Article By: Gracie Roberts ; Photos By: Mason Trinca

4 p.m. marked the beginning of the last day of SnowGlobe Music Festival. With doors to the festival opening two hours later than the past two days, fans were anxious to get their daily fill of bass-filled beats. There was still no substantial amount of snow to be seen around the city of South Lake Tahoe, but nevertheless, the weather was beautiful. Clear skies and frosty air kindly welcomed in the last day of 2011.

As the opening artist in the Sierra Tent, Robotic Pirate Monkey fulfilled their duty of pumping up the audience for coming sonic assault. Heavy beats and mind-bending wobbles radiated from the tent, attracting wandering concert goers throughout the venue. RPM has been referred to as the ‘holy trinity’ of electronic music, made up of three musical engineers that hail from Boulder, CO. Andrew Hathaway, Matt Berryhill, and Matt Flesher are the artists behind Robotic Pirate Monkey, and since the spring of 2010, these three have used their collective talent to produce quality dubstep material inside of the increasingly competitive EDM sphere. RPM’s latest release, Colors in Disguise, dropped early last month and is available for free download on the group’s website. At SnowGlobe, the trio captivated the audience throughout their hour-long set. As a parting gift, RPM invited the crowd to join them for their late-night performance after the festival’s end. Performing together with Paper Diamond, RPM put on another stunning performance at the Horizon Casino that lasted into the wee hours of the morning.

Doug Appling, better known as Emancipator, began his set on the SnowGlobe stage at 6 p.m. This young artist is a Pacific Northwest native, hailing from the musical hub of Portland. Appling released his first album, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, in 2006, at the tender age of nineteen. Nearly six years and two albums later, Emancipator has gained widespread appreciation for his sound that, in a literal sense, emancipates the listener in every implication of the word. What began as a downtempo, chilled-out performance grew into a spirited dance party by the end of Appling’s set. Performing with a live violinist onstage, audience members were moved by the musical brilliance of the two undeniably skilled artists. Emancipator’s inspirational performance proved to be an audience favorite, winning over both the ears and hearts of many who were hearing him for the first time.

Back in the Sierra Tent was Two Fresh, who took the stage after a powerful performance by Australia’s up-and-coming electronic innovator, Plastic Plates. Two Fresh is twin brothers Sherwyn and Kendrick Nicholls with live drummer Colby Buckler. The Nicholls brothers have been musically active since their freshman year of high school, adding Buckler as a drummer in 2008. Working together, the trio can always manage to keep their audiences moving with their hybrid sound that pulls from hip-hop and jazz genres. Two Fresh released their first EP, Baker’s Dozen, in October 2009 on 1320 Records. Fast forward to 2011, and Two Fresh has made appearances at a slew of notable festivals, including SXSW, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Wakarusa. Two Fresh has become known for their constant touring, and it is their continuous performances that keep their popularity rising at a rapid rate. Air Mail, the group’s most recent album, is now available for purchase on 1320 Records.

9:15 p.m. marked the beginning of the end of the festival. SnowGlobe’s last two headliners, Thievery Corporation and The Glitch Mob, were preparing to blast the audience with the last two shows to be experienced in year 2011. EDM and downtempo veterans Thievery Corporation were the first to perform. The D.C.-based collection of artists have been active since 1995, persistently releasing well-received albums during the lengthy seventeen years of their career. Eric Hilton and Rob Garza are the two original masterminds behind the Thievery crew, banding together via their mutual love of club life and music from across the globe. Now, Thievery Corporation has evolved into a true family, consisting of a large congregation of members that come together for an absolutely unforgettable live performance. In addition to the full-time members, Thievery features guests including LouLou, rapper Mr. Lif among others. The group hand-selected the very best of their repertoire for SnowGlobe, enchanting the audience with tracks including “Lebanese Blonde,” “Take My Soul,” “Vampires,” “Overstand,” and several other tracks from their latest album, Culture of Fear. The group is also recognized for their promotion of their political views, supporting the World Food Programme and other human rights organizations. Continuing with their efforts toward political reform, Thievery Corporation and Mr. Lif recently came together to produce “United Tribes,” a new single inspired by the Occupy Movement. SnowGlobe marked the first live performance of the track, and the members of Thievery Corporation were thrilled to finally hear the Occupy anthem in its full glory.

After a stunning two-hour set, The Glitch Mob began to construct their elaborate stage arrangement. The L.A. trifecta were appropriately given the honor of bringing in the new year, as The Glitch Mob is an obvious leader in the glitch hop arena. Ed Ma, Justin Boreta, and Josh Mayer each took their place onstage, each giving a dramatic performance on their respective instruments. The trio released their most recent EP, We Can Make the World Stop, in July of 2011. After this successful year, The Glitch Mob were overjoyed to be chosen as the artists to welcome in 2012. After a long-awaited countdown, a mass amount of confetti blasted from onstage into the audience, covering the crowd and most of Bijou Park. However, 12 a.m. of January 1 did not mark the end of The Glitch Mob’s performance. For the last portion of their set, the group’s signature ribbon dancer dazzled audience members while performing suspended from the stage’s rafters. As a sought-after, household name in the EDM scene, The Glitch Mob served to give a grand ending to the monumental three days that were SnowGlobe Music Festival.

It is difficult to believe that 2011 marked only the first year of this esteemed festival in the winter oasis of South Lake Tahoe. Because of its extreme success in both the fans and artists who attended, contributors remain optimistic that this year’s SnowGlobe Music Festival will be the first of many more to come.