The Martlet

Even if you have never been, you’ve probably heard about it. Maybe from your friends, a co-worker or a family member. It’s Shambhala, and it’s the biggest party in Western Canada. Shambhala has taken place every August for 14 years on a farm near Salmo, B.C., in the Kootenays. Rick and Sue Bundschuh own the sprawling Salmo River Ranch, while their three kids, Jimmy Bundschuh, Corrine Zawaduk and Anna Bundschuh, are in charge of the festival. It’s become the family business.

“We have about 12 full-time, year-round staff,” says Shambhala media and communications manager Brittany Gilchrist. “Our office staff numbers increase in the summer to about 25 full-time. During the festival, we have about 42 team leaders and team captains, and our support crew come in somewhere around 1 200 people.”

From modest beginnings to party destination

Shambhala has grown steadily over the years. Its modest beginnings have given way to a world-class electronic music festival with a high level of production. Part of the reason that it’s so successful is that, since it takes place on the Bundschuhs’ ranch, infrastructure for the festival’s six stages can be permanent.

“They’ve been able to create a really unique environment that they can build on,” says Miche Stirling, head of Stirling Agency, a DJ booking agency based in Calgary. “The number-one plus is that they have this unique, incredble, organic space that isn’t scaffolding stages and is very pretty to look at. They’ve really honed in on the artistic end of things. It’s very visually pleasing.”

Stirling, a UVic grad, has been at every Shambhala since it started. She is also known as Mama Miche, one half of the duo Bitchin,’ along with Kenzie Clark. She works with Christine Hunter, the festival’s talent manager, to bring in DJs like Deekline, Nick Thayer, Wax Romeo, Audit and Mat the Alien.

“Every year everyone says, ‘That was the best ever,’ and every year everyone has big smiles on their faces,” Stirling says of the DJs on her roster who play Shambhala. “It really is truly a special festival. There’s not too much else like it in the world. There’s Burning Man, but it’s really not comparable, because it’s a totally different type of festival.” Stirling says Shambhala started with “50 of us hula-hooping to a mix tape in the woods” and grew into “15 000 from all over the world travelling in to camp and hang out and listen to music for a weekend.”

“It’s really, truly unbelievable.” Although there was a healthy rave scene in Western Canada prior to Shambhala, the festival has highlighted this part of the world as a destination for international DJs. It put the Kootenays on the map in terms of electronic music; now DJs will include places like Nelson, Fernie, Revelstoke and Banff on their tour schedule. Many local DJs play there year after year, getting the chance to show off their skills to thousands of fans who are just itching to get on the dance floor.

“It’s really what shaped our entire music scene,” says Stirling. “It’s what gave me a job. It let me develop my agency because people are paying attention to dance music on a large scale in Western Canada now. And in a lot smaller communities.”

A community of music lovers

Shambhala is known for its sense of community. After a long drive to the remote ranch, attendees travel down a narrow dirt road and are directed into a waiting lot. It feels a little like being in line for the ferry, but it’s hot, dusty and much more interesting. Often waits can be up to 12 hours (if you arrive before the gates open), so you have a chance to get to know your neighbours. At this point, almost everyone you encounter will greet you with an enthusiastic “Happy Shambs!” Random cheers erupt, like a wave rippling across the valley. People pass the time playing frisbee, making new friends and trying to stay out of the hot Kootenay sun.

Once past a thorough security check, you can finally pull onto the farm and start looking for a spot to camp. Here, a sense of community really comes into play, as camping at this festival is usually pretty close quarters. There are tents everywhere. Most of the grounds are fair game, but there are some primo spots near the chilly mountain river that are in high demand. And whether you are a Shambhala rookie or a returning veteran, everyone is excited to be there.

“The vibe is amazing,” says Gilchrist. “There is definitely an overall feeling of ‘Shambhalove.’ People are very friendly and open with each other; they’re ready to make connections with one another. And it’s something that’s almost palpable. It’s a chance to get away from their everyday grind for a week.” While the organizers provide the venue, it’s the patrons of the festival that really create the unique feel of festival, according to Gilchrist.

“We lay the ground work. We provide the venue, the entertainment, the art and basic guidelines of the community,” says Gilchrist. “We create the ‘container’ so to speak for the magic to happen. So much of the atmosphere is created by the people who come and how they interact with each other — the creativity they bring. We love providing the space for that. Our vision for the festival is really carried through by our attendees.”

Part of Gilchrist’s job is being in charge of the social media aspect of the festival.

“I’ve been in the position of social media director since January,” says Gilchrist. “It’s kind of an extension of what I was originally doing on the forums, before I worked for the festival. I collect, share and manage content for Facebook and Twitter, develop contests, write and publish blogs, write press releases and answer the questions of the general public.”

The Shambhala forums have been active for years as a place for “Shambhala die-hards” to discuss music and the festival. Gilchrist created the Facebook page in 2008 and it’s been a venue for people to experience that same sense of community year-round. The Facebook page now has almost 50 000 fans, five times the number of tickets sold for the festival each year.

