The BUKU Music + Art Project 2014 Preview

No city in America, maybe the world, has taken to blending culture like New Orleans, which is why The Buku Music + Art Project so fits the Big Easy. Mixing artistic styles from around the world with sounds from hip-hop and electronica to indie-rock, the two day event happens Friday & Saturday, March 21st & 22nd, at Mardi Gras float production house Mardi Gras World:

FRIDAY, MARCH 21st

Power Plant Ellie Goulding, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM One of the hottest breakthroughs has been London’s Ellie Goulding (QRO photos at a festival), who went from being unknown to playing the likes of Saturday Night Live (QRO Indie on Late Night TV) and even the royal wedding (QRO photos in the British Isles)! She’s been movin’ on up in terms of venue size (QRO photos) & stage size (QRO photos on a side stage – QRO photos on a main stage), so catch her while you can (QRO live review)! She comes to Buku Project behind 2011’s Halcyon (QRO review) and her biggest tour to-date (QRO photos at Madison Square Garden), so come see “Lights” (QRO video).
Zedd, 8:00 PM – 9:15 PM German electro-house producer Zedd (real name: Anton Zaslavski) has been branching out into complextro & dubstep, as he’s become a festival regular.
Nas, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM One of the most consistently strong rappers for more years than you realize has been Nas (QRO photos at a festival). His 1994 debut Illmatic has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and follow-up It Was Written made him internationally famous (as did a ten-year feud with Jay-Z). More recently, he and Damien Marley of reggae fame & family collaborated both on record & live (QRO photos together at a festival), donating all the royalties to African charities, and in 2012 Nas put out his tenth studio album, Life Is Good. Yes it is for Nas, who comes to Buku behind the twentieth anniversary of Illmatic.
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM When East Coast and West Coast rappers were throwing beefs in the nineties, Cleveland’s Bone Thug-n-Harmony put melody into their hip-hop (and is the only group that has worked with deceased artists 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Eazy-E & Big Pun while they were still alive – no holograms…). This century/millennium has seen hiatuses, returns, members departing, members returning, but it’s still Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.
Also: Smallpools, 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM Gravity A, 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Float Den Zeds Dead, 12:45 AM – 2:00 AM Canadian duo DC & Hooks make up the genre-defying Zeds Dead, who come to close out the first night of the Float Den (QRO photos at a festival).
Kaskade, 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM Ryan Raddon’s origins, which include a two-year mission in Japan for the Mormon Church, might sound more apropos for a country musician in Louisiana, but he’s become a top electronic performer worldwide.
Big Freedia, 10:00 PM – 10:30 PM Just as the post-Katrina rebuilding of New Orleans has been taking a while, so has the post-Katrina (re)discovery of New Orleans music – but one of the biggest & best to come out of the Big Easy is bounce music, mixing hip-hop with local dance and Mardi Gras call-and-response, and one of the biggest & best in bounce is Big Freedia (QRO photos at a festival), with the big asses (QRO photos) that recently set the world twerking record, not to mention starring in their own FUSE series…
Sleigh Bells, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM Somewhere between noise and pop lies Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells (QRO photos at a festival). The duo of Derek E. Miller & Alexis Krauss (QRO photos) all of a sudden became the hottest thing out there with debut Treats, including touring with M.I.A. (QRO photos) – and they’ve kept up the heat (QRO live review) in 2012 with Reign of Terror (QRO review), last year’s Bitter Rivals, and their bigger-and-bigger headline dates (QRO live review).
Carnage, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM From Maryland by way of Central America, Carnage comes to Buku Project behind his debut Bang on acclaimed imprint Fool’s Gold.
Paper Diamond, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM Colorado-based producer Alex B has begun exploring his creating & performing side as Paper Diamond.
Conspirator, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM Started by The Disco Biscuits’ Aron Magner and Marc Brownstein in 2004, Conspirator has since grown into a full band, with members from such other Buku acts as Lotus (see below) and The New Deal. Also: Blood Diamonds, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Ballroom Lotus, 12:15 AM – 1:45 AM Indiana’s Lotus moved from self-described “jamtronica” into a more electronic & instrumental style – but is still a jam band festival mainstay (QRO photos at a festival).
Chance the Rapper, 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM Two mixtapes, 2012’s 10 Day and last year’s Acid Rap, have launched Chicago’s Chance the Rapper into the big time (his Chicago-sponsored South-by-Southwest showcase was shut down due to massive overcrowding – QRO recap).
Pusha T, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM Pusha T began as one-half of Clipse with his brother No Malice, but has since headed out on his own, signing to Kanye’s GOOD Music and releasing his debut My Name Is My Name last fall.
WAVVES, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Redemption? After WAVVES singer/guitarist Nathan Williams (QRO photos at a festival) had a very public breakdown, on stage at Primavera Sound Festival in 2009, the San Diego act cancelled their whole European tour. However, since then Williams got back on the road (QRO photos at a festival), recruited the backing band of the late Jay Reatard (QRO photos), put on the much-praised King of the Beach (QRO review) and 2012’s Afraid of Heights. And he’s even returned to Primavera (QRO photos at a festival) – plus he seems to have cut out imitating Pauly Shore.
Miami Horror, 6:15 PM – 7:00 PM From Melbourne, Australia, not Miami, Florida (but QRO photos in Miami), Benjamin Plant’s (QRO interview) Miami Horror still fit in the electro-dance scene that stretches from South Beach to the world (QRO photos at a festival).
Also: Classixx, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival Treasure Fingers, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM Flight School Preps, 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Back Alley Seth Troxler, 10:30 PM – 12:30 AM Dusky, 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM Tourist, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Kid Kamillion, 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM Jesse Slayter, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM DXXXY, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Murder Beach, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM C-Lab, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
VIP S.S. Blu-Ku Holy Ghost!, 11:30 PM – 1:00 AM Electro-pop duo Alex Frankel & Nick Millhiser (QRO photos) forms the up-and-coming Holy Ghost! (QRO live review), who have toured with LCD Soundsystem (QRO live review, on tour with Holy Ghost!) and Cut Copy (QRO live review with Holy Ghost!), and put out their self-titled debut (QRO review) in 2011. They come to Buku Project (QRO photos at a festival) for a DJ set (QRO live review).
Miami Horror, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM After playing his regular show (see above), Miami Horror (QRO spotlight on) does a DJ set aboard the VIP S.S. Blu-Ku.
Also: DJ Soul Sister, 6:15 PM – 9:30 PM Big Freedia’s ‘Twerk Lesson’, 7:15 PM – 7:45 PM Dobryman’s Bu-Katwalk, 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM Money P, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 22nd

