Kevin Bronson on May 31st, 2014

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Review by Joe Giuliano
Photos by Zimo Huang

Lighting in a Bottle returned this year boasting a new, far larger location at the Lake San Antonio Recreation Area near Bradley, Calif., a little more than an hour north of San Luis Obispo. The festival, having surpassed a weekend crowd of nearly 16,000 people, was held May 22-26.

Staged by Los Angeles indie-electro-fest-faves The DoLab, the annual festival offered a melding of electronic music, installation art, performance art, and self-improvement activities such as yoga, workshops and motivational gatherings. Included, of course, was festival favorite the Lucent Dossier Experience, [top photo], but plenty of top-drawer musical talents such as Phantogram, Moby, Kraak & Smaak and Little Dragon did not disappoint.

While the sheer size of the grounds – and the quantity of ravines that needed to be traversed – frustrated campers, the lineup and typical LIB offerings made up for the frustration. With stairs thankfully installed by forward-thinking DoLa employees and new sunrise sets situated at the Drift Stage deep within one of the ravines, the treks were almost forgivable.

After the jump, some of the highlights from the weekend (and more photos):

Who: Tara Brooks at the Woogie Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Daytime birthday bliss
Memorable Because: Brooks came out with an already dedicated following, memories of a month ago at Desert Hearts driving the crowd through her midday set. Celebrating her birthday, the L.A. native soaked the crowd with deep and tech house while the mandatory Woogie hose-man wet down the already overheating frenzy. There was not a better, or wetter, way to start our first day in the desert.

Who: Break Science at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Pretty Lights label-mate
Memorable Because: It was either Break Science or El Papachango, and we were pleased with our choice. The sun half-setting, Brooklyn-based Break Science gave us a taste of the sound characteristic of the Pretty Lights label. The hip-hop/electro fusion, intensified by the live instrumentation, galvanized the crowd who, at this point, needed to decide whether to take a nap or re-dose. At LIB, sundown rarely means naptime, and Break Science certainly carried the funky torch into dusk.

Who: Polish Ambassador at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: What’s he wearing?
Memorable Because: At first glance, the uninitiated may laugh off his yellow, blue, and white jumpsuit questionably preserved from the ’80s, but the Polish Ambassador quickly turns you around. Sleek transitions through electro remixes of classic hip-hop and smooth R&B instantly forgive his ridiculous outfit. The way he can make Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” fit into a festival that at the same time gives talks on “Shamanic Yoga” and “Thriving in a Radioactive World” would make anyone sport an ’80s jumpsuit.

Who: Lucent Dossier Experience at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Never miss this!
Memorable Because: Los Angeles-based avant-garde performance troupe Lucent Dossier is no stranger to Lightning in a Bottle, having performed there nearly ever year since its creation. They kicked off their first headlining national tour “Light of the World” at LIB, and if this first show was any indication of where they’re heading, I can only imagine how this tour will mesmerize the rest of the country. With Cirque du Soleil-esque acrobatics, burlesque fashion, captivating vocals of performer and creator Dream Rockwell, and a bass-heavy soundtrack, Lucent Dossier is literally a mascot for Lightning in a Bottle.

Who: Moby at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Vegan Energizer Bunny
Memorable Because: I remember when I saw Moby for the first time, nearly 20 years ago in high school, and literally nothing has changed. And I mean that in a good way. The man still possesses the same insane energy that has driven him through decades of electronic music. Everyone in sight, myself included, woke up out of a dust, heat, and booze coma to come to life with a pop legend normally frowned upon at a festival like LIB. And this was only a DJ set! Those that have witnessed his live sets can testify to his musicality, but even at the decks, he was a force to be reckoned with. By the end of his performance, I don’t think there was a soul asleep campground-wide.

Who: Kraak & Smaak at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Funk Isn’t Dead
Memorable Because: One of my most cherished moments of the weekend was when I was convinced to go check out Dutch trio Kraak & Smaak. I knew they had just performed at Joshua Tree, which I sadly missed, but that was the extent of my familiarity with them. One performance later and I can’t wait to see them again. I’m exhausted just thinking about the funk they dropped on Lightning in a Bottle. It’s moments like those, saturated with real live music performed before your eyes that make you appreciate the (often ignored) diversity of this festival.

Who: Little Dragon at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Only for Superfans
Memorable Because: While the production proved disappointing (poor sound quality and little to no lights), true Little Dragon fans could rest having seen this beautiful chanteuse grace the stage. I, for one, was happy with my eyes closed, enjoying the momentary pause from the nonstop chaos. Pro tip for next year: Learn something from the production team behind your homies in the Gorillaz.

Who: Behrouz at the Woogie Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Born for Woogie
Memorable Because: For a die-hard Woogie stage fan like myself, nothing was more highly anticipated than the 2- and 3-hour back-to-back sets of Burning Man regulars Behrouz and Lee Burridge. It was nearly impossible to catch a break on Sunday, and Behrouz situated neatly right in the middle of the day was half the reason. Thankfully, his more than two decades of experience with deep house, combined with the Woogie sprinkler system kept the third day alive.

Who: Lee Burridge at the Woogie Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Not Long Enough
Memorable Because: It goes a long way when people tell you that your 3-hour set wasn’t long enough, and that was definitely the case with Lee Burridge. The British house veteran picked up the baton from Behrouz and kept the Woogie relay running deep into Sunday evening. With only a slight hour break in between to check out up-and-comer Slow Magic, we couldn’t get enough of Lee Burridge. So much so that his 4-hour Burning Man set from last year became the long play theme song of our entire camp. Lee, if you’re reading, come back to the greater L.A. area soon.

Who: Slow Magic at the Bamboo Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Neon tribal mask
Memorable Because: My most anticipated and proselytized performance at LIB, the neon enigma that is Slow Magic is surely haunting the hearts of numerous new fans after his daytime performance. I literally had to drag my friends from the hyped Woogie stage to check out this unknown fixture. Is the wooden tribal mask, complete with panels of neon most of the hype? Maybe. But his seemingly blind drumming in sync with the beats equally mesmerize. I’d venture to say that he’ll be a main stage attraction on next year’s festival circuit.

Who: Phantogram at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: More indie goodness
Memorable Because: You have to love a festival that can maintain a semi-underground status and yet beef up the bill with buzz bands like Little Dragon and Phantogram. They may have been the hype of 2014, but LIB didn’t seem to give a damn. Everyone was dancing right along with them. Part of the beauty of this festival is that someone as cutesy as Phantogram can play directly before the raw animalism of Beats Antique and no one thinks twice.

Who: Beats Antique at the Lightning Stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Belly dancing bazaar
Memorable Beacause: If Lucent Dossier is the mascot of Lightning in a Bottle, than Beats Antique is its spirit animal. Led by the belly dancing maven Zoe Jakes, Beats Antique ends on the last day what Lucent Dossier started on the first. A mélange of cirque, spectacle, passion, and the bizarre take the crowd on a journey that is more hallucination than reality. Even thinking back to a couple days ago, I’m not quite sure what I witnessed.