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Altered Esthetics (Ae) is a nonprofit community organization run by artists, for artists. Our mission is to foster an inclusive and sustainable arts community through exhibitions, education, and outreach.

Latest Festival News

Thirteen Ways to Not Be a Cunt at a Festival

I have just returned from Dimensions, sitting on the 8 pm from Trieste next to twin screaming toddlers and next to a row of boys on a severe comedown.

Mate, shall we take a valium, Nah mate, it’s only two hours. Oh shit, I already took one; I have the following pearly nuggets of wisdom to share:

Bring Your Own Drugs

BYOD is a cast-iron law of successful festival-going. Never ask for other people’s drugs. It is not okay, especially at a festival, where drugs are in short supply and sold at wildly inflated prices. Sort yourself out (unless you’re willing to have sex in exchange. Literally, only blowies for pills will do).

Test Your Drugs in Advance!

When you’re at a festival, test your drugs in advance. It’s highly recommended to use a marquis reagent and an ehrlich reagent when experimenting with substances. Click here to learn more about testing your drugs. There are not that many portapotties, and we all need to use them.

Bring Your Own Water

Just buy it. You just spent four hundred or more on drugs. Seriously.

BYOC

The ‘C’ here stands for cigs and chewing gum. I lost track of the number of fucking people who asked me for cigarettes, and it’s always annoying. I’m a kindly soul, right, but you are trying my patience to quote my mother.

Share Contacts

So, if you have a decent dealer’s number, share. Sharing makes the world go around. Just ask Scottish Andy, the most-in-demand man at the festival.

I overheard dozens of people discussing him every day. That man gets more exposure than Miley Cyrus’ rubber-clad crotch at the VMAs.

Don’t Do The Cigarette Dance

I have a theory on this, which is that as more and more people come of age post-smoking ban and are unable to remember what it was like to smoke in clubs and bars (fuck me, I’m getting old), no one remembers that it is not okay to wave lit cigarettes in people’s faces.

I do not want DIY laser-eye surgery, thanks very much. Watch your cigarette.

Who Cares if You Know The DJ

No one gives a shit if you know the DJ, so shut the fuck up.

Novelty T-Shirts are Always Welcome

Massive props to the geeky dude in the front row of Daphni wearing a t-shirt saying, ‘hey laptop DJ, your girlfriend prefers 12 inches’. Worn with a sense of irony, the novelty t-shirt will always triumph over yet another fucking Millionhands.

For The Love of God, Do Not Have Sex in The Portapotties

There are fields everywhere. Just do it in a field.

Don’t Take photographs of Strangers

I know you’re not an official photographer, weird creepy dude who took pictures of me giving you the finger during Steffi because my mum bought me the same camera you have from the Argos in Canterbury when I was 17, can see you zooming in on my arse.

Don’t Make Silly Comments

Like ‘I’m going to rave so hard this boat’s going to sink’ or ‘I love it when you take so much ketamine that you become fluent in French – but, if you do so, do so loudly, so we can all laugh at you.

Don’t Try to Pay Your Taxi Driver in Pills

Nah, this is a currency out here, mate. This is currency, bruv!

Think About Your Sartorial Choices

Remember, perception is accurate—two words: nipple tassels.

Rave Outfits For Guys: 7 Fashion Disasters to Avoid at Music Festivals

Festival fashion evolves with each passing season. As trends come and go, coordinating rave outfits for guys is an ongoing challenge.

Music festivals are sometimes used as a punchline for all of the dubious decisions made at them.

There’s not much to be done other than food or drugs, but you can keep your fashion choices from becoming the butt of a joke.

7 Mistakes to Avoid With Rave Outfits For Guys

Whatever festival you’re heading to, there are a few general pitfalls to avoid. Steer clear of them to avoid winding up in the following festival cringe compilation.

Novelty Sunglasses

Do you remember shutter shades? Yeah, 2007 was a while ago, but it seems that every few years, some influencer tries to force them to make a comeback.

Similarly, goofy styles should be avoided as well. Grown adults have a hard time getting away with looking like they still shop at Spencer’s Gifts.