Power Plant David Guetta, 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM In 2009 Paris’ David Guetta went from producing The Black Eyed Peas’ number one hit “I Gotta Feeling” to putting out his own One Love (QRO review), capping it the next January with a Grammy win. He’s followed that up by working with such high-profile ladies as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Céline Dion & Britney Spears, as well as international #1 singles of his own like “Sexy Bitch” (featuring Akon) and “Memories” (featuring Kid Cudi – QRO live review), and 2011’s Nothing But the Beat.
The Flaming Lips, 7:45 PM – 9:00 PM There’s a good reason The Flaming Lips (QRO photos at a festival) have been so popular for so long on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), as there is no live show out there like a Flaming Lips live show (QRO live review). Confetti cannons, costumes, video screens, balloons from the sky, puppets, singer/guitarist Wayne Coyne (QRO interview) surfing the crowd in a giant plastic bubble – The Lips have it all (QRO photos), and expect them to take it even higher (QRO photos at a festival). Oh, and they’ve got some great music, too, from early nineties hit “She Don’t Use Jelly” to seminal The Soft Bulletin (QRO photos from top-to-bottom performance, at a festival), as well as 2006’s Grammy Award-winning At War With the Mystics (even put out a movie, Christmas On Mars – QRO review), and 2009’s Embryonic (QRO review) to the last year’s The Terror (QRO review). Plus they (QRO spotlight on) played The Colbert Report’s ‘Pepsi Presents StePhest ColbChella ‘012 Rocktaugustfest’ (QRO photos)!
Chromeo, 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM There are combos and then there are combos: Montreal’s Chromeo (QRO live review) are the electro-funk duo of Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) has been best friends since childhood (QRO live review), billing themselves as, “The only successful Arab/Jewish collaboration since the beginning of time” (but what is their stance on Québécois independence?…). And their electronica works outdoors (QRO photos outdoors), day or night (QRO live review), even at a festival (QRO photos at a festival). They come to Buku Project just before the release of their new White Women (QRO preview show live review).
ScHoolboy Q, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM  Hip-hop artist Quincy Matthew Hanley – a.k.a. ScHoolboy Q (QRO photos at a festival) – followed up 2011’s acclaimed Setbacks with 2012’s Habits & Contradictions and last month’s Oxymoron.
Thundercat, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM Known for his psychedelic excursions, Thundercat recently worked with the likes of Flying Lotus (QRO live review) on his newest album, Until the Quiet Comes. He has been compared to the likes of Jaco Pastorius for his precise and experimental basslines. Also: Big History, 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Float Den The Glitch Mob, 12:30 AM – 1:45 AM Electronic outfit The Glitch Mob aren’t just button-pushers, but integrate their laptops & MIDIs into their live show, making them suitable for the club or the festival. They come to Buku Project behind this year’s charting Love Death Immortality (QRO review).
Tyler, the Creator, 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM The Buku Project flirts with awesomeness and danger by booking the infamous Tyler, the Creator. In addition to fronting the ultra-chaotic Odd Future (QRO live review) collective, he’s released two solo studio albums of his own, 2012’s Goblin (QRO review) and last year’s Wolf (QRO review). Oh, and he’s currently on bail after being charged with inciting a riot at South-by-Southwest last week & being arrested at the airport…
Young & Sick, 10:00 PM – 10:30 PM California art collective Young & Sick (QRO photos at a festival) have done everything from album art (for Foster the People’s Torches – QRO review – Maroon 5’s Overexposed, and even Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines) to recently creating the largest mural on the West Coast. Oh, and they did the branding & art for Buku Project last year. They also made headlines with their music, after turning down six-figure contracts to release single “Continuum” online.
Baauer b2b RL Grime, 8:15 PM – 9:30 PM While Henry ‘Bauer’ Rodriguez (QRO photos at a festival) has been producing bass & electro music for years now, he only recently got big-time notice with his meme-spawning “Harlem Shake”. So expect the “Shake” at Buku when he goes b2b with RL Grime (though QRO would prefer to return of the gone-too-soon Harlem Shakes – QRO spotlight on…).
