Article By: Gracie Roberts ; Photos By: Mason Trinca

After the seemingly endless party that was the first day of SnowGlobe Music Festival, fans stumbled back to Bijou Park for their second dose of NYE madness. Although the forecast called for rain, attendees were delighted to see delicate flakes of snow swirling through the chilly air. This beautiful, wintery effect cast a spell on the throngs of fans flowing in through the gates, heightening the drama and magic of the day’s unfolding events.

A new name on electronic music front kicked off performances on day two in The Igloo. Afrolicious is a self-proclaimed Afro-Tropi-Electro-Funk-Disco-House group that began as a weekly dance party hosted by DJs and brothers Pleasuremaker a.k.a. Joe McGuire and Señor Oz at the Elbo Room in San Francisco. Joe McGuire created Afrolicious as his foray into African music. Working with musicians from all over Africa and the diaspora, this new project explores his deep admiration and respect for the rhythms, sounds and musicians of Africa. During a gig in San Francisco, McGuire passed a demo to Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation, who was instantly hooked and soon decided to help produce the project. Afrolicious’ first EP, entitled A Dub for Mali, was released this summer on ESL music. The EP, which was generously passed out at the group’s SnowGlobe performance, is comprised of four tracks teeming with high-caliber soundscapes and irresistible dance rhythms. It features a remix of Thievery Corporation’s “Vampires,” re-worked by Afrolicious and Rob Garza.

Over in the Sierra Tent, fans witnessed Tipper give one of his fabled performances. David Tipper, the seminal glitch hop innovator, has been an influential name in his scene since the late 90’s. The Brit has a catalog as diverse as it is groundbreaking. Tipper is most well-known for his hands-on approach to DJ’ing, creating an element of live performance which has led him to success in his musical career. Tipper gave the SnowGlobe audience a type of musical sampler, including tracks from 2008’s Wobble Factor and his two 2011 EPs, Snake Eyes/Chrome Splat and Bubble Control. Near the end of Tipper’s set, the Sierra Tent was jammed with fans trying to get a glimpse of this famed and respected grandfather of glitch hop.

The stage was then set for Datsik, an increasingly sought-after player in the dubstep world. Datsik is the stage name of Troy Beetles, a young producer hailing from B.C. Following his 2009 debut, Datsik has gained speedy success in less than three years. His most recent release, Firepower EP, was released on Rottun Recordings in 2011. In addition to original material, Beetles surprised the crowd with remixes of Bassnectar and Avicii’s “Levels.” The crowd received the new remixes well, coming close to forming another mosh pit in what was now a cramped space inside the tent. As a producer in his early twenties, Datsik is just getting started.

Heyoka had an entirely different vibe emanating from The Igloo during the final strains of Datsik’s set. Andrei Olenev, refers to himself as a ‘cosmic auditory scientist.’ His first EP, Space Case, was released on Muti Music in 2008, followed by albums Whomp Gland & Pineal Dub, Gate Code and Marklar. Olenev has evolved and adapted over the years, but has come to develop a distinctive sound. With early influences in downtempo, dub, and midtempo dancefloor genres, Olenev has generated his own sound that combines heavy basslines, hip-hop rhythms, and dub vibes with musicality and skill. In The Igloo, audience members stared in awe as four female dancers grooved along to Heyoka’s inspiring reverberations onstage. His dub-inspired glitch hop fit in perfectly with the overall glitch theme that SnowGlobe had to offer.

A-Trak was given the penultimate spot on the middle day’s roster. Fans remained in the Sierra Tent after Madeon’s fun-filled performance, awaiting the arrival of the adored Alain Macklovitch. A-Trak quickly set up onstage and didn’t hesitate to dive right into his set packed with volume and pounding bass. The Montreal-born, New York-based producer laid into his hits, including “Big Bad Wolf” and “Say Whoa.” A-Trak never failed to promote Fool’s Gold Records, the label he founded along with Nick Catchdubs in 2007. With his last full-length album released in 2010, A-Trak’s fans would be overjoyed with a new 2012 release. Macklovitch did a spectacular job of getting the crowd in the right mood for Bassnectar, who was setting up on the main SnowGlobe stage.

Lorin Ashton gave a kind greeting to the SnowGlobe audience, letting them know that it was his mission to heat them up in the sub-freezing temperatures. In addition to his iconic flowing hair, Ashton sported a puffy snow jacket to warm him up onstage. Beginning his set with “Wildstyle Method” from his Wildstyle EP, the crowd was instantly on board with what Bassnectar had to offer. Ashton played well-known tracks including “Cozza Frenzy,” “Fun with Synthesizers,” “Timestretch,” and “Hot Right Now,” a veritable slew of Basshead favorites. Ashton closed up his booming performance with his remix of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights,” a track that never fails to lure in nearly all types of EDM fans. Standing in the audience, it was almost impossible to grasp the vast amount of people crammed into the soccer field where the SnowGlobe stage was located. It wasn’t until Bassnectar ended his set (a bit later than scheduled) that fans slowly began to evacuate the venue. Lorin Ashton stayed true to his reputation as a performer, inspiring both those who were new to his music and fans that have remained loyal since day one of his musical career.