Camp Bisco 2013 Preview

Since purchasing the old Philadelphia studio space of DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Disco Biscuits have risen to become kings of the festival circuit with their unique mix of sounds, from jam to electronica, as one of the leading fusion acts out there. But they’ve also been a leader in throwing festivals with their annual Camp Bisco in Upstate New York. Held since 1999, Camp Bisco does some great fusion on its own, bringing together jam bands, EDM artists, indie, and more. So head upstate Thursday to Saturday, July 11th to 13th:

THURSDAY, JULY 11th

Main Stage 1 Disco Biscuits, 9:30 PM – 10:45 PM Umphrey’s McGee, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM The ‘progressive improvisation’ of Umphrey’s McGee (QRO photos at a festival) combines the live ways of such hippie legends as Phish and The Dead, with often-changing set lists, heavy live jam sessions, fanatic fans recording. Their more progressive-inspired music makes them a festival mainstay (QRO photos at a festival).

Rubblebucket, 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM Brooklyn indie-dance outfit Rubblebucket (QRO live review) fit into any line-up, from ultra-hipster to jam (QRO photos at a festival). Known for electric live shows (QRO live review), like just last weekend at another festival (QRO photos), the group comes to Camp Bisco for a second year in a row (QRO photos from Camp Bisco ’12) behind 2010’s Omega La La (QRO review). Also: Digital Tape Machine, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM

Main Stage 2 STS9, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM The acclaimed instrumental act combines numerous influences, including funk, jazz, psychedelic, and hip-hop. But they’re best known for their live concerts (QRO photos), which stretch to over two hours, and feature improvisational collaborative work not known in the jam-band community. Their festival performances, however, go even bigger.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM With last year’s Wing$, Seattle’s Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (QRO photos at a festival) take on the holy grail of hip-hop, Air Jordan sneakers, making them ultra-revolutionaries in rap – and now they’re hitting the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival). Has anyone else ever rapped about thrift shops?… Also: Cherub, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Twiddle, 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM

B.I.G. Tent OWSLA vs. Boys Noize takes over all of the B.I.G. Tent on Day One of Camp Bisco. Boys Noize Germany, the home of electro-house, has another son in Alexander Ridha, a.k.a. Boys Noize, who co-takes over the all of the B.I.G. Tent in ‘OWSLA vs. Boys Noize’.

Dillon Francis American electronic artist Dillon Francis has worked with big name DJs like Calvin Harris (QRO album review) and Diplo (QRO photos).

Also: UZ, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM Alvin Risk, 8:30 PM – 9:45 PM Flux Pavilion, 7:15 PM – 8:30 PM Seven Lions, 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM Koan Sound, 4:45 PM – 6:00 PM Nick Thayer, 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM Destructo, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival Strip Steve, 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM

Label Tent Squarepusher Tom Jenkinson, a.k.a. Squarepusher, draws on lots of different sources for his compositions – and both live instruments & digital signal processing live.

Com Truise Princeton’s ghostly-synth Seth Haley is Com Truise (QRO photos), who came out in 2011 with Galactic Melt (QRO review).

Manic Focus, 9:15 PM – 10:30 PM John ‘JmaC’ McCarten has gone from being trained in classical at an early age to ultra-modern EDM beats today.

Flosstradamus, 8:00 PM – 9:15 PM Chicago-based DJs J2K and Autobot are Flosstradamus (QRO photos), and while they’re best known for touring with such similar techtronica acts as Chromeo (QRO live review), they’ve also shared the stage with indie groups like Matt & Kim (QRO spotlight) on more than one occasion (QRO photos, again on the bill with Matt & Kim).

