If you haven't already been to Capertee Valley we highly recommend that you do. As the second largest canyon in the world it boasts breathtaking cliff faces, soaring mountains ranges and a wide, open valley filled with the unmistakable sound of trance music echoing through the tea trees.
At least that's what it was like last weekend for the phenomenal Psyfari Festival. Dressed in tie-dye, funky costumes and flashing their teeth for three days straight, all festivalgoers humbly soaked up the great vibes and sweet tunes that the festival had to offer. At the end of a full street of markets offering all kinds of authentic clothing, jewelry and books were three very different stages, which provided all kinds of floor-stomping genres.
The Zoolu Stage was the first of the three, which focused on glitch-hop and electro-funk beats, tucked in a little corner beside a huge communal campfire. An interesting workshop on Friday afternoon called Doof Dance 101 casually and somewhat jokingly taught newcomers how to dance to the waves of melodies and bass that could be found at all times of the day and night.
Loki created some great vibes, sporting an epic red beard and a wonderful fusion of vintage sounds and modern bass music, serving up a mix of funky glitch-hop and electro-blues that got all hips swinging and feet stomping.
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The second stage, aptly named Stampede, was where the live music really took flight. The amount of non-stop talent here was unbelievable and it really brought the festival together. Taking an already enthusiastic crowd to new heights on Friday night was five-piece funk band Bin Juice. These Sydney-based boys fit the description of talent in every way, shape and form. With spoken lyrics, two loud guitars, a relentless rhythm section and a lone saxophone, they utilised suave jazz melodies and an overall laidback vibe. Boasting inventive solos and vocals heavy on the reverb they lay somewhere between space-rock and psych. Well rehearsed courtesy late night pub shows and long drives all they want is people to dance and they well and truly got what they wanted. An improvised 12-minute jazz-funk session seemed to dominate the set as did Funk Action, which was a standout.
An incredibly powerful and raw performance came from Blue Mountains band Cooking With Caustic on the following night. A large and diverse ten-piece who offer a fresh and dynamic take on funk, soul and hip hop, having produced tracks for the likes of the Thundamentals and Tuka, Cooking With Caustic have seen their fair share of the music industry and it showed in their intricate, mood-driven and instrumental-heavy tracks. However, the band truly shone behind the breathtaking and moving vocals of Queen B as she wailed and cried, reaching every note with ease and leaving her soul on the stage for all to see. A set highlight came during Natural Selection as all band members rocked in sync to a great few verses by Blackjack Davey and Madame Wu.
A special moment occurred for all festivalgoers on the second night as the majestic valley came to life under the light of a full moon, which caused thousands of people to erupt into howls that pealed like a wave through the entire festival site.
The final stage was called Life Cycle, which has evolved over the years from a cocoon décor to a resplendent butterfly DJ booth where all the serious foot-stomping, handclapping and dirt-raising goes down. Jeannie warmed up the dancefloor nicely with her transitional progressive and solid psy-prog. She used dashes of techno and progressive techno to cater to both contemporary and old-school ears.
Hypnagog, a DJ who goes by the name of Felix Greenlees, focused entirely on jazzy, melodic, down-tempo prog. This hybrid blend of psychedelic music was completely entrancing and soundtracked an incredibly fun hour of dancing, as he had no problem getting all those in the audience to bump along hypnotically to his beats. Folded Wave stood out from the bunch with cheering fans amounting to a great crowd response.
Festival headliner Tron made a lasting impact on the Life Cycle stage with his unique fusion of psychedelic-trance beats and funky morning sounds. Born in Mexico and with a lengthy background in classical guitar, he has been playing international festivals since the release of his full-length album, 2009's Biologic. Aided by the dazzling light show of lasers, projectors and smoke effects, along with the moon positioned directly above the dancefloor, Tron made for some incredible moments that ensued song after song and will surely never be played again in the same spectacular circumstances.
As the ceremonious festival came to a close on Sunday afternoon all punters and older hearts alike revelled in the mountain sun and frosty air, humbly reflecting on a weekend of magnificent music and art, before hitting the open road.
