Coming up this weekend is an event that has proven to be a highlight of my year for the past two years, since I moved to Seattle. I’m talking, of course, about the annual
Decibel Festival, a sprawling music festival celebrating electronic music in a wide range of genres that takes place in Capitol Hill. I was a volunteer for the last two festivals, ans spent time selling merch and taking tickets in exchange for free entry. This is a ncie arrangement, but it has it’s downsides; most notably your work shifts often conflict with shows you want to see.
I missed out on volunteering this year, but I still sprang for a $125 pass to most of the Festival’s events (there are also tickets for individual showcases, at regular event prices, from $7 to $25). There are multiple musical showcases to choose from starting on Thursday evening, and running through until Sunday night, and there are usually at least three events happening at different venues at any one time. There’s plenty to choose from, ranging from experimental pop on Thursday night, to straight up Techno on Friday, and ambient music on Sunday. There are panel discussions, visual media showcases, and even a BBQ this year.
To get an idea of what to expect from this celebration, check out the KEXP Music That Matters Podcast. The most recent episode has a preview of several of the artists that will be featured int he Festival this year. The highlights that I’m looking forward to seeing include Balún, Tujiko Noriko, Library tapes, Camino Acid, Let’s Go Outside, Fax, Tycho, Deru, Truckasauras, Eluvium, Travis Baron, Jerry Abstract, Eddie, Glitch Mob, Audion, Introcut, Helios, and Supermayer. Of course, I’m sure I’ll also discover new favorites among the acts that I’m not familiar with.
So come on out…if you have even a passing interest in electronic music, in all of its various forms, you owe it to yourself to check out Decibel.
