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Festivalia Does a Houseparty

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It has been a strange summer in the northern hemisphere, the pandemic has presented us with a new reality where we are mostly confined to our homes, and where social distancing is the new norm. We have been limited to hanging out with many of our loved ones through a screen and instead of jetting between summer destinations we were made to stay still. Although almost every in-person event was cancelled, as it should have been, there were still some great opportunities to listen to amazing music. There were Zoom parties, new Soundcloud releases, shared playlists, live Facebook and Youtube events, and of course, the Multiverse.


We wanted to share with you some of our favourite audio moments from these past months, to play at full volume and pretend there are 50 of your best friends dancing with you in your living room.

-This set from our dear Eli Light was played during the Friday of the Virtual Burn. A Phenomenal set that made us feel in the desert without leaving the comfort of our living room

(https://soundcloud.com/tierrabombacamp/eli-tierra-bomba-multiverse-2020)

-As always, Pablo and Mateo were delivering the goods with this amazing set. Turns out that if you look at everything from afar, everyone’s life is an occasion, as is the fact that the Earth orbits the Sun and rotates around its own axis. Everything, really, is an occasion

(https://soundcloud.com/rambalkoshe/pablo-mateo-rambalkoshe)

-This set from our friend Tigree, an incredible fashion photographer turned DJ, who will take you on a mellow trip with ghostly vibes. Courtesy of Tierra Bomba

(https://soundcloud.com/tierrabombacamp/tigree-save-the-artists-live-stream-4182020)

-Progressive king Sainte Vie made our lockdown with this jewel of a set we wish were listening to at sunrise somewhere surrounded by our favourite people

(https://soundcloud.com/stilvortalent/svtpodcast107-sainte-vie)

-This salsa and cumbia set the same Tierra Bomba virtual gathering, the perfect start to any party, will transport you to a Cuban café playing only the best songs one after the other

(https://soundcloud.com/tierrabombacamp/newton-save-the-artists-live-stream-442020)

Some other notorious sets that are not from this summer, but were played at some live festivals that seem like from a distant past… we still have them on repeat and have been a balm throughout the pandemic:

-Carlita making us shake our booty for two full hours straight at Garbicz

(https://soundcloud.com/carla-frayman/carlita-garbicz-festival-2019-juicy-bar)

-Alonso Rivero with one of the best Disco sets we’ve heard at Burning Man

(https://soundcloud.com/tierrabombacamp/alonso-rivero-disco-set-tierra-bomba-burning-man-2019)

-Berlin Queens Caleesi and Sarah Kreis transporting us with this magical set played at the Mezcal Amores party in Oaxaca

(https://soundcloud.com/sarahkreis/caleesi-sarah-kreis-mezcal-amores-2019)


FESTIVALIA NEEDS A (BIG) DRINK: The Festive Negroni

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This year, we’re in need of something extra strong. So we’re nominating our cocktail of the season to be: the Festive Negroni. The mix of gin, Campari and vermouth never seems to get old – and we love this Christmassy take on our fave Italian cocktail. Bottoms up! With a few sips of this drink the holiday will become warm, fuzzy and festive to the max.

Now, start shaking:

INGREDIENTS:


  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 200ml gin
  • ice
  • 100-200ml vermouth
  • 100-200ml Campari
  • orange slices and fresh bay leaves, to serve


METHOD:

STEP 1 Put the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and peppercorns in a dry frying pan, and toast for 5 mins, or until the spices are just fragrant. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

STEP 2 Tip all the toasted spices into a medium jar and pour over the gin. Seal and chill for 48 hrs to infuse.

STEP 3 Strain the infused gin through a fine mesh sieve, and fill four to eight glasses with ice. To mix the cocktail, tip 25ml each infused gin, vermouth and Campari into the glasses, then garnish with orange slices and bay.

FESTIVALIA NEEDS A (BIG) DRINK: The Festive Negroni

Festivalia Drinks the White Christmas Mojito

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The White Christmas Mojito

In our annual tradition, we are giving you bright new ideas regarding drinks for this season’s holiday parties. We love this take on the classic mojito by giving it a coconutty twist.

It’s going to be a white Christmas, all season long!

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup lime juice

  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup white rum

  • 1/2 cup coconut rum

  • cup canned coconut milk

  • sparkling water

  • pomegranate seeds for garnish


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a large pitcher, muddle the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves until the leaves have broken down.

  2. In a blender, combine the white rum, coconut rum, and coconut milk and pulse until smooth. Pour over the mint/lime sugar mixture and stir to combine. Chill until ready to serve.

  3. To serve, divide ice among glasses and fill halfway with the mojito mix. Top with sparkling water, mint and pomegranate.
    Festivalia Drinks the White Christmas Mojito

    Our Favourite Burning Man Looks of 2019

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    Our Favourite Burning Man Looks of 2019

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    All the Reasons we Love Garbicz

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    BY NICOLO ARGENTO

     Try to imagine a door guarded by two unicorns, within an enchanted forest, by a magical lake with mind blowing music – even this description would not do justice to what is Garbicz. I won’t try to sell you a one-way ticket for this festival held the first week of August, just over the German border in Poland, but you will be tempted to stay even after it has officially ended. In fact, the best part of Garbicz starts when all the volunteers and workers also start joining the party. To go to this festival you have to be ready to listen to the best music you’ve ever heard.


    For almost two years different groups of friends have invited me and tried to convince me to come along to the festival, but partly due to a lack of time and partly due to the expense of Burning Man (which I go to every year) I had always postponed, up until this year.

    How to explain it in a few words? The creators want to offer an atypical festival compared to all the others with a great ecological and non-commercial stamp, created by a small group of artists, where music creates a connection between all the participants of this adventure. I must admit that in the beginning I was frightened by the idea of ​​finding myself with all my super colourful clothes among the Berlin crowd, famous for their darker styles. But in reality the music transforms the differences into something magical and it is possible to explain it only through the big smile that me and all other festivalgoers have stuck on our faces during the festival. Another amazing feature that needs to be mentioned is the lake: whether you’ve just woken up or are dancing during a DJ set at the hottest hours, a dive into that water regenerates you completely.

    The festival has 8 main stages, not taking into consideration the hidden ones or the improvised ones – I can tell you they are all worth visiting as they each have their own appeal and character. A surprising aspect of the festival is also the quality and offer of food, from vegan to Neapolitan pizza or the one and only burger, you will never stop being amazed.

    I’ve tried to describe the various aspects of this festival but why it’s difficult to get down to it and explain to you why it’s so amazing as every time I think of Garbicz I have a huge smile on my face. In short: you must go!

     

    Useful Info:

    Vintage/Second Hand Shopping in Berlin:

    http://picknweight.de/

    http://www.paulsboutiqueberlin.de/

    Camping Shopping:

    https://www.decathlon.de


    Music Set from 2019:

    https://soundcloud.com/carla-frayman/carlita-garbicz-festival-2019-juicy-bar

    https://soundcloud.com/heimlich-muller/heimlich-knuller-garbicz-2019-seebuhne

    https://soundcloud.com/caleesi-sarahkreis/caleesi-sarahkreis-garbicz2019

    https://soundcloud.com/spreedelay/mimi-lovegarbicz-2019-buk