“Social media serves a very important role for us. Shambhala has never done any major advertising,” says Gilchrist. “Word of Shambhala has always been spread through word of mouth, and social media is the digital extension of that. The online community we’re trying to shape is similar that of the festival itself; one of openness, self-expression, and, of course, Shambhalove.”

Gilchrist experienced the “Shambhalove” in 2003, her first time attending the festival.

“I think it’s an important thing for people to remain connected to others in our community,” she says. “We’re all part of a ‘farmily.’ I know for myself, the reason I first joined the forums after Shambhala 2003 was because I needed that connection with other people who ‘got it.’ Shambhala is often a life-changing event for people, and you can’t really explain that to anyone, except someone who’s had a similar experience.”

Gilchrist says that interacting on the Facebook page and in the forums is important because she can personally answer questions from fans. She can keep people up to date on what’s going on at the ranch and share music tracks and videos from Shambhala DJs.

“Keeping people engaged is important. And with so much happening in the world of electronic music all the time, I’ve always got a lot of options for content sharing,” says Gilchrist.

It’s all about the music

The sense of community and the amazing and picturesque location are the base for what really puts Shambhala on the map: music.

The festival brings in talent from all over the world and balances it with local acts. There really is something for everyone (in terms of electronic music) at Shambhala. This year, dubstep ruled many of the stages. With an explosion of new fans, acts such as Skrillex, Zed’s Dead and Bassnectar saw packed audiences jumping up and down and waving their arms in unison.

“If you are into dubstep, they killed it,” says Stirling about this year’s lineup. “If you’re into techno, you’re going to have to dig a little harder. But it’s hard to please everyone. I think in general they do a great job. I thought this year everyone played amazingly. I was really, really impressed with all the DJs, even the ones I don’t like.”

This year also featured some of the world’s biggest breakbeat DJs. Krafty Kuts, A.Skillz, Deekline, Stanton Warriors and Nick Thayer all played huge sets to excited fans. According to Stirling, breaks are a cornerstone of the festival.

“It really was a party that was built on breakbeats and it’s kind of one of the last bastions of breakbeat in North America,” she says.

Ill-esha, a DJ who grew up in Vancouver but who now lives in San Francisco, played a late-night set at the Living Room beach stage this year. This year was her second year playing the festival. In the past, she was known as a drum ’n’ bass DJ, but she’s now known for breaking genre boundaries and has branched out to dubstep, electro, glitch-hop and down-tempo. But she doesn’t use any of those terms to describe the music she produces and plays.

“For years and years I was known for drum ’n’ bass,” said Ill-esha during an interview at this year’s Shambhala. “I usually just call it ‘organic electronic.’ All the instruments I play myself, and the vocals. Most of the music I play is my own tracks.”

Ill-esha says that playing shows on the West Coast is rewarding for DJs because there is a strong scene here. And the bassheavy music she and other DJs like her play has evolved here through technology.

“It’s great. It’s its own thing you know. Burning Man, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver; they’re all kind of tied together in this very unique take on hip-hop and futuristic sounds and that really evolved on the West Coast,” she says. “I’m proud to be part of that movement. In Europe, a lot of people haven’t heard a lot of this music.”

Ill-esha says that playing festivals like Shambhala are a great opportunity for DJs to gain new fans and exposure.

“Festivals are always a great place to play because there’s a lot of people who come for different artists or different reasons, but they’re just walking around,” she says. “It’s different than a club show that only features you, that you’re trying to get people to. This is a place where people are exploring new stuff anyway.”

She praises Shambhala for its diversity and atmosphere.

“As far as playing in festivals goes, the level of production is really high and the amount of diversity in the music is also really good so you can pretty much have whatever experience that you want,” she says.

The production is, indeed, amazing. Each stage is its own experience. The Labyrinth, known as the trance stage, is surrounded by trails through the woods with little tents to chill out in, black light art hanging in the trees, and a hookah lounge. The Village is a huge dance floor surrounded by treetop catwalks. Described on the website as the “world’s greatest woodland nightclub” the Village has huge sound provided by PK Sound out of Calgary.

The Fractal Forest, run by DJ Rich-e-Rich, is party central, located just beyond the tree-line with the DJ booth in the middle of a huge tree stump. The Pagoda (which used to be called the Main Stage) is a huge stage that beckons all who see the strobe lights and flashing lasers to come forth and dance before it. Not far away, the Rock Pit features the more eclectic acts, such as bands and burlesque shows. And the Living Room, located on the banks of the river, is the perfect spot to lounge during the days to an array of beats.

One thing that all the stages have in common is the amazing sound — really, the most important aspect of a music festival. Each stage also has world-class lights, lasers and visuals. This is where Shambhala shines as a top electronic music festival.

According to the organizers, and contrary to rumours, Shambhala is not going away anytime soon. Its staff continues to grow, and everyone is striving for a better experience for attendees each year. It’s a big job, and the standard just keeps going up. Making it an accessible festival for all who want to attend is challenging. But, as jobs go, organizing a festival seems like a pretty rewarding one.

“We’re in the business of making people happy, and that’s a very fulfilling thing,” says Gilchrist. “And sometimes work does go beyond our job roles during the festival. But we’re all people who thrive on solving problems. Working toward something all year that has a very clear and tangible outcome is very inspiring.”