Bassnectar Taps Into the Id, and Porter Robinson Draws on Digital Nostalgia
Saturday at dusk, Bassnectar took the Power Plant stage at Buku to new levels with his signature bass experience.
[Updated] Saturday at dusk, Bassnectar took the Power Plant stage at Buku to new levels with his signature bass experience. The phrase, “face melting,” is an apt description. From the crowd’s reaction to the music, it seemed the area of the mind Sigmund Freud called the id was activated, while the ego and superego's control faded. As the rib-shaking bass washed over the audience, it drowned out their thoughts and inhibitions and led to pure euphoria.
In contrast, Porter Robinson closed the festival in the Float Den with a cryptic, emotional set that required a degree of concentration and invited introspection. Robinson drew on digital nostalgia through eight-bit sounds, and Zelda-esque anime videos that played on massive screens behind him. People moshed and raged with their friends at Bassnectar, but in the Float Den there were far more linked arms and raised hands as people jumped and sang together. Porter Robinson’s set was an ideal finish to Buku because it embodied the festival’s ability to bring people together and create lasting memories.
Updated 10:23 p.m.
The text has been updated for greater readability.
