*There is so much for me to describe from the weekend that was Rendezvous, I have elected to do it in two parts. The first will mainly focus on performers and action in the amphitheater while the second will serve a more personal account of my time amongst the campground, vendors, community, and artistry. Trust me, you’re going to love it! Start your engines, this Bear’s about to purr.
Over the weekend of May 3-5, amidst the gorgeous grounds of Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL, gathered a community to bear witness to a celebration of Tipper and his Friends. In the past, this commemoration has been known simply as Tipper and Friends. However, this latest installment is dubbed, Rendezvous. Why? Earlier this year, an announcement was delivered by Tipper to his faithful fandom that in 2025, he will be stepping away from performing and touring after nearly twenty-five years across the globe. Sad, but also beautiful. Throughout his career, Dave has shared much. Music, experiences, memories, enlightenment. Thankfully, his contributions will never cease to be. The community Tipper has cultured and the lessons he has taught reverberate throughout us wherever we go. Thus, almost like a passing of the torch, T+F is now become, Rendezvous, a destination for Tipper enthusiasts and the like to share gifts, talents, and vibrations. A blessing, like many from him, that will continue to live far into the future.
One of the things I always try to share is my love for language, and not just my own. Words are beautiful. When I first heard the announcement of Rendezvous, I thought to myself, that’s français! Rendezvous (the S is silent like in Illinois), is an expression of French origin from the 16th century. Present yourself! In the year 2024, rendezvous’ explication is a synonym for engagement, and also defines as a prearranged destination for assembly or meeting at a specific time and place. That’s why we’ve come to Florida. This is a jubilee of community, inspiring the continued building of our best selves. Rendezvous, oui? Joli s’il vous plaît. Merci beaucoup, mon ami.
From the moment I arrived, I felt like I was walking into something special. Limited to ticket sales of 7500 attendees, this felt more like a gathering of community than a music festival. Like-minded individuals, assemble! Let’s compare notes. Glitch and trip-hop bingo. Who’s got DnB? Score! Engagements like these are rare and oftentimes yield lessons to earnest listeners. It kind of feels like a conference, but instead of scheduled speakers, we’ve got scheduled performers.
I’ve always felt that artists and musicians express thoughts and ideas through mediums of sound. Whether we realize it or not, there’s a conversation happening between audience and presenter. Add in optical elements like lasers, lights, LED screens, visualizers, and wavelengths of information are steadily communicated between receptive parties. There were many times I felt like an awestruck student receiving insightful pontifications in the form of unique sound design from spirited professors. Particularly, a portion during Allen Mock and Herbalistek’s sonic exhortation left me bewildered. Like deep sea divers, they delved the fathomless depths of soundscapes previously undiscovered. It was incredible to listen to, and merely the tip of an audial iceberg from across the weekend.
One of my favorite aspects of this convocation is how central everything seemed relative to the experience. A single stage hosted all the weekend’s entertainment. There would be no scheduling conflicts between artists. If one wanted to, one could witness the entire lineup. The walkway around the amphitheater was lined with vendors, so regardless of where you found yourself during the performances (besides campsites outside the arena), you were always in earshot of the music. I love the thought that patrons, attendees, staff, and vendors were all able to enjoy some of the best music I’ve ever heard regardless of whether they had duties to attend to, or not. Security and safety personnel included. Beginning with Mithra at 4:20pm on Friday, and ending with Ikuma at 11:15pm on Sunday, thirty-nine artists shared their breathtaking renditions and sequences of audial verve. That’s not including those who made appearances throughout the weekend on renegade setups, of which, there were several.
Amazing music enveloped my senses all weekend long. There wasn’t a distasteful synthesis in the bunch. However, there were those that stood apart from the rest in my mind, and only because I harbor certain preferences (I do love me some drum and bass). Friday, Madcap‘s twilight DnB set had me juiced to the gills, followed by a presentation from Dancesafe + Harmonia concerning harm reduction within our scene. Chemistry is cool, whether you like it or not. Our community is better and stronger the more we know, and the more we’re willing to talk about matters that might otherwise cause embarrassment. Tester kits are important, so is mental health. Remove stigmas by talking to one another about both. Know what goes inside our bodies and how it affects our minds. Research and results.
After an honest conversation about health and wellness, a remembrance reel played for those who are no longer with us. Somber and poignant. It caused many to pause, myself included, and contribute thoughts to loved ones passed on. Be thankful for the life you have. It can be gone too soon, and without warning. Herbalistek and Allen Mock followed with an impressive symphony returning us to the moment. Straight from Japan, yo! This served as Allen Mock’s United States debut. Schmoop was stuck in Texas due to flooding, so he and Cool Customer switched places. Apparently, they both were Will-ing. Everyone liked that. Mickman absolutely balled out with a wildly entertaining set before Detox Unit closed out Friday’s main slate of artists leading into afterhours. I caught some of Foxtail‘s ambient serenade, it was delightful, before I made my way to watch fire performers spin adjacent the porch stage.
