There could be no better security, and gate, traffic and parking
management than the Unites States Marine Corps. While some folks had
issues with their sternness (”Come on, let me slide a few
bucks.”…”No.”), everyone appreciated their unwavering commitment to
the organizers, literally their brothers in arms. (BTW, most of those
guys are being re-deployed to Iraq soon, so let’s all send them our
wishes for a safe tour and a quick return home.) When the sheriffs
came, each time the Marines were there to greet them and manage their
concerns with more credibility and reassurance than most any other
organizer could ever hope to offer. They all understood the
conditions of Saturday night’s trance party and supported everyone
having a great time and Going for it!

That big stage! Professionally designed and very well decorated.
Super trippy (mostly at night) with the rich colors and captivating
centerpiece. (Organizers brought down an artist from the Pacific
Northwest.) Speaking of captivating, hoorah for the best visual
artist in Bay Area: Dr. Paradise. (He used to do all the Goa Gil
parties back in the day–a local party legend.) Holy shit, I’ve never
seen such fine detail and mind-blowing graphics. The deco framing the
sides of the dance floor was very cool. To back up the huge dance
floor, there was a Burning Man art bus way at the back (in front of
the pool) that was lit up like a huge reel-to-reel tape player, with
the wheels turning. Great way to frame the back of the dance floor
and provide low-level light to the whole area. (Check it out at the
Love Fest this Saturday.)

Pascal’s sound system delivers the bass! Deep deeps and high highs,
all crisp and clear. Super clean sound.

The Dreamtime Circus fire show was lots of fun. They bring such a
youthful/playful energy to fire spinning, with wild costumes and
goofy antics. (It’s great to see you guys back in the States. Good
luck with your next venture!)

We arrived Saturday afternoon, so missed most of the rock bands. But,
Luckily, we did see the Eric McFadden Trio. Ultra-tight, groovy rock.
It was my first exposure to an electric upright bass: a wild
instrument, and the guy played it beautifully–even when using a bow
for ethereal sounds. … And it was pretty cool to have real rockers
mixing so well with psytrancers. An unusual combination that worked
well.

Oh yeah, the trance. Oh but first, the electro. Penta played what I
thought was a fun and dancey electro set on Saturday afternoon. I
don’t know the genre well, but I really enjoyed the music. It was a
great introduction to electro, but I suspect that I am more likely to
enjoy Penta Electro than Common Electro. (Yes, it was his own music.)

As I said, I heard that everyone played killer sets. Alas, I couldn’t
catch them all. After dinner, we ran down to catch Parus. It was one
of their better sets, I think. I’ve heard big improvements in their
music over the past few years, i.e. I like it more and more. Keep it
coming! … DJ Olowanpi. Damn, he launched us into another dimension!
Seriously, out-standing set, my favorite of his so far.
Mind-psychedelic. (Like psychedelic trance is supposed to
do!) … Penta. Oh my god, what the hell have the Azores done to his
brain?! (”Mall obsessed, with a taste of flesh”!?) To my ear, the
latest album is more psychedelic and more driving than recent work
(not to diminish recent work). The whole live set had this newer
flavor, even when mixing in some bits of old Penta favorites (”There
once was a house…” Yeah, I was at that house. Spooky.) Truly
Phenomenal. Out of this world. I haven’t danced that hard, so deeply
connected to the music, in many years (says the harder-to-please,
older crony). … Fractal Cowboys. As expected, they brought the
goods, again. These guys understand the need for enough of the
“psychedelic” element, and they delivered it amidst rollicking
trance. It’s been too long since I’ve see them play, and am stoked to
have heard such a killer live set. I’m just sorry that I didn’t have
the Marine strength to keep dancing the whole time. … I wish I had
caught Greenman (another BrYan) and the rest of the lineup, but I had
to go back to camp and fall apart. … Well into the afternoon, the
dance floor was still grooving. The DJ was playing some very nice,
light and spacious trance, appropriate for the daytime. This party
had proper flow: warm-up to night-time to morning to afternoon.

The good word for future of our community is that the Red Marines
Festival will happen again next year, and there’s every indication
that it’ll happen for as long as these guys have the strength to keep
it going…which likely is a very long time.

Marik and Valik (Parus) and all those who helped, THANK YOU for one
of the best parties I’ve ever attended. Your hard work showed in
every element of your creation, and everyone truly appreciated all
your attention to detail and desire to bring the very best. See you
next year! …and Saturday at Love Fest.

- bryan

Let us know what you think!

Koder.

The Red Marines Festival venue has a restricted capacity, and once reached we will not be able to get you inside! Tickets are going fast. Please don’t wait to the last minute!

Click here