Must Read

10 Must-See Acts at Mountain Oasis 2013

August 11, 2013 By Tyler Almodovar

October’s Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit is rapidly approaching, and with such a diverse and unique lineup, attendees may find themselves overwhelmed with whom to see. While I account that you will undoubtably see headliners such as Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, and Nine Inch Nails, I present you with ten acts which you may be unfamiliar with, but will be extremely glad you caught.

1. Animal Collective
One of the main reasons I went to Camp Bisco this summer was to catch the psychedelic experimental group Animal Collective. Unfortunately for me and everyone else, they had to cancel due to a sickness of one of the members. By October, expect these three to by in full force and ready to lay down a set that will take you down the rabbit hole and into another dimension of sounds and sights.

2. How to Destroy Angels
Another experimental group, How to Destroy Angels is composed of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and also includes his wife among other members. With a sound described as “post-industrial”, HDA has a strange way of fusing electronica, rock, and their own unique elements into a sound which has yet to be explored in electronic music. This group puts on a killer live show and simply cannot be missed at Mountain Oasis.

3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
I stumbled across this band while on Youtube a couple years ago, and seeing them on the Mountain Oasis lineup put a huge smile on my face. Akin to the styles of Explosions In The Sky, they feature a unique style of “post-rock”, or long, drawn-out rock instrumentals that tell a story using dynamics and an interesting electronic element of sampling and effects. While this isn’t exactly “dance music”, its beautiful, powerful, and a rare appearance for this band which at one point was thought to be broken up.

4. Disclosure
While I assume Disclosure is going to pull one of the biggest crowds at Mountain Oasis, I think their full U.S. presence still hasn’t reached its potential, hence why I put them on my list. If you’re unfamiliar, Disclosure is a deep-house duo from the UK which has been gaining astronomical press with their latest album, ‘Settle’. Featuring smooth, eerie beats coupled with soothing vocals, Disclosure has created an extremely unique sound and will be one the feature sets of Mountain Oasis.

5. Mount Kimbie
Mount Kimbie is another UK group that as established an incredibly unique sound, and having them at Mountain Oasis is going to be a real treat. Their sound is ambient, analog-type sounds with the idea that “less is more”. I would relate them to Boards of Canada. The mellow, soft sound is something many U.S. fans are not used to and I believe will be a breath of fresh air for those who catch this set.

6. Shlohmo
You can’t find an electronic music festival these days without trap, but I have to say that while I’m not the biggest fan of the genre, I will definitely be seeing Shlohmo. He takes the core elements of trap- the hi hats, snare rolls and heavy bass- but lays it out in a mellow, ethereal way that ebbs and flows rather than taking you on dramatic drops. He still manages to take modern rap and hip-hop artists but adds his own flare to them, making him a unique and must-see artist.

7. XXYYXX
Thanks to the power of Youtube, this young producer out of Orlando, Florida blew up in a matter of weeks. His style is extremely minimal, yet is able to convey emotions of “peace and stillness”. I can only imagine what a live set from this guy will be like, but I imagine it’ll be unlike anything attendees have seen before. I hope he gets a late, late set time as his relaxing music will be a perfect ending to a long night.

8. Rustie
About a month ago on WRR we featured an artist named Wave Racer whose sound resembled that of a Sonic the Hedgehog SEGA Dreamcast soundtrack. An artist very similar to that, Rustie has made a name for himself in the international electronic music scene, becoming an innovator of a incoming subgenre known as ‘aquacrunk’, featuring “slowed down, low-slung beats, with lashings of electronic mutterings and morphing basslines.” This music is light, bubbly synths over hard basslines, and you can’t help but be put in a good mood listening to it. Rustie will surely throw out an interesting live set and I personally am extremely excited to see what he has in store.

9. Robert Delong
Delong has been blowing up in the past year, with huge timeslots at some major U.S. festivals, such as Electric Forest. The addition of him at Mountain Oasis is a perfect fit, as he brings a great indie approach to EDM. His sets compromise of interesting amalgamations of house, moombah, electronica, and more. I guarantee you will have a very fun time seeing him live, as Delong brings a lot of energy and freshness whenever he gets behind the decks.

10. Ulrich Schnauss
With my last pick, I went with something a bit out there, but that I think will strike a chord with fans of our blog. Ulrich Schnauss’s music is very ambient, experimental, and indie- however, his songs feature uplifting, relaxing melodies and I would even dare to say that an element of trance is present in his music. Schnauss will one of the more interesting live sets to see all weekend, but it’ll surely be a beautiful hour of great music.