Saturday, stormy weather briefly disrupted scheduled entertainment. This is an occurrence common to Suwannee, and despite the interruption, it was a beautiful reprieve for myself to enjoy. I don’t mean to be selfish, it’s just that I’m a pluviophile, and I delight in rain and stormy weather. It invigorates and rejuvenates. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, although Pheel was adversely affected and rescheduled for the following day. Once action resumed near 4:20pm, Ooga followed by Crawdad Sniper conducted themselves excellently before Random Movement, a Floridian performer, delivered another tremendous twilight DnB set after dinner break. Then, Cumulus Frisbee, Smigonaut, Schmoop, Resonant Language, and Jade Cicada absolutely demonstrated a plethora of originality for all to enjoy. Afterward, I found myself totally exhausted. Somehow, I couldn’t sleep the night before, and I excused myself to bed rather promptly after Jade Cicada’s performance.
On Psydub Sunday, my group settled a spot midway towards the left-side of the stage early on. Pheel‘s cancelled performance from the day before was rescheduled to 11:30am, followed by Living Light, Kukan Dub Lagan, and Land Switcher. Mantismash had me in an exceptional mood before Quanta encouraged my creative writing to come forth as I caught a flow. Allow me to share with you this undoctored excerpt: “The archer draws back her arrow, and with cause and poise, executes a stealthy maneuver. Torrents of wind explodes from impact. Harbinger, he’s here. A messenger piloted through Tipper’s space. They lock eyes and realize they’ve got the secret sauce to save galaxies from sticky situations. Guess what? They decide to work together. Call signs? Artemis and Dio. Bacchanal.” Afterwards, Eurythmy engaged the audience with graceful diligence leading up to the daytime’s final performance. The time had come to get Tipped.
One of the things that fascinates and excites me about Tipper across the ten years I’ve witnessed his performing, is no two sets have been the same. Ever. Each time is a brand-new presentation. As well, if you’re trying to ID songs, you might be hard-pressed as unreleased variances and versions from his catalog emerge. For this performance, I believe he began with ‘Permatemp’ and ‘Cloaked’ VIP’s. Further along, we were treated to ‘Daved and Confused’, ‘Kites Can’t Even’, ‘Preparations for Departure’, ‘Fire the Lazers’, ‘Sonar’, ‘Guilty Feet’, and ‘Machine Gun’, to name a few of the wide swath of songs he played. As he skillfully mixed uptempo and downtempo, the crowd reflectfully moved and grooved their bodies. Souls swinging back and forth like metronomes.
Alongside a visual presentation from VJ Tenorless, it was a scintillating production that touched the hearts and minds of many and all bearing witness to Tipper’s beautifully constructed beats. Plus, a surprise lay in wait. Scenes collected from throughout the years of Tipper and Friends, augmented with a variety of visual effects, captivated the audience in the final moments as Dave’s set drew to a close. Many became emotional. Tipper has been an important part of many of our lives. Once finished, always a man of few words, Dave gave a gentle wave to the crowd, and we applauded his efforts greatly as he quietly departed the stage.
Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t give some love to the excellent team of visual artists who represented their talents on screen and throughout the weekend. While DJs receive the lion share of credit for what occurs on stage, let us not forget about the talented visionaries who weave imagery alongside music to draw forth incredible moments of perspective. Amongst the visual sets I witnessed were a myriad of extraordinary displays. I’ve already mentioned Tipper’s special Sunday guest VJ, Tenorless. Aside from him, a talented cadre of newbies and veterans alike combined capabilities to spectacular effect. I will list them here, in no particular order: Mezmer, Tyme Visions, Data_Byte, The Void, Arkitekt, Birdsigh, 3na, Fractaled Visions, Chris Shields, Papa Bear, Stef.fx, Glass Crane, Johnathan Singer, and late night ambient presentations thanks to Datagrama Visuals (nice socks). As well, I’d like to take a moment and thank the hard-working personnel and production teams that contributed efforts making sure all systems were seamlessly installed and integrated. We might not know your names, but without you, festivities of this quality and scale could not be achieved.
All-in-all, the performances witnessed this weekend on stage left myself, and nearly all in attendance, with feelings of wonderment. The creativity artists generate and display is indicative of personal processes and routines cultivated over years of discipline. Commitment to a cause and objective. When a person crafts music and renders art to share with others, they bear the depths of their souls for all to see. These are boons that none should take for granted. Artists and producers from across the country and the world set their sight on Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park to beguile spectators with beautiful melodies, powerful rhythms, and scintillating spectacles to the delight the senses of many. This is the essence of community, and very much what Tipper and Friends have delighted in depicting for crowds of excited festival goers since the inaugural event in 2016. Though the name has evolved to Rendezvous, the aims and obligations of those invested remain unaltered. In much the same way that Tipper loves his community, we ferry his standard of excellence forth. As we depart to return to our homes and lives, the blessings bestowed carry on through us. Au revoir!
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