Instead, consider this as an opportunity to upgrade to some proper sunglasses. You’ll get plenty of use out of a good set of glasses year-round, so this is one area where investing will pay dividends.

Flip Flops

Flip flops are best reserved for the pool or the beach. Otherwise, the lack of any support or shaping will absolutely kill your feet after a long day or night out. And good luck finding them again if one slips or gets kicked off in a crowd.

The alternative will depend on location and weather. For truly hot and dry settings, a bright pair of sandals are acceptable.

Beyond that, a couple of canvas sneakers is probably the way to go. They’re lightweight, breathable, and, should the weather turn unpredictable, washable.

Silly Hats

You may as well take the previous remarks on novelty glasses and apply them to headwear.

Leave the trilbys and cowboy hats at home, or better yet, on the store shelf where you found them.

A classic ball cap is s more innovative way to go. It’ll do its job and is minimal enough to work with any outfit.

Fancy Dress

Themed dress seems to be a staple of music festivals for no adequately explainable reason.

Our advice is to save the costume parade for Halloween. There are much better options for making a colorful impression that doesn’t involve dressing up like cartoon characters.

Mankinis

Another festival staple that persists despite flying in the face of all good sense, the mankini should be an obvious non-starter. And yet, there always seems to be an enclave of guys who think they’re a sound idea.

Swim shorts will more than meet the task. Breathable and quick-drying should the weather take a sour turn, they can do anything a mankini can. Only better because they’re not a mankini.

Low-Cut T-Shirts

So maybe you’ve been hitting the gym, and you have the pecs to show for it. That’s well-and-good, but please don’t go for the low-cut tee to show it off. That look lived and died in the early aughts.

Instead, we recommend going with a classic tank. That way, you can show off a bit without looking like a temporally displaced boy band member.

Stripping Down

In line with the mankini, men stripping down to their skivvies (or worse, nothing at all) is one of those behaviors that certain men think is permissible at a crowded festival. Please don’t be one of those guys.

If, however, you do feel compelled to show some skin, at least try to do it tastefully. Opting for an open coat or jacket with no shirt underneath makes a similarly bold statement without any pesky indecent exposure charges.

Get The Most Out of Your Festival Experience

Festivals bring people together, uniting us by way of our love of music. These tips for coordinating great rave outfits for guys will help you to look your best. And looking your best will help you to feel your best. Click here to find out more about https://wimscilabs.com/

10 Performances We’re Looking Forward to at Coachella 2014, & Some We Aren’t

The Coachella Valley Music Festival in the desert of California is among America’s best music festivals, year in and year out. With an always extensive lineup, the Coachella Music Festival brings fans from many parts of the world. There is no doubt that Coachella is one of the grandest stages to play on as a musician, so we have our top 10 performances of Coachella 2014. Enjoy!

10 Performances We’re Looking Forward to at Coachella 2014

OutKast

Depending on how many drugs a particular Coachella attendee consumes before the OutKast set at Coachella 2014, the nostalgia of the memories of the 1990s will re-appear in front of your eyes as OutKast bangs out forever-classics from Stankonia, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, ATLiens, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

From 1996 to this day, Big Boi & Andre 3000 recorded and performed hip-hop classics that made OutKast the biggest tag-team of hip hop artists known to hip-hop culture, EVER. After a multi-year hiatus, the two reunite to perform at Coachella 2014, and people are going nuts. DON’T MISS OUTKAST!

Motorhead (Heavy Metal)

I’m excited that the otherwise electronic-heavy, hippy-heavy, hipster-heavy-infused lineup Coachella has offered in years past has made room for a kick-ass, fast-paced heavy metal band such as Motörhead.

The thrash/speed metal mixture of fast-paced, loud music and iconic sound of vocalist Lemmy Kilminster may keep the pill-popping teens away from Motörhead’s set, but guarantee that this set will not be missed by many. “Ace of Spades” can be considered the blueprint for thrash metal bands for years to come; DON’T MISS MOTÖRHEAD!

Kid Cudi

The exceedingly impressive rapper from the somewhat below-average city of Cleveland, Kid Cudi, has been a fixture in the American hip-hop game. Since Cudi’s 2009 debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day.” Day N Nite” turned into an instant classic, and “Pursuit of Happiness” featuring MGMT is still a fixture in nightclubs around the world to this day.

