Twelve thousand watts of sound, 20 DJs and artists, and two stages will invade Club Rio, 2 S. 100 West, on Friday, Aug. 29 and Saturday, Aug. 30 from 2 p.m. through 1 a.m. Live art installments will accompany the dual-staged second annual Moab Electronic Music Festival, featuring DJs from Denver, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Moab and points beyond.
“Folks who leave behind preconceived ideas about electronic music can look forward to a hypnotic vibe of sight and sound, amazing new music they may have never heard before, and the largest sound system in Moab,” event organizer Sam Cushing said.
The roof-top patio outdoor stage will be hosted by CrowdPleaser, out of Denver, and begin playing music at 2 p.m. both days, while music inside the club will begin at 5 p.m. on the main stage.
Joining CrowdPleaser in filling out the lineup on both the roof-top patio stage and the main stage are Jacob Hoffman & Andy Fargo, Fat Basterd Rice, Nick Payne, Negredo, Echtoo, Nastee N8, Weirdboy, Ray Mondo, Deciprocal, Acid Tess, and Mr. Gizmoe. Local DJs Sidney Frost and Thatcher Vagts will also be performing, with more DJs to be announced.
Jacob Hoffman hails from Minneapolis, Minn. and winters on the Oregon coast working on a cattle ranch. He has played in Moab once before, at Woody’s Tavern last spring, and is looking forward to playing in Moab again.
“It was a weeknight, with a lighter crowd, but I’m still pumped by how hard that small crowd got down,” Hoffman said. “It was insane because I didn’t expect it. It really is special to have a festival like this way out against this backdrop; I think those here understand it, and from the outside, it’s tough to really grasp how magical it is.”
Nastee N8, also known as Nathan Larsen, calls Ogden home and has spun records all over the country while playing with prominent acts, such as Deadmau5, Freq Nasty, and Bassnectar in front of crowds of thousands. Nastee N8 has also played in Moab several times before at assorted venues, including at the first annual Moab Electronic Music Festival last year at Frankie D’s, and talked about how the size of the venue or crowd doesn’t dictate how powerful a show can be.
“Who you’ve played with, and how many people you play for isn’t a big deal for me,” Larsen said. “It’s all about the people in front of you. It’s all about the moment; it’s all about dancing.”
The temporal status of the relationship between the audience and the artist is important to Hoffman also.
“When the DJ, the dancers, and the crowd all start to understand each other through the music, there is a ‘Whoa!’ moment,” Hoffman said. “The stronger the understanding, the more intense the moments are.”
Festival organizer Cushing, also known as DJ Sidney Frost, and agreed with Hoffman and Larsen on the transitive nature of the ebb and flow between audience and artist.
“As the audience gets pumped, the DJ can feed off that energy and change the course of the mix,” Cushing said. “There is always a symbiotic relationship between the DJ and everyone in the crowd, and most people don’t even realize they are a part of this magic.”
Pre-sale tickets good for both days of the festival are available online only at www.facebook.com/moabelectronicmusicfest for a discounted price of $13 until 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29. Tickets at the door will be $10 a day and have a strong chance of selling out to capacity, organizers said.
Second annual Moab Electronic Music Festival comes to the Rio this weekend
“It’s all about the moment; it’s all about dancing,”
When: Friday, Aug. 29 and Saturday, Aug 30 from 2 p.m. through 1 a.m.
Where: Club Rio, 2 S. 100 West
Cost: Pre-sale tickets good for both days available for $13 online only at www.facebook.com/moabelectronicmusicfest until 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29. $10 at the door