Also: RL Grime, 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM KJ Sawka, 5:45 PM – 6:45 PM Cosby Sweater, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM Manhattan Project, 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM

FRIDAY, JULY 12th

Main Stage 1 Disco Biscuits, 10:45 PM – 12:30 AM Animal Collective, 8:15 PM – 9:30 PM Amongst the main highly praised experimental acts at Camp Bisco, none is more highly praised or as experimental as Animal Collective (QRO photos at a festival). 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion (QRO review) got the kind of praise that makes one sick of a band (though it was certainly an improvement on their prior release, Strawberry Jam), though last year’s Centipede Hz was called a bit of a repeat by some (QRO review). By this time, the electronics-and-more collective is commonplace, but this Baltimore outfit still rule the roost (QRO live review). Like a lot of electronica, however, they do struggle live outdoors (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), but should do better at night (QRO photos at a festival in the evening).

Toro Y Moi, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM One of the ‘big names’ in ‘chillwave’, Chazwick Bundick – a.k.a. Toro y Moi (QRO photos) – had one of the new genre’s touchstone records in 2011 in Causers of This (QRO review), but has since moved to a more rock-oriented sound, especially live (QRO photos). He comes to Camp Bisco (QRO photos) behind his new record, Anything In Return.

The Werks, 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM Dayton, Ohio’s The Werks last year became the most-searched band on jambase.com, beating out Phish.

Main Stage 2 Bassnectar, 9:30 PM – 10:45 PM A festival mainstay (including Camp Bisco last year – QRO photos), Lorin Ashton (a.k.a. Bassnectar – QRO photos) brings the lights live (QRO photos at a festival) – as well as the hair… (QRO photos at a festival)

Wolfgang Gartner, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Los Angeles’s Wolfgang Gartner comes to Camp Bisco.

El-P, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM Brooklyn’s Jaime Meline, a.k.a. El-P (QRO photos), has been an important factor in the alternative hip-hop scene, bringing together the two otherwise divergent scenes. So he’s a perfect fit to bring the rhymes to Camp Bisco, behind his last year’s Cancer For Cure (QRO live review of release party).

Killer Mike, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM Michael Render made his debut as Killer Mike (QRO photos at a festival) on “Snappin’ and Trappin’ from OutKast’s Stankonia back in 2000, but has been making his own name (QRO photos) – even owns a barbershop…

Also: Vacationer, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM – QRO live review Grimace Federation, 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM

B.I.G. Tent Lotus Indiana’s Lotus moved from self-described “jamtronica” into a more electronic & instrumental style – but are still a jam band festival mainstay (QRO photos at a festival).

Excision Presents: Destroid EDM artists are starting their own supergroups, like Destroid, which contains Excision, Downlink, and former Pendulum drummer KJ Sawka.

Baauer, 10:45 PM – 11:45 PM While Henry ‘Bauer’ Rodriguez 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 Sasquatch! (though QRO would prefer to return of the gone-too-soon Harlem Shakes – QRO spotlight on…).

Paper Diamond, 8:15 PM – 9:30 PM Colorado-based producer Alex B has begun exploring his creating & performing side as Paper Diamond.

Also: Eskmo, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Ryan Hemsworth, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Clockwork, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Popeska, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Samo Sound Boy, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Indaba Remix Winner, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Label Tent Aeroplane Belgian musical outfit Aeroplane combines French house music and a Balearic beat, something nice to bring to Camp Bisco.

Gigamesh Matthew Thomas Masurka is best known for his multi-platinum production work on such tracks as Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me”, but hits the Label Tent as his alter ego, Gigamesh.

Designer Drugs, 10:45 PM – 12:00 AM New York duo Michael Vincent Patrick and Theodore Paul Nelson have toured the world (and even earned a doctorate) since releasing their 2011 debut, Hardcore/Softcore.

Chris Malinchak, 8:15 PM – 9:30 PM Chris Malinchak just recently burst onto the scene with his debut single, “So Good To Me”.

Moon Boots, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM Perseus, 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM Label French Express comes to the Label Tent in Moon Boots & Perseus.

Dan Deacon, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM One of the acts bringing the wild, DIY element to Camp Bisco 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). Also: Govinda, 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM

SATURDAY, JULY 13th

Main Stage 1 Disco Biscuits, 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM Disco Biscuits, 8:30 PM – 9:45 PM Disco Biscuits close out their Camp Bisco with multiple sets on the Main Stage (QRO photos of Disco Biscuits from Camp Bisco ’12).

