Buku Music + Art Project Stepped Up Their Game For 2018

The best part about Buku Music + Art Project is the element that is created every year at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is commonly known as one of the greatest music capitals in the world, so what better place to hold a mixed music festival full of color, life and art? 

Every year, thousands of people count the days, hours and minutes for Buku to return. After spending four years at this event we can safely say that few festivals can give you an equivalent feeling of returning home once entering the venue. Buku is a sanctuary for all that attend, a place to embrace new genres and styles, while recognizing and cherishing the old. The artist lineup is always an interesting mashup of electronic classics like Bassnectar, the biggest in hip hop/R&B with Sza and Migos, and those up and coming producers like Mura Masa and Sylvan Esso. There is something for everyone at Buku Music + Art Project.

Day one was jam-packed full of excitement as ‘Bukrewes’ came from far and wide to enjoy a weekend full of music and art. The grounds were expanded this year, making room for a new stage that received fantastic feedback throughout the weekend. The “Wharf” stage was right on the river overlooking a beautiful view of the Crescent City Connection Bridge. The spot seemed to be dedicated to vibey music like deep house and was continuously bumping good vibrations throughout the weekend. 

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The first day of the festival had many landmark performances, but the most memorable were Spag Heddy, MGMT, Ganja White Night, SZA, Alison Wonderland, Migos, Virtual Self, Green Velvet, Mura Masa and Bonobo.

Spag Heddy started the day in the Float Den with some heavy wubs that got everyone in the mood to headbang. His visuals were wildly impressive, and his production level has been skillfully upgraded. 

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Ganja White Night played a beautiful bass set, complete with ethereal lyrics and heavy hitting drops. The duo played to a packed crowd, also in the Float Den, and fully flexed their expert-level mixing skills. 

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Alison Wonderland was an angel among humans during her set in Float Den, playing the perfect mix of trap and future sound. This was the best performance we have heard from the artist, and she was easily one of the best of the entire weekend.

Mura Masa played a live set in the Ballroom and we were a bit mind-blown at his production. With an alluring voice and flawless live instrumentation, everyone in the audience was in a musical trance.

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Virtual Self experienced a few technical difficulties during his set, but this did not stop him from laying down the best NeoTechno to date. The artist has been doing some serious work to refine his sound, and it shows. The lasers combined with hard-hitting techno punches created a tunnel of music that was impossible to turn your head from. For many this was their first time seeing Porter Robinson’s new alias perform, and we can guarantee it will not be their last. Virtual Self closed down the first day of the festival in the Float Den while Bonobo’s DJ set shut down the Wharf Stage.

There’s always something special about the last day of a music festival.  The lingering feeling that the highly anticipated weekend is ending soon seems to create so much energy in the crowd.  The ‘Bukrewes’ returned in full force ready to embrace the vibes that day two had to offer. Each stage on Saturday had an incredible line up of artists to offer to please all of the diverse festival attendees. The VIP Back Alley had some exciting performances with Melvv, Medasin, and Graves.  People returned to the festival early on Saturday to ensure they didn’t miss a beat of day two. 

Elohim opened up the Ballroom stage with an entrancing performance.  She had everyone grooving and singing along to one of her recent releases, “Fuck Your Money”. During the beginning of the track she mixed in a little of “Money” by Pink Floyd. She also played her recent collaborations with Wheathan and Louis the Child. Her melodic tracks captivated the crowd and definitely made her a female artist to keep an eye on. She proved to have a perfect balance between chill and upbeat tracks. 

Hippie Sabotoge did an amazing job of setting the mood in the Float Den.  The brothers have a talent for creating chill electronic tracks that still flow so much energy through every crowd they play for. 

Illenium had the most perfect live set at sunset at the Power Plant stage.  It was his very first time playing the Awake Tour live at a festival. The set was absolutely beautiful as the sun set behind the stage while he was playing. He played the full Awake album while still throwing in some old school bangers and heavy bass drops. Illenium has received a massive amount of recognition for the Awake EP and tour, and his BUKU set proved exactly why. 

Jai Wolf always puts everyone into their feels at his shows, and this was no different in the Float Den at Buku. His melodic tracks mesmerize everyone into feeling light and happy. His style definitely pulls inspiration from artists like Porter Robinson and Flume; he mixed in a little “Never Be Like You” to his set. 

Gryffin had an unexpected upgrade to the Power Plant Stage after Lil Uzi Vert was a no show for the festival.  He absolutely blew the crowd away and took the stage with confidence and energy. The production with his tracks like “Nobody Compares To You” and “Love In Ruins” enchanted the crowd and proved Gryffin is definitely a new unstoppable force in the electronic world.

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Bassnectar always lives up to every expectation while still blowing you out of the water each and every time he plays. His bass heavy set at Buku was no exception to this rule. With every show he plays the production is always incredible, but there was definitely something unique about this closing set at Buku. Thousands of people gathered around the Power Plant stage to watch him throw down. He dropped a lot of his favorites, new and old. “Lost in The Crowd” and “Disrupt the System” were among some of the crowd favorites in this particular set. His talent and energy is exactly what every artist aspires to achieve one day.  He was the perfect artist to close out the Power Plant stage for the weekend. REZZ and Snakehips finished the festival by closing down Float Den and the Wharf Stage, respectively.

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Each year Buku Music + Art Project reminds its attendees why it’s such a unique festival and makes people already excited for the following year.  With the expansion we saw in 2018 we can only to continue to have high hopes for the future of Buku Music + Art Project. If you haven’t attended yet, this festival is one that should go on your list for 2019.