Vokab Kompany

A sound whose genre goes something like; hip-hop, soul, electro, funk. You have two Emcees who charge sped-up lyrical flows; made to sound effortless. Rob & Burkey have realized an impressive and seamless synergy with their voices and their lyrics are playfully vivacious and positive. Set those lyrics atop the 5 piece band, layered with creative electro beats and it makes for a very fun and a dance-worthy music experience.

River Rouge

Toeing the line between classic and cutting edge, River Rouge is gritty folk music, blue collar sand, and swampy bluegrass. Detroit MI born singer songwriter Andre Comeau with Dallas TX natives Jon Mesh and Randy Morris, and Canadian Sabrina Taylor represent the Los Angeles CA based acoustic quartet.

LoCura

Spain. Cuba. Jamaica. California. This extraordinary group of musicians mixes grooves and melodies from Flamenco, Reggae, Cuban Son, and North American Folk. To the stage they bring the mysterious and passionate world of Flamenco, combined with the driving, full sound of a salsa band. LoCura creates an original blend of irresistible, high energy music that bridges cultures and transcends borders. Mesmerizing flamenco footwork and solid bass lines, fiery guitar and hard-hitting percussion support rich vocals with soaring harmonies, creating a vibrant collage of sound and movement. Emotionally charged music that ignites a pulsating dance party, provides food for the soul and uplifts the spirit…a sound track to feeling alive!

Elevaters

California genre-bending band Elevaters is the new hope for people craving unconventional hip-hop. The racially diverse group pushes their musical experiment to new heights without sacrificing a populist appeal. Their sound is as original as it is intoxicating. Sam Golzari, Miles Gregley, and Ben Hall front the band with fresh verses, uplifting melodies, musicianship and a healthy dash of humor. Andre Morton, David Noily and Itai Shapira, drums, guitar, and bass respectively, explore the avenues where funk, rock, pop, and hip-hop intersect. The music’s lyrics confront our world’s challenges discovering the hope and positivity in all of us.

Helios Jive

Helios Jive is an alluring cocktail of melodic sounds stirred with a jazzy electronic soundtrack emotionally tailored to the masses. Helios Jive was created by composers Rich Alick and Paul Newman and has risen up from the Los Angeles artist underground. The two are now joined by the sultry Latin vocal stylings of Fernanda Karolys. Their unique live performances boast a visual array of acoustic and electronic instruments with a hypnotizing beat that brings people to their feet. Synced interactive video, live mural painted stage backdrop (by Carlos Vera), and theatrical performers press the envelope of improvisation and mixed artistic mediums. Their inspirational vision is currently capturing the attention of audiences at venues all around the World including the Coachella festival, Burning Man festival, and Electric Picnic festival, Ireland. Their life experiences are fused by the invention of refreshing thematic music that supports a new generation of worldwide unity.

Danyavaad

Danyavaad plays live original Middle Eastern flavored music featuring the electric sitar and tribal drum beats. Danyavaad creates an atmosphere of Middle Eastern lounge mixed with Indian vibes and rock. Danyavaad means ‘thank you’ in Hindi.

The Shimmy Sisters embellish aspects of creativity and art in their inspiring bellydance performances. Their diverse show may include snakes, swords, candles, fire fingers, isis wings, glow hula hoops, and traditional bellydance props such as veils and zils. They are unique, classy, and genuinely talented dancers that will undoubtedly mesmerize you!

Wolfie

Wolfie is one of the most recognized djs in Los Angeles. He plays festivals such as Coachella Music Festival, Optimus Alive (portugal), All Points West Festival (New York), Burning Man Festival(30,000 people), Santa Monica Halloween (400,000 people), Sunset Junction Fair (150,000 people), Electric Daisy Carnival (15,000 people), and many 1000 person desert parties. Depending on the event, he spins funky house, breaks, and progressive. It is his passion to find new tunes, new venues and new artists to share with the community.

Solovox

Solovox is the sound of Portland, Oregon music producer Carl Tietze. As a live electronic performer he has made an indelible stamp on the present and future sound of the Northwest. Combining years of keyboard skills with a mastery of the synthesizer, he has changed the boundary between ‘DJ’ and ‘Live Musician.’ To see him live is a unique and sweat-inducing experience wherein he juggles beats, lays down live melodies on three keyboards, improvises with his original material and remixes other producers. His sound spans breaks, house, funk, and what can only be described as ‘electro-stank.’

