Sunshine and smiles were abundant during all three days of the bass-centric Wakaan Music Festival held on Mulberry Mountain in Arkansas. The grounds were gorgeous, the amenities abundant, the woke people were wonderful and the best part of the festival was the music itself. Every set performed was absolute fire because each DJ has a personal connection with Martin Staaf, aka Liquid Stranger, the mastermind behind Wakaan. Formed in 2015, the music label is a safe haven for those with a bass style too weird to box into any set genre. This festival felt like a gift to the Wakaan family for their love and support over the past few years.
The gift of music started off strong with a pre-party on Wednesday Night and culminated with a massive send off by Liquid Stranger himself on Saturday. Some notable musical moments included a fire set by Conrank who was joined by the sparkly Charmae of H<3art Beats for a live rendition of Bullet in the Gun, as well as a heartwarming Pipus tribute during Space Jesus’s set, Rusko dancing his heart out loving every moment, Jaenga gracing us with a ton of original music, Manic Focus getting the crowd dancing wildly, a deep Truth set, a sublime TLZMN hour, Yheti bringing the flames, G-Space’s smiling stage presence, Luzcid dropping bangers and far too many more to mention.
Nature is a gift in itself and the festival grounds were pristine and beautiful. A secret waterfall is on the site and a wonderful reminder that we are all one with nature and a few days away from cities and civilization is good for the body mind and soul. The friendships made during the Wakaan music festival will last a lifetime. Attendees were well taken care of with food vendors, merch vendors and a solid onsite store filled with everything a festival-goer could need.
Pics by Scott Crawford
The little things matter the most and Martin Staaf thought of it all, from a glowing forest of art and mystery that included a pirate booth where you can gamble a sticker or your very own soul for something of value. These micro-moments are what makes a festival family strong and will get people to come back next year. At the main stage, an attendee could get their fill of art viewing the breath-taking live paintings and beautiful fire dancers in all their glory
Pic by Tom Fischer
It was noticeable that the people that traveled from all over the country and in some cases the world came to this festival for the vibe that only Wakaan can bring. Everyone involved in this festival did it for the love of music and family. What a wonderful good time and a big THANK YOU to Wakaan for being the highlight of this summer.
