Read Love Letters to Shambhala Music Festival from REZZ, What So Not, and More

Shambhala Music Festival has a curious magic to it. You rarely meet people who’ve only attended the legendary music festival once. Shambhala leaves an unshakeable impression on guests, encompassing not only attendees but artists as well.

Shambhala has welcomed world-class musicians, launched prospects to stardom, and even sparked the genesis of artists who've performed there. The Farm, as it’s affectionately called, holds countless memories. Its roots run deeper than Fractal Forest’s towering tree. Those trees can’t speak to us, but fortunately, the artists can.

Below you will find love stories shared with EDM.com from six renowned artists who, like many readers, have been irreversibly touched by Shambhala.

REZZ'S TRANSFORMATIVE 2016 PERFORMANCE

The festival is extra special to me for several reasons. Firstly, Shambhala is iconic, in general, from the stage designs to the atmosphere of the whole event. It’s always been a festival I’ve heard of and wanted to play. In 2016, my performance turned many heads. It was a catapult, one of the reasons my career gained major traction. The festival is special to me, and I’m excited to be back! 

– REZZ

THE FUNK HUNTERS WERE BORN AT SHAMBHALA

Shambhala will always feel like home for us. People are always shocked when we explain how long we've been going to the festival. I started going in my late teens, long before I'd ever even bought turntables or collected vinyl. At that time, festivals and raves were still very much underground; it was all word of mouth. A few years later, I brought Duncan [Smith] up for his first time. We both couldn't believe a place like Shambhala existed. And really, the rest is history. We eventually bought turntables, mixers, and started collecting a ton of vinyl. The Funk Hunters were born–a friend gave us our name while we were at the festival!

We started DJing around British Columbia. Each summer, we'd make the trip back up to the Kootenays to be at Shambhala. It was our can't-miss trip of the summer. Fun fact, I went on to work for the festival for many years as event staff before we got booked at the festival. You can imagine how exciting it was to finally get to make our festival debut. I think we played Fractal Forest and the Rock Pit on the same weekend in 2010. That was our first year; it was a dream come true. I've been attending the festival for well over 20+ years now, and we've played the festival for about 15 years straight!

The fact that the festival has remained truly independent since day one is an incredible testament to the brand, culture and community Shambhala has built. The founders and stage directors should be really proud of the impact and legacy they've had on the entire electronic music community worldwide. We are lucky to travel to a lot of amazing places to play music. The conversation in every corner of the globe with fans and DJs always comes back to Shambhala.

"One day I wanna come see you guys play at Shambhala!" or "Shambhala is my bucket list trip, I'm coming to Canada next year to experience it!" people tell us. How cool is that!? Everyone knows about it and it's still going strong 25 years in! 

– Nick Middleton, The Funk Hunters

WHAT SO NOT DID NOT EXPECT THAT

A long mountain drive, a stilt walking elephant man, and naked people in the cold valley creek welcomed me.

Coming from Australia, it was nothing like I'd seen–or would see again, apart from Burning Man. My first visit was also my first year in North America. I'll never forget it. I remember there was drone footage of the set that leaked a bunch of the then-unreleased Gemini EP! 

One of its main perks is that it's in Canada, meaning you don't need a U.S. visa, which takes so much money, time and effort that most artists can't perform until one-and-a-half years after they start blowing up. The bookers have great taste, so you have this melting pot of all the cool and weird music blowing up in Europe, Australasia and North America. I can't wait to be back! 

– What So Not

BIG GIGANTIC'S INCLUSION

Shambhala is one of those festival experiences that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Just an epic all around festival with amazing scenery, great people running the event and crowds who are 100% invested in the experience. At the same they’ve been able to make the festival feel grass roots throughout the many years we've played it. Just an awesome experience all around!

– Big Gigantic

STICKYBUDS REPS FRACTAL FOREST FOR LIFE

It's hard to put into a few short paragraphs what Shambhala means to me. It's where I developed as an artist and where I met a lot of my friends. I attended for a few years before I was invited to play there in 2005. I came early for a few years before the fest started, where I re-painted the great Chewbacca and built some ponds with JPOD. I've played every year since 2005, minus the COVID years. From 2007 to 2009, JPOD and I performed three-hour, two-by-four sets as the Stickypod Connection, and we started releasing our sets. 

In 2010, I started performing by myself again. After releasing my 2011 set, my career took off. Shambs was my year-end celebration, where I poured my heart and soul into my set–making custom songs, dubplates and crafting the best multi-genre journeys I could. I’m approaching 20 years of playing at Shambhala, 18 currently, and I’ve attended for about 23 years. I will always be grateful for the opportunities that Rich-E-Rich, the Fractal and Shambhala brought me, but I also made it happen; I gave it everything I had. 

I know that the collective DJs who have frequented the Fractal Forest over the last few decades have influenced music culture worldwide. It's a special group, and I'm very proud to be a part of it. Fractal Forest for life.

– Stickybuds

FATHER FUNK FOUND HIMSELF AND SO MUCH MORE

Well, where do I begin? It’s hard to understate how much Shambhala means to me. I quite literally wouldn’t be here right now without it. I first heard of Shambhala around 2012, when a friend played me Stickybuds’ 2011 Fractal Forest mix. At the time, I was a few years into learning how to DJ and produce, and I was predominantly focused on Drum & Bass, although my taste in music was always very eclectic. Stickybuds’ set spoke to me on a level that no other electronic music ever had. It combined all the music I loved: funk, soul, reggae, hip hop, dubstep, and drum & bass. It was a fusion of genres I had never experienced before. It sent me down a path of discovering countless amazing artists who performed at the Fractal Forest, such as Featurecast, A.Skillz, Slynk, The Funk Hunters, and many more. Before long, I was making music inspired by these artists under the name Father Funk, and everything started to click. 

In those days, playing a Shambhala set was literally my wildest dream. An unfathomable reality. Fast forward to 2016, and I played my first one as a fresh-faced 22-year-old. I’ve had countless unforgettable experiences at Shambhala since. This year will be my seventh year performing and my ninth attending. Nothing compares to the magic of the farm. You can imagine how much it means to me to play at Shambhala. It changed the trajectory of my life. Not only did it inspire me to start Father Funk, but I now live in Canada, living off my music my entire adult life. Who knows what my life would look like if it weren’t for how Shambhala and the Fractal Forest inspired me all those years ago. 

Thank you, Shambhala, for saving my life, for giving me purpose, a career, and for introducing me to my family and, most importantly, my home. 

– Father Funk

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