He has performed and recorded with dozens of acts including The Mutaytor, DJ Icey, March Fourth Marching Band, KJ Sawka, and Thievery Corporation. A perrenial headliner in the Northwest as well as a 10 year veteran of The Burning Man Festival, he is excited to bring his sound to a new set of ears for the Elysium Festival.

Braden

Braden is a dynamic force behind the decks thanks to an abundant and varied 15 years of experience spanning the country and the globe. He has played his unique brand of house, breaks, and dubstep from the moonlit beaches of Thailand to the tragically hip of New York City, rocking dance floors, festivals and rooftops alongside the likes of Tipper, Jason Bentley, King Britt, Freqnasty and Marques Wyatt.

Pod

Arpad Kaali aka Pod has been in the underground LA electronic scene since the early 90’s. He partnered with Oscure and helped establish the Los Angeles Breakbeat Association (LABA) by promoting a weekly in Hollywood called Bloom. He also worked with FAMILY and Dub Soldiers of Funk (DSOF) throwing many 1-Off’s. After taking a break from the scene for a few years, Pod’s passion for underground music and culture re-surfaced at Burning Man. After his second year of being a citizen of BRC he jumped aboard s silver pirate ship called the Space Wench and before long his camp “Big Evil Island” and the ‘Space Wench” created ‘Space Island’. Pod found a niche playing downtempo with an emphasis on the Middle Eastern sounding tribal beats. It has progressed to a Psychadelic Fusion of Dub, Mid-tempo breaks, and exotic tribal rhythms weaving sacred prayers and chants perfect for bringing in the new day at dawn.

Tree Chant

We welcome and invite you all to a powerful and energetic interactive performance where we all can set our intention for the weekend. Friday night at 8PM follow the sound of the Gong to the steel tree and join the circle with your community and Tree Chant crew. This will be an interactive experience, the auditory creation of your united voices and bodies, a journey of healing and rejuvenation blasting everyone into an incredible weekend. Yona and the performers of Unifier will be joined by Chanters and Sound Weavers (Renfey & Amae); all guiding us into a chorus of Sonic Vibrations. We will begin our performance sitting on the ground, please bring blankets (not chairs) if that will be more comfortable for you and some water.

Stilt Circus

Rising to the occasion, Stilt Circus brings you a creative new aspect of entertainment from up high. Performing a variety of theatrical shows with characters of all shapes and sizes while demonstrating their own style of stilt dance with a variety of stilt acrobatics, aerial, stilt contortion, fire dancing and much more. All shows are original with extraordinarily colorful custom designed costumes that add a touch of flair to their performance. Come join the fun and witness this exciting HIGH-risk entertainment at its best.

Yona

In the spirit of Alchemist’s Symphony (download it off Yona’s Myspace) you can expect a morning of Midtempo, Dubstep, Breakcore, Glitch and Triphop dotted with some live vocals and instruments. Bring your Mimosa’s and Breakies and come chill Sunday morning up correct.

Devon d*LISH

Devon d*LISH is that fiery freestyle dancer that you’ll see tearing up the dance floor! After years of sharing her free flowing vibe she was asked if she would like to become apart of a fire project that would be taking place at Burning Man 2003. No questions asked she was in. Soon after, she and 2 other amazing women formed a fire troupe called Womanipura. They traveled up and down the West Coast putting on choreographed fire shows for various events and simply just keeping it fun and fierce. Now years later she is still rockin it! Incorporating her freestyle dance with a whole lotta fire. She works with the fire company Womanipura based out of Seattle, WA and is currently a member of Machina Candeo representing Los Angeles. Devon’s skills include poi, fans, fingers, clubs, sword, pyrosol, staff, fire eating, fire breathing, choreography, costuming and stilt walking

Matias Mahia

Born in Argentina, Matias is a reiki practicioner and an avid artist who incorporates movement, uv paint, and music into his live performances. He believes that “Art is not something that you can make, it is a reality that you experience, the way we express our inner world and however it manifests in the physical. Our very nature is art itself.”

