Loci Records – Showbams

Lightning in a Bottle’s 2020 roster has Kaytranada, Sylvan Esso, GRiZ & Purity Ring leading the pack

Lightning in a Bottle //
Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area – Bakersfield, CA
May 20th-25th, 2020 //

Lightning in a Bottle is back on schedule.

After a longer-than-expected wait last year to release its 2019 lineup due to new dates and a new location in Kern County, the “transformational festival” has already unleashed its 2020 roster with Kaytranada, Sylvan Esso, GRiZ and Purity Ring topping the bill.

Other noteworthy acts on the initial lineup for the fest’s 17th installment include James Blake (DJ set), Four Tet, Amon Tobin (presents Two Fingers), Nina Kraviz, Big Wild, DJ Shadow, Bob Moses (club set), Jon Hopkins, Emancipator, Noisia, Stephan Bodzin, Doja Cat, Justin Martin, Keys N Krates (DJ set), Empress of, DROELOE and more.

UPDATE (February 13th): The Do LaB has announced the lineups for The Stacks and CTRL-Z stages at LIB 2020 that includes sets from Joe Kay, Justin Martin, Kraddy and more. Check out the posters above for both stages.

UPDATE (February 20th): The lineups for the Grand Artique and Compass stages have now also been announced with performances by Fantastic Negrito, Whiskerman and more slated at Buena Vista Lake. See the posters above for both stages.

LIB, which has been praised over the years as one of the nation’s premier boutique festivals, will also return to its traditional Memorial Day weekend slot when it takes over Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area for a second straight year this May. But for many West Coast music fans, it has become an excellent hangover cure shortly after Coachella’s both weekends end.

Four- and five-day passes to LIB, as well as the brand-new Patron Experience ticket, can be purchased here for $349, $419 and $999, respectively, with payment plans available. And as always, promoting the ideals of sustainability, social cohesion, personal health and creative expression through art, yoga, workshops and speakers will remain a defining portion of The Do LaB’s signature event.

We'll catch Lightning in a Bottle together again, soon ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/ETlYcdADLr

— Lightning in a Bottle (@LIBfestival) March 13, 2020

UPDATE (March 13th): Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Lightning in a Bottle will not take place May 20-25 at Buena Vista Lake, with no official word on rescheduled dates or refunds yet. LIB joins Coachella as another California music festival that has either postponed or canceled this week, shortly after South by Southwest and Ultra Music Festival pulled the plug on their own events. With the coronavirus rocking a lot of the world right now and in particular the live music industry, The Do LaB is uncertain if LIB will return in the near or distant future and that is certainly a sad thought to consider.

Take a peek at our past coverage of Lightning in a Bottle here.

Emancipator liberates minds at The Roxy Theatre

By Josh Herwitt //

Emancipator //
The Roxy Theatre – West Hollywood, CA
January 14th, 2017 //

In a matter of 10 years, Douglas Appling has gone from college student to electronic music producer to record label owner and founder. He has managed to release four studio albums and travel the world in that time, doing it all under his liberating stage name Emancipator. And at the young age of 25, he created Loci Records, which is now home to a cast of up-and-coming artists making music in the vein of melodic downtempo and instrumental hip-hop.

Last Saturday, four of the label’s 10 signees entertained a sold-out crowd in LA on the final night of its U.S. showcase tour. Serving as support at The Roxy Theatre were Tor, Edamame and Lapa, who each set the mood for Emancipator’s headlining set to follow — and what a doozy it was. As Emancipator, Appling has a unique way of melding hip-hop beats with the orchestral sound coming from his sidekick Ilya Goldberg’s violin. He even threw in a Snoop Dogg sample at one point, spreading energy across the venue’s tightly packed dance floor. This wasn’t the Emancipator Ensemble experience that we’ve witnessed before, but it was clear that Appling’s performances have continued to get better with each and every year.