Panoptic Productions’ Winter Warpdrive arrived for the 7th time, and was bigger than ever. Starting as a warehouse party, St. Louis’ largest annual electronic music event set a new precedent in the local “rave culture” when it moved to The Roberts Orpheum in 2008, which offered an incredible stage, huge dance area, hundreds of seats, and the formality of a professional venue. After four years of capacity crowds, it was time to expand to something that many would have thought to be barely imaginable, a gigantic party that fills an entire arena. In its history, Winter Warpdrive has included countless notable performers, including: BASSNECTAR, D:Fuse, Burufunk*, EOTO, Nicholas Bennison*, Calculon*, Eddie Halliwell*, Bluetech*, MiMosa*, Infected Mushroom*, Krafty Kuts*, and Donald Glaude (*-denotes first ever appearance in St. Louis).
On the top of the bill this year was BT. Brian Transeau has been a major player in the music scene for over 15 years, not only as a composer and producer, but of film and visual presentation as well. In his most recent work, The Binary Universe, BT created a new genre of electro-acoustic music. Marco V also made his first St. Louis appearance, and shares the headlines. Dutch DJ, Marco Verkuylen, exploded onto the scene with his 2002 release, Con:Fusion, and has continued to be regarded as one of the biggest names in the worldwide club scene, and speaks volumes about the respect Winter Warpdrive has in the greater music community. Making a second Winter Warpdrive appearance, EOTO returned to impress their already massive local fanbase. Michael Travis and Jason Hann create a unique experience at every show, performing a 100% improvised, live show that includes the sounds of dubstep, breakbeats, house, and drum & bass music. Each with a long resume of musical contributions, prior to forming EOTO, the pair both were part of The String Cheese Incident, an eclectic act that cannot be confined to genre labels. The final headliner (but certainly not the last of the performers) was Vibesquad. Colorado’s Aaron Holstein is one of the more prolific producers of the past half decade, and his tracks have become staples for DJs worldwide, and his live sets are even more impressive. According to his JamBase biography, “his legendary live sets may cause whiplash and heart attacks in the unsuspecting bystander.” He rounded out an evening of musical excitement, and served as a surprise treat to those focused on the other headliners. There were also sets by local favorites, Andy B, and Cypher vs. Luke Hansen.
In addition to music, the production included a massive visual set-up, accompanied by performances from Fire Technicians and other dancers. There were also a number of live art set-ups on the perimeter, as well as merchandise tables from a variety of local venders. The venue proved to be easily large enough to comfortably support the event, and each DJ set filled the large pit area more and more tightly. As the final set wound down, everyone left with smiles and cheers. Winter Warpdrive VII lived up to its predecessors and inspires positive thoughts for the future.
All photos by Wil Wander.
