SONIC BLOOM has already garnered a reputation as Colorado’s premier electronic music festival, but it was clear its organizers wanted to take that reputation to the next level for its 10th anniversary gathering in a brand new location in Spanish Peaks Country, Colorado.

SONIC BLOOM: The Unified Field featured premier headliners such as Shpongle, The Trancident (electronic reformation of String Cheese featuring 4/6 of its members), and STS9, who treated the crowd to two full sets on Friday night. STS9 is the bread and butter of live electronic fans in Colorado, and the fact that fans could provide such an intimate show at this high point in their careers in such a beautiful and pastoral setting was surely a special treat for not only the fans but the band as well. Spanish Peaks Country also proved to be an asset to the fest, featuring gorgeous weather, a creek where you could submerge your body, and plenty of natural shade to keep festival goers in a healthy and energetic mindset all weekend.

The production of the individual stages alone is worth recognition. Each one offered a tasteful contrast to the other, providing the perfect ambiance to suit whatever the state of mind.. The Bloom Stage featured ample space to dance, shady areas toward the back to keep you cool during the warm days, and — perhaps most importantly — a gigantic mock birds' nest adorned with hay for those needing to "noodle out" for a while. The stage itself was huge enough to host the immense Superjams that happened throughout the festival (sometimes with as much as 20-30 music festival heavyweights onstage at once).

Just a short walk away and you found yourself at the Hummingbird Stage, whimsically tucked away in the forest, where stunning visual art, lightning, many comfy, shady areas, and a tripped-out labyrinth in which to get lost awaited fest attendees. All weekend this stage featured a tasteful variety of many of Colorado’s favorite styles of electronic music, ranging from tribal, tech house and downtempo, to name a few. Hummingbird Stage's intimate environment undoubtedly birthed many new friendships throughout the weekend.

Lastly, the Submission Stage, on the far side of the grounds from the Bloom Stage, was beautifully executed, and definitely the most well put together installation I've seen from the Submission crew, who have been a big part in the Colorado electronic scene for years now. The stage had a hard hitting sound system, an amazing lineup of artists, and a killer set of LED screens that made every performance push one’s senses into an intense (but also inspiring) liminal space.

In the inevitable interims between high-energy dance floor raging, SONIC BLOOM offered a wealth of workshops, yoga classes, and artisan vendors for your viewing and buying pleasure. In your down time, you could brush up on your seduction skills in a belly dancing class, test your ability to balance in an acro yoga class, or learn about the progressive Unified Field Theory in physics from the mouth of SONIC BLOOM organizer himself, Jamie Janover.

After 10 years, this festival has come a long way, from being a loosely organized party centered around the supergroup Zilla in 2006, to being a premier transformational festival with big plans for the future. By the time the 20th anniversary rolls around, Janover says he plans on SONIC BLOOM being completely free of fossil fuels in every part of its production. Utilizing more efficient and intelligent forms of energy would not only be good for festival goers and the land itself, but a positive statement to the rest of humanity that something like that can be done. To be a part of something that not only upholds high standards for the planet and its participants, but also facilitates one of the best parties that you can have, is a win-win, and shows you that having a good time can carry way more substance and personal growth than you may have originally thought.

Janover talks of the spread of this type of event, and the increasing receptivity of the people involved, as the beginning of a new type of existence for humanity. SONIC BLOOM is the precursor to what could very likely become “Festival Earth” in the future. If we continue to elucidate all of the ways in which we can bring ourselves into more harmony with nature, and experience a genuine community full of love and inclusiveness, there is no doubt that these higher values of the human experience will ripple out to the rest of our planet and beyond. SONIC BLOOM 2016 is a good start to this festival evolution. We hope to see you there next year!

Photo by: Brian Rapaport