I remember playing this album from front to back for a solid year, and then Cudi comes out with Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager in 2010! There are no stopping Cudi besides Cudi himself. Diverging into a different style with 2013′s Indicud, Kid Cudi has only proved to the music world how wide-ranging and musically talented Cudi truly is. Please wait until you see him live; DON’T MISS CUDI!

Flume (DJ/EDM)

22-year-old D.J., producer, and Sydney native Flume has exploded onto the ever-expanding and ever-popular electronic dance music scene, a perfect fixture for the Coachella 2014 lineup card. After signing with Future Classic in 2011, Flume started making beats which eventually led to collaborating with some exciting artists, including rappers Ghostface Killah, Freddie Gibbs, T-Shirt, and Alexander Spit, to name a few.

How Flume can collaborate with such hardcore hip-hop artists as Ghostface and Gibbs have left me mind blown, and everyone is indeed excited to hear the “Drop the Game” off of the 2013 Lockjaw E.P. featuring Chet Baker. DON’T MISS FLUME!

Aloe Blacc (Soul/R&B)

Aloe Blacc has one of those timeless singing voices where you can’t tell if he is from the era of B.B. King, Gil Scott Heron, and Isaac Hayes, or if he is precisely what he is, is a modern soul artist fully capable of the Coachella spotlight.

In Aloe Blacc’s 2010 album entitled Good Things, he busted onto the scene with “I Need A Dollar” and “Miss Fortune,” bringing back what it truly meant to sing and write actual, bluesy, soul-driven music. Catching eyes and ears in 2010, house D.J. Avicii featured Aloe Blacc’s musical range in the worldwide hit song “Wake Me Up.” DON’T MISS ALOE BLACC!

Pharrell (Producer/Hip-Hop/R&B/Pop)

Tell me, what hasn’t Pharrell Williams done in the music industry? I’ll tell you the music industry without Pharrell Williams, and it certainly would not be what it is with him. His heaviest presence is within the hip-hop culture, dabbling with producing music for artists by the name of Pusha-T, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, and being featured in their songs.

Musical talent is an understatement for the all-around Pharrell. Pharrell has produced a never-ending list of artists ranging in popularity in genre. From Jay-Z to Azealia Banks, from John Legend to Maroon 5, Pharrell’s ability to morph effectively and whole-heartedly to a specific project is remarkable. Who will Pharrell bring out in his live set?? DON’T MISS PHARRELL WILLIAMS!

Disclosure (Electric/E.D.M.)

Arguably, the list’s most recently popular musical act is Disclosure, a duo consisting of brothers Guy & Howard Lawrence. From Surrey, U.K. Guy (22) and Howard (20) formed a powerhouse Dance D.J. tandem nominated for Best Dance Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards, after the duo’s debut album release in 2013 entitled Settle.

Featuring homegrown U.K. talents and fellow Coachella 2014 acts Sam Smith and AlunaGeorge, Disclosure has put the U.K. on the E.D.M. map for years to come. “Latch” is undoubtedly a well-conducted song, but how will “When a Fire Starts to Burn” play out in a crazed crowd at Coachella. It is memorable. DON’T MISS DISCLOSURE!

Flatbush Zombies

Dirty, filthy Brooklyn hip-hop has been reborn with the Flatbush Zombies. These grimy ass rappers Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick “Arc” Elliot came hot onto the New York hip-hop scene in 2012. The Zombies released a music video for “Thug Waffle,” off of a later released mixtape entitled D.R.U.G.S., short for Death and Reincarnation Under God’s Supervision.

The young group has wrecked venues with their thrash-like hip-hop antics, and are no stranger to internationally known festivals like Coachella, after playing in SXSW, Paid Dues, and North Coast Music Festivals the past. 2013′s mixtape BetterOffDead has an eerie, deathly feel (right up Flatbush Zombies alley), featuring fellow rappers Danny Brown and Action Bronson. DON’T MISS FLATBUSH ZOMBIES!

Flosstradamus (D.J.)

I am not one to throw more than two D.J.’s on a list like this. However Coachella Music Festival does pride itself