Danny Brown, 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM Detroit rapper Danny Brown earned serious critical acclaim in 2011 with XXX, SPIN’s hip-hop album of the year – and last summer he came out with Old. Disco Biscuits, 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM

Free Energy, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM The seventies-rock inspired (and looking – QRO photos) Free Energy (QRO photos at a festival) somehow found themselves on James Murphy’s electro-dance label DFA (LCD Soundsystem, The Juan MacLean, YACHT) for debut Stuck On Nothing (QRO review), which has only earned them (QRO photos) more attention (QRO photos at a festival) as they try to bring back the cowbell (QRO photos outdoors). They come to Camp Bisco behind this year’s follow-up, Love Sign (QRO review).

Main Stage 2 Passion Pit, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM Blowing up very fast was Cambridge, Mass’ Passion Pit (QRO photos). Single “Sleepyhead” (QRO video) found its way to MTV nominations, while debut Manners (QRO review) found its way onto the charts – and expectations are seriously high for last year’s follow-up, Gossamer (QRO photos at a recent festival), and single “Take a Walk” (QRO review). Catch the big-name indietronica stars (QRO photos outdoors) as they return to the road (QRO photos at a festival), ‘cause they’ve moved up to the big-time (QRO photos) like Madison Square Garden (QRO live review), and aren’t playing small places – or even medium-sized (QRO photos) anymore (QRO live review).

Zeds Dead, 7:15 PM – 8:30 PM Canadian duo DC & Hooks make up the genre-defying Zeds Dead, who come to Camp Bisco for a second year in a row (QRO photos at Camp Bisco ’12).

Also: Break Science, 4:15 PM – 6:15 PM Zoogma, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – QRO photos at a festival Indobox, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

B.I.G. Tent Madeon Big house synths, and disco dance grooves with a pop friendly structure is what Madeon uses to describe his music. Only eighteen-years-old (QRO photos at a festival), this precocious youngster has already played at Coachella, SXSW and many other festivals. Check out his dubstep song, “Finale,” as well as his pop mash-up, “Pop Culture”. Not too shabby for starting off in his garage, right?

Tommy Trash Tommy Trash is one of Australia’s most promising EDM artists.

Dirtyphonics, 11:00 PM – 12:15 AM Gramatik, 9:45 PM – 11:00 PM Crizzly, 8:30 PM – 9:45 PM – QRO photos at a festival Congorock, 7:15 PM – 8:30 PM Heroes & Villains, 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM Hero Bust, 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM New music site This Song Is Sick takes over most of the B.I.G. Tent on the final day of Camp Bisco

LTJ Bukem, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM The atmospheric side of drum & bass comes to Camp Bisco thanks to DJ Danny Williamson, a.k.a. LTJ Bukem. Also: Audrey Napoleon, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Wick-It the Instigator, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM Party Supplies, 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM

Label Tent Boombox From the center of Southern Rock in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is Boombox (which includes Zion Godchaux, son of Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux).

VHS or Beta Hailing originally from Louisville (though now they live in Brooklyn, of course…), VHS or Beta (QRO spotlight on) combine the sounds of the future, from Appalachia to Francophone, like something out of an early William Gibson cyberpunk novel. After the disco debut Night On Fire and it’s title track (QRO video), and the impressive alt-tronic Bring On the Comets (QRO review) and it’s title track (QRO video), the band did take something of a step backward with 2011’s Diamonds and Death (QRO review), as well as reducing themselves to the core of singer/guitar Craig Pfunder and bassist Mark Palgy (QRO interview). Moving to Brooklyn can do that to you, but the band has persevered (QRO live review).

Also: Project 46, 10:30 PM – 11:45 PM Grandtheft, 9:15 PM – 10:30 PM M\|O\|D Crew, 8:00 PM – 9:15 PM Auto Body, 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM Nadis Warriors, 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM Gravity A, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM