DMNW’s Stage-by-Stage Guide to Every Artist at Shambhala 2018

Fractal Forest

Photo Credit: Fractal Forest Team (https://shambhalamusicfestival.com/stages-lineups/stages/fractal-forest/)

Team Fractal are celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Fractal Forest Stage at Shambhala 2018. After it’s debut as a small stage in the middle of a tree stump, the stage went through a number of transformations to bring it where it is today. The stage provides a 360 degree immersive environment in addition to skillful video mapping, lights and lasers.

Furthermore, if you find yourself getting tired there are several benches scattered around. Best part is, the seating areas are so close that you won’t miss the magic. There’s no doubt in our minds that Fractal Forest’s 20th year is going to be their biggest yet. The team has already told us to expect everything funky from fan-favorite Fractal DJs and newcomers alike.

Friday

Freddy J will kick off the festivities with some booty-shaking tunes when Fractal Forest opens at 3 p.m on Friday. Freddy J will hand the stage to Wes Please and his funky yet soulful beats that jump from genre to genre. Nelson resident M3rf will captivate the crowd at 5 p.m. as his tunes draw from his background in punk rock, hip-hop and electronic music. After Diligent‘s set that starts at 6 p.m., Lefy (an artist that plays most genres from mid tempo to DnB) goes onstage at 7 p.m. He’s the second Nelson resident to grace the stage and he has opened for quite a few artists playing Fractal.

And right at 8 p.m. things start to get really funky. K+lab, keytar wizard from New Zealand blends jazz, funk, glitch hop and many other genres with ease. Fan favorite Neon Steve will show off his skills until 10 p.m. when Slynk will break out some funky tunes infused with breaks. Shambhala 2018 will also find fan-favorite Opiuo tearing up the decks from 11 p.m until Canadian Tyler Martens, aka Stickybuds, takes the stage at 11 p.m. It’s quite possible that Martens will play some tracks from the album Take a Stand, released through The Funk Hunters’ Westwood Recordings (and currently holding the #9 position on Beatport).

At 1 a.m. Featurecast will bring his hip-hop, funk, and mid-tempo breaks music until 2 a.m. when the Vancouver duo The Funk Hunters step up to the plate to deliver another iconic performance. Right after, Fort Knox Five & Qdup give an hour and a half set until 4:30 am, infused with funk, jazz with no genre being off-limits. Joseph Martin, yet another Canadian playing at Fractal, is delivering the closing set for Friday night from 4:30 a.m. – 6 a.m.

Saturday

The second day of sick jams in Fractal Forest kicks off at 4:30 pm with Kelowna-based house duo JGirl & Manousos. The duo are followed by Fattycakes and Skiitour making this their second appearance at Shambhala 2018, this time at Fractal Forest. DJ Maseo (Plug 3 from the iconic hip-hop group De La Soul), comes on for an hour beginning at 9 p.m. around 10 p.m., things start to really heat up as we get some exceptional turntablists on the stage.

First up is an hour-long set from Toronto DJ Skratch Bastid, followed by Z-Trip from 11 p.m. – midnight. UK bass and breaks producer A.Skillz is on until 1 a.m. followed by trip-hop producer Gramatik. At 2 a.m., the crowd is in for quite a treat as the award winning London duo Stanton Warriors come onstage with some breakbeat action, followed by another award winning female DJ named Lady Waks. Shambhala fan-favorite Father Funk mans the stage until 5 a.m, at which time Homebreakin Records founder and deep house producer Matt Dauncy will close out the stage under his moniker Neighbour.

Sunday

Kicking off Sunday in the best way yet is the annual Fractal Funk Jam hosted by Smalltown DJs. The 5 hour takeover happening between Fractal’s opening at 2.pm – 7 p.m. features a lot of familiar Fractal residents, in addition to special guests Santa Clause and The Easter Bunny. After which comes hip-hop duo The Allergies and then Beardyman, whose humorous thumping set will sets the tone for the evening. Well-known turntablist JFB will spin through a multitude of genres.

Staring at 10 p.m., Four Color Zack and DJ Craze will each have one hour sets before they perform together until 12:30 a.m. under their 2¢ moniker. Following their performance is Grammy award winning freeform scratch artist Mix Master Mike who will deliver a crowd pleasing set until 1:30 a.m., when the legend Krafty Kuts mans the stage. On from 2:30 a.m. – 4:30 a.m. is DJ EZ, a prominent figure in the UK garage scene.

Insomniac artist Dr. Fresch The important thing to remember about the stage’s Sunday schedule is that the music doesn’t end on Sunday. As it is the last full day of Shambhala 2018, the music goes right through the night until noon on Monday.

Monday

Justin Hale is sure to throw all varieties of house music. In addition to being a member of Team Fractal, this is his 15th year on the farm! Following the end of his set at 8 a.m., Rich-E-Rich performs a four hour takeover until the stage closes. The Fractal Forest owner has technically retired from DJing, but he makes an exception for Fractal year after year.

There are a ton of amazing artists playing at Shambhala 2018, what are your biggest conflicts for this year? Which stage will you spend the most time at? Let us know in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter. Hope to see you on the farm!