the ability to get take a break or breather whenever needed. We’d bring in our chairs and a few big blankets to set up a spot. I’m so upset that I didn’t bring my air mattress/couch from Roo because almost everyone else who was sitting had it and look so comfortable. The crowd was so courteous and positive, too. No matter where you went, people were never pushing you, yelling at you nor rushing you in any sort of way. That’s why I love going to events with wooks, and I really loved the crowd at this festival. Because it was something so niche and so small, I knew it would be a specific kind of festival goer, and I could not have been more pleased.
The late night setups were really sick, too. The two smaller stages, Halo and Chakra, were located in different parts of the woods. Both were decorated to beautifully with great ambiance. Halo was run by Jaenga Bus and Hennessey Sound Design, so the production was sick with projections in the trees, and the bass was LOUD and heavy (just look at the setup). Chakra sat at the bottom a hill and was completed with a giving tree (we forgot to bring something, and I keep beating myself up over it).
Some dude playing kendama on the Jaenga Bus
One other really special moment happened in the weeeeee hours of Saturday morning. I begged Ari to stay out for some late night sets from Subdocta and Jantsen. He ended up going much harder than I or anyone else around us, and I finally got him to agree to leave around 5:40 AM. At the top of the hill, we saw a golf cart with two people talking in front of it. Ari looks at me and says “Is that Martin?” (Liquid Stranger). I was blinded by a huge lamppost, so I took a couple steps closer, heard that ever so recognizable voice, turned back to Ari and said “yup.” We walked right over and started chatting with Liquid Stranger himself!!!!!! There is no other festival where you’d be able to just have this kind of intimate moment with the one person who started it all. We took a few selfies, even though he was “off duty.” We told him how much we appreciated all he does, how much we’ve enjoyed our weekend on the mountain and how this was the best festival either of us has attended. He was very grateful, and upon me asking him if he was having fun, he said, “Of course! I love helping people have fun.”
Wakaan is a Native American term for “Mother Earth,” hence the mountains in the logo. Ari said he was even told that being barefoot like that gives you a new level of energy. I felt so at one with the landscape this weekend. I spent most of my time without shoes on, just wandering around, dancing and moving through the crowd in my adventures without my phone, my bag nor my other belongings.
The only improvements I’d like to see with this festival are first, clearer information about the festival timing. The dates were Thursday-Sunday, but the music started Wednesday night and ended at 7 AM on Sunday. I was sad to have missed that first night pre-party. Second, we should’ve gotten the VIP Gold package, which was only $40 more than the regular VIP package we had. You got a special edition jersey and a meet and greet every day with a ton of the artists.
I will truly cherish this weekend for as long as I live. It was an amazing time for reflection and resetting. I loved being able to really relax and enjoy every last second of it. I’m so, so grateful to have a friend like Ari who was also down to do this, and I’m so happy that we ended up doing this. I plan to attend this festival for every year of its history, and I can’t wait for others to experience this magic, even though I pray it never gets tainted. Thank you, Martin, for everything, and W’s up!