Also: GRiZ, 6:45 PM – 7:45 PM – QRO photos Clockwork, 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM DJ Snake, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Blue Sky Black Death, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Ballroom Danny Brown, 12:45 AM – 2:00 AM Detroit rapper Danny Brown (QRO photos at a festival) earned serious critical acclaim in 2011 with XXX, SPIN’s hip-hop album of the year (QRO photos at SPIN party) – and last year he came out with Old.
Beats Antique, 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM World fusion electronica act Beats Antique (QRO photos) not only fuses styles of music, but also styles of dance, including that of the belly (QRO photos at a festival).
Explosions In the Sky, 9:00 PM – 10:15 PM There might not be a more important or beloved post-rock band that Explosions In the Sky (QRO photos at a festival). The Austin band (QRO photos at an Austin festival) basically introduced the epic, vocal-less concept that is ‘post-rock’ (QRO photos outdoors) into both the indie-sphere (QRO photos at a festival) and the wider world (QRO photos at a European festival) – and providing the theme song to Friday Night Lights – (QRO soundtrack review). They even made the Top Twenty on the Billboard charts with 2011’s Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (QRO review).
Phantogram, 7:15 PM – 8:35 PM Saratoga Springs’ dancetronica act Phantogram (QRO photos at a festival) got notice less for their debut full-length Eyelid Movies (QRO review) than their enchanting live show (QRO photos at a festival) – but will it work outdoors (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) in the sunlight (QRO photos in the sunlight at a festival)? They come to Buku behind their new Voices (QRO review).
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM One of the many Brooklyn neo-garage acts to break out, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (QRO live review) hewed more towards the brighter, twee side of things on their self-titled debut LP (QRO review), but veered into neo-John Hughes territory with last year’s great Belong (QRO review). A band (QRO photos) that deserved to break out of the Brooklyn garage (QRO photos outside of NYC), live & outdoors (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), they really kick it up a notch (QRO live review outdoors). They come to Buku behind next month’s Days of Abandon.
Dan Deacon, 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM One of the many acts bringing the wild, DIY element to Music Fest NW is Dan Deacon (QRO photos). The Baltimore native (QRO photos outdoors) is a man of many talents, including throwing his own DIY festivals & tours, like 2009’s ‘Round Robin’ tour (QRO live review) with No Age (QRO live review) & Deerhunter (QRO live review). But he’s still best known as an electronic musician, most recently with last year’s America (QRO review) and 2009’s Bromst (QRO review), which get wild live (QRO live review), whether with his fifteen-piece backing band (QRO live review) or Deacon standing & playing from in the crowd (QRO photos, outdoors at a festival), like at festivals (QRO photos at a festival).
Generationals, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM This indie duo made up of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer (QRO photos at a festival) comes right from New Orleans. These multi-instrumentalist duos songwriting combines the vibe of classic pop with a contemporary twist. The Generationals (QRO photos) use analog equipment and tape machines to record their albums to keep that ‘60s sound. At the same time the duo uses everything from synth lines and spare handclaps and drum loops on certain songs to keep it modern (QRO photos at a festival). Also: Bent Denim, 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Back Alley Skream, 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM Soul Clap, 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM Cashmere Cat, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Unicorn Fuks, 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM Shanook, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Javier Drada, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Mr. Miserable, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Free Will B, 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
VIP S.S. Blu-Ku Ana Sia, 11:30 PM – 1:00 AM DJ Digital, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM The Gaslamp Killer & Friends, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Quickie Mart, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

For festival website, go here: http://thebukuproject.com/