Davies is originally from Manchester and is currently residing on the Isle of Wight, where he started his own label, Wight Label Records. Today he hosts the Wight Label Records Radio Show and tours Europe, DJing parties. With Bestival originating in the UK, it made perfect sense to have Martin Davies as a special guest. While his usual repertoire consists of melodic, deep, house, his beach-side set was built on disco undertones, with tracks like Faze Action’s “I Wanna Dancer” causing waves on the sand.

By the time Rob Da Bank entered the DJ hut, the path to the beach turned into a line quickly regulated by flanking security guards. The main stage was host to Born Ruffians, with a tight crowd of people singing along to “Needle,” “same as everyone spinning underneath the sun.”

On the other side of the park, the Big Top stage was beginning to fill up for Cashmere Cat and what would turn into an exploding party in a few hours. Magnus August Høiberg, a Norwegian DJ/producer who goes by the name Cashmere Cat (not to be confused with Cajmere) is one of those performers with a humble attitude. Similarly to Jamie xx, Høiberg didn’t interact with the crowd at all, but his set of skills is nothing to be shy about. With a solid bunch of appearances at the DMC World DJ Championships, Cashmere Cat was masterfully going through the Mirror Maru and Wedding Bells EPs.

Immediately following Høiberg was Lodewijk Fluttert, a Dutch producer known as Bakermat. Over the last couple years almost everything Bakermat released became a summer hit, so much so that he had his own stage at Tomorrowland in 2014. Joined on stage by his usual saxophone player, Fluttert went through his hits from “Teach Me” to “Another Man,” with an ear to ear smile on his face from the beginning to the end.

The next artist crew to take the stage was local success story, Keys N Krates. Having exploded onto the mainstream dance music scene with the track “Dum Dee Dum,” Keys N Krates have recently dropped an equally successful Every Nite EP. The main track from the EP, “Are We Faded,” has already been remixed by a variety of people, on multiple stages and was a sure way to pack in the tent with shouting, jumping fans reaching for the sky. Having a gift for crossing genres from various decades, Keys N Krates are also regular guests at the Red Bull Thre3style, so these guys really know how to get the crowd going. This set was alive.

A newcomer to the music scene, ZHU, was second last on the Saturday night bill. No one knew who Steven Zhu was until sometime last year when “Faded,” (and subsequently it’s remix by ODESZA) exploded on the internet. ZHU is one of those artists who prefers to be seen for his music alone, he doesn’t do many interviews and performed behind a veil which stretched across the entire Big Top stage, serving as a screen through which you could occasionally get a peak at Steven Zhu.

In less than a year, ZHU has acquired a massive fan base. The mosh pit for ZHU’s set ended a few meters outside of the Big Top tent and those who could not get close were scattered, dancing in the nearby area on the grass.

With photos still flooding, one by one, onto Instagram and people reminiscing about the weekend, it is clear that Bestival has made an epic entrance into Canada. We hope to see you back next year U.K., let’s make Toronto Island your second home.

photos by Erik Shaw

The post Bestival Saturday: you’re home now appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Cashmere Cat did not come on until one in the morning, and due to the close quarters of this particular venue, he was in clear view, chilling behind Heartbeat(s) and Expendable Youth doing their thing. One of the indicators of a good night out at a club is a sold-out show with a crowd faded and ready to dance. The waft of BC bud, a familiar fume, also helped tweak the atmosphere jolly. Even before midnight, the front of the stage was littered with bodies jerking around as strobe lights alternated between flickering pulses of white, purple, and red beams.

Wearing a black snapback that said “Sad Boys” with a favoured jean jacket, Hoiberg’s distinctively soft-looking blonde mane rested on his shoulders as he set up and started his set with a little piano ditty that changed into “Kiss Kiss.” A slick song off Mirror Maru, “Kiss Kiss” showed off his manipulation for R&B melodies equipped with turbo-charged crescendos that drop clean. With everyone dancing on the stuffy floor, it soon became a sauna as girls told each other “I am sweating my balls off”, and the one fan sitting lonely and in effect superfluous in the small hallway.

Playing tracks invested in slow, sexy bass beats, the minimalistic use of vocals was a trend that carried on through the night. There was a nice moment, however, when Cashmere Cat played a distorted vocal sample of “Barbie Girl” from the one-hit-wonder band Aqua. It was barely discernible to the sugary spasms of the original, but the chorus was recognisable as none other than that.

Taking a turn for the trap, Cashmere Cat progressively manoeuvred the crowd for harder and dirtier dance moves. A shot of endorphins surged through the partygoers that cheered. Behind Hoiberg, several blonde women mirrored the crowd in the exuberance of the moment. At one point, one of them flicked flyers at the crowd that at first grabbed them thinking they were free goodies.

An impressive set that was only enhanced by Shine, the venue of choice for a performance geared towards the night club aesthetic sans douche chills, it was a night for dancing as all hell get out in intimate quarters to a sound system that did justice to the DJ and his pick of the songs.

Cashmere Cat is welcome back to Vancouver anytime and hopefully we don’t have to wait for another Friday the thirteenth to make that happen.

Image courtesy of the artist 

The post Cashmere Cat live at the Shine nightclub in Vancouver appeared first on Quip Magazine.