Oscure

Oscure has been one of the integral pioneers of the Los Angeles Underground Dance music scene, djing, producing and remixing music. His turntable skills and track selections destroy dancefloors, leaving fans hungry for more of “L.A.’s Breakbeat Titan.”

DJ SBY

DJ SBY has been spinning electronic music since 1999, with his roots in the underground club & rave scene. Having traveled & DJ’d in various parts of the world such as Asia, Europe, and North America, DJ SBY’s musical influences are global and vast. Some samples of his resume include having rocked the decks at the legendary Full Moon Party in Thailand to famous Keyna Bar & café mambo in Ibiza to wild parties at Burning Man. He is currently DJ’ing and producing music for the dynamic entertainment & performance group; Zen Arts, spinning a mixture of house, progressive, breakbeats, dub and downtempo.

Stuart Scanlon

For the last decade Stuart Scanlon has created animation, motion graphics and visual effects for Disney theme parks. In recent years he has fused those talents and his formal music training to create synesthetic video expressions.

His desire to return to his live performance roots and his love of the underground dance music scene has inspired his process of designing fixed visual compositions which he deconstructs and reassembles in real-time.

Zirk Ubu

Part circus and part mystery cult, Zirk Ubu brings together a visionary amalgam of performance genres. Welcome to our world of irrepressible bedlam, where performance art, circus skills, masking, puppetry, and story-telling continually recombine to offer unexpected delights. Immerse yourself in this glimmer-realm of unconstrained joy!

Drive By Jones

Drive By Jones was formed in the center of the sun in early 2008. We have spent the subsequent days since our inception crafting new ways to move you with an eclectic mix of all original funk, reggae, blues, rock, gypsy and straight-up pirate. It’’s dirty yet soulful, sultry but sweet – just the way we like it. We think you will too….

Hoop Unit

Hoop Unit is a unification of belly dance, hoop, fire and burlesque into one fused form of expression and entertainment. This troupe is the first of its kind, constantly pushing the boundaries of performance art. The Hoop Unit tells stories, presents themes and concepts or simply entertains its audiences with outside-the-box dance fusion.

Brion

Brion is a man on a mission and a natural-born escape artist from the boxes of society. Brion’’s music is a true reflection of his efforts to bend creative boundaries, if not break the damn limits apart altogether. Life has been a fantastic journey from which Brion draws his eclectic, emotional and genuinely dirty basslines. Hanging from a trapeze in front of thousands at Burning Man, Brion quite possibly envisioned he would find his way as professional photographer, stuntman, and skydiver to one day be playing music in front of even more expansive and diverse audiences. His extensive knowledge of music and ability to translate that awareness to his remixes is just as chameleon-like as his life experiences, producing mixes that take you to other planets, other galaxies, and deep within the confines of your own skin.

DJ Lush

Forged from the ashes of dead rabbits, DJ Lush plays a furious eclectic style of dub, breaks, electro, and house. You will dance. You will hop. You will scream! DJ Lush has played in various events festivals including the Lake Balboa Music Festival, NTFWMC, Burning Man (Soulicious), and No Place Like Home. Get your socks knocked off, and don”t forget to bring some carrots to feed the bunny.

Unifier Random Acts of Vaudeville

Watch out for some UniF@ker mischief- Katya and T~Rex style on Saturday night around 11:30pm near the free spin area. (Be ready for some fire, comedy, and techy surprises), followed by some funky stunts from Circus Mafia and flowing into a free-for-all fire jam. So, if you know how to spin it–come on out, EVERYONE is welcome!

Mixin’ Fire, Laughter, Skillz, Funk, and Mischief since Elysium ‘05.

We are ready to play!

Patricio

The energy level always rises when Patricio steps behind the tables. Whether in a small intimate club or a in big festival Patricio is guaranteed to whip a crowd into frenzy.

A consummate performer he has been a member of The Los Angeles Break beat Association since 1996, and has become one of the most prominent break beat DJ’s in the Los Angeles underground music scene.

JQ

JQ (a.k.a. Jonny Quest) has been a professional DJ for fifteen years and has spent the last nine years refining his music production skills. Originally from Boston, this self-taught DJ bought his first set of turntables in 1994 and has played many different types of events since then – everything from smaller, more intimate underground desert parties in the Mojave and Anza-Borrego deserts to playing in front of thousands at massive events like Street Scene. He has rocked some of the biggest clubs in San Diego like 4th and B, Spin(formerly Montage), Cane’s, and Belo (formerly E-Street Alley). JQ has been a regular on the So-Cal rave/club circuit for over a decade and has been playing Burner events for the last five years, beginning with the LA Decompression in 2005.

Cervantes

From Southern California and the Bramble Republic comes a new talent in creative electronic music composition and sound desighn. Cervantes’ musical creations fuse the gap between all genres and styles of electronic music today. Expect to hear psycadelic twists on Dubstep, Techno and Breaks that will have you flowing thru a whirl wind of phonic possibility.

Bass Mechanic

As a San Diego favorite for over 12 years, Brian Porterfield aka BASSMECHANIC has been playing his brand of Breaks and Electro that’s become recognized throughout Southern California. After attending the burn in 2006, he came back to San Diego with a humbled heart and a new fire for djing. Now with 3 burns, 2 SoCal decoms and 2 trips to Fools Paradise under his belt he sets his sights on Elysium. So lets burn down the place and turn up your BASS!

Satan Dance Party

Satan Dance Party is a group of young musicians who are tired of the same tunes, getting together to make beautiful new melodies to dance to. Most all our music is written outside in the dead of the night, and that definitely influences it some. Satan Dance Party sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard: a traffic accident between a large pirate ship playing madrigals and waltzes and a small pickup truck playing music from the old country, and a Semi playing G.G. Allen, and a kid on a bike listening to Folk music, and your mother.

If you’ve heard that, then you know.

The Gardener

Inspired by desert gatherings, Chris Gardener started playing records in 1996 and has always considered himself an outdoor DJ. He has played all over the Southern California desert, and has been receiving lots of love from the community. Co-founder of the Bramble Republic, a movement in the San Diego area underground. With a signature blend of chunky techno, groovy tech house & deep minimal tunes, The Gardener has been know to take dancers on a ‘Bass Safari’.

Zak J

Zak J. has been a part of the underground electronic music scene now for over a decade. Between DJing, producing and promoting, he has been moving dance floors all over the world with his unique sounds and energy. As a San Diego resident, he can be heard all over the west coast, the Winter Music Conference in Miami and on several radio shows worldwide. Growing up as a jazz and rock & roll musician, he quickly transitioned to dance music after attending his first rave in his hometown of Seattle. Since then, he has developed a style all his own incorporating everything from techno to electronica and has had his productions released on massive record labels including Baroque and Infrasonic Recordings.

Murrugun The Mystic

As a child, Scott Nelson was always fascinated with magic and mysticism. Growing up with a family background in metaphysics, it was no surprise after seeing Todd Brownings Freaks, he was inspired with a passion that would follow him throughout his life. After seeing Gene Simmons of KISS blow fire, twelve year old Scott decided he could do blow fire just as well, and the spark started. But it wasn’t until early 2000 that he realized he could do his act for a living. After years of doing bar tricks, he got a call to do one of the eighty-three shows of Las Vegas and began his career as a side show artist.

Now known as Murrugun the Mystic, Scott has toured with Bros Grim Sideshow on the Vans Warped Tour, hit up the east coast with Freak Show Deluxe, touring places like the world famous Coney Island Sideshow, James Taylor’s Palace of Wonders, and he also worked the 2007 Halloween season at Paramount’s Carrowinds Amusement Park (the east coast equivalent to Knott’s Berry Farm, only much larger),And recently Performing for the Stone Temple Pilots Reunion Party at the Famous Houdini Mansion.

Charlotte Jasmine

Through honest, heartfelt lyrics and a voice as sweet as honey, Charlotte Jasmine’s thoughtful melodies are invariably enchanting.

Charlotte fell in love with singing as a child and has been expressing herself vocally ever since. She began writing her own music and lyrics at a time when she realized that her connection with the world was uniquely metaphorical and melodic. At that time, she was not able to express her progressive thoughts through conversational words alone. Only when she began putting her words to music was she able to truly and openly share the thoughts in her songful mind.

Charlotte’s Elysium Performance will be enhanced by the beautiful vocal harmonies of Eve (aka ‘Evolution’) and the delicate guitar accompaniment of Jeremy Jensen.

Orkestra Moustachio

Crazed cross dressing fantasmagorical creations that have lit up clubs and concert halls across this great state sometimes called California. Where they come from really, no one knows. Their origins change at the whim of a word or the wisp of vision perhaps dreamt by their ringmaster, Wolfgang von Cope in the midst of one his fevered reveries. But whatever their origin, Orkestra Moustachio has come for you, in human form, to hypnotize your dancing feet with hot Balkan beats, and to sizzle your bones with the bleeding soul of live flute, accordion, violin, beat box and voice. So leave your logic and your reason behind, and join these mischievous surrealists on what is nothing other than an adventure in the midst of what is already a dream.

Al Kal & Nica Brooke

For the past three years, Al Kal and Nica Brooke have formed two thirds of the Rithma Roadshow (Om Records), and have played at festivals such as Lightning in a Bottle in Santa Barbara, CA, and Soundwave, in British Columbia. For Elysium, they bring together their own original compositions, and mix it up with improvised downtempoish live PA.

Alexander John Archibald Kalejs’ (aka Al Kal) first electronic music project was in 1988, when he sequenced a Bach fugue on an analog synthesizer and played it back backwards at twice the intended speed. His middle school music teacher was not amused. He joined a cover band for a summer in high school, but the “Flying Toasters” broke up when the cops came and found a keg in the basement. After that, he started a fusion band called “Tube”, recording and producing their three live/studio hybrid albums very slowly over a ten year period. He then attempted to legitimize his music career by completing a degree in acoustics, and since then has split his time between sound system design, music production, and live PA performance. He has recently played along side DJ Braden as the duo “Dagaz”, played keyboards for Rithma (Om Records), and worked as a musical/technical director for Samantha James (Om Records).

Nica Brooke was thrown into the electronic world fresh off the Sunset strip where she had been performing in R&B and rock bands for 8 years. With her debut on an OM Records’ release (Rithma’s “Music Fiction”), she soon felt right at home and began working with producers around the world. She’s had two #1 singles in Europe with the Ryralio DJs and is now working with a Grammy Award winning producer (Don Mizell) for her next solo album release, “Under My Skin”.

VJ Custom

Merge Multi-Media’s “Custom Clark”, aka Tim Clark, as his name suggest is an innovator of unique visual collage. He integrates his prolific video diaries (videography) with visual tapestries (vj mixes) and takes customization even further to material application. Custom, applies stunning visual content with his own manufacture modular Video Sculptors. His artist has been seen at Rothberry, Joshua Tree Music Fest, Xenii, Lighting in a Bottle, Burning Man and many more internationally acclaimed events. Custom will be joined by his partner VJ Gage to dazzle Elysium 2009.

Sarah Cranberry

Sarah Cranberry’s performing philosophy embodies collaborating with many musicians and artists in making their vision a reality. Sarah has played the violin since the age of 8 years old. Sarah graduated with a Bachelor’s of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder, because switching from violin to viola the Senior Year of High school seemed like the next logical choice in her musical path. During her musical studies, Sarah came across Middle Eastern music, which has given her a musical ear which involves not only the scales she’s playing in, but also the audience and the dancers creating the experience called “Tarab.” Sarah’s violin is best experienced live, when she gets a chance to “stretch her wings” and improvise within songs.

Sarah has lived in San Diego for 3 years now, and in that time has been involved with many performance groups of many different styles and permutations; including but not limited to Urban Tribal Dance Company, Talisman Dance Company, Midnight Debke, Circus Mafia, the Sahara Unit, Danyavaad and the Shimmy Sisters, Charlotte and the Sofa Loafers, and the alternative rock band Street of Little Girls. Sarah is currently collaborating and producing the first ever Cirque Boheme, a collection of various theatrical acts inspired by Vaudvillian Theatre.

“To have the opportunity to perform at Elysium is an honor; my first exposure to many of my friends I have today was at the first Elysium 4 years ago. Performing solo on the acoustic stage will be really exciting for me because I’ll be able to improvise to the crowd. I’ll make a set list, but I may throw it in the river once I get there.”