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Photo by Clemens Mitscher
Brian Cook of Russian Circles to put together a playlist of some of his favorite tracks from LEVITATION 2019 artists, check it out on REVOLVER Magazine here:
Not only did Brian deliver this killer mix (which features a brand new RC track!) but he had some kind words for us about his experience at Levitation:
“Festivals are weird. I don’t like watching bands play outside in the sunshine. I like watching bands play in dark, dingy rooms. I like concerts and shows to be immersive experiences, and the whole open-air festival scenario of watching an artist perform on a jumbotron while navigating the couple making out on a beach towel, the guy playing with devil sticks, the influencer wanna-bes posing for social media, and the ticking time bomb of drunk shirtless bros rough-housing with one another seems more like punishment than pleasure. It’s no wonder that the big festivals seem increasingly geared more towards a lifestyle brand rather than an actual curated musical experience.
That’s why large scale music events like Levitation are such an anomaly. The line-up is stellar–finally a fuckin’ multi-day roster where I recognize the names besides the headliners! Hell, even the fine-print acts at Levitation are amazing. And rather than sitting out under the sun and watching artists do the whole compromised throw-and-go scenario where they scramble to set up and play during some absurdly short changeover, only to have their road-tested gear settings rendered null and void by the acoustics of the outdoors, their guitars reduced to a nearly indiscernible tinny whine and the drum kit EQ’ed to a point where the kick is the only audible thing in the mix… hell, why not enjoy an experience where the bands play in the kinds of intimate clubs they’re actually meant to play instead? I wanna feel the guitar cabinets push the air when Torche hits that low-tuned bomb note. I wanna be up close to see Matt Pike do that crazy fuckin’ vibrato with his fingers when High on Fire settles into one of their lurching riffs. I don’t want a twenty-foot deep barricade keeping the kids from stage diving during Power Trip. And I sure as hell don’t wanna see Jaye Jayle’s stark gothic blues ruined by fucking sunshine and beach balls.
Levitation is an event organized, curated, and run by people that fucking get it. So when they asked if I could put together a short playlist of some of my favorite artists from this year’s line-up, it was actually a challenge to keep it to a manageable mix. Every show that’s a part of Levitation is worth your time, but here are a few of my personal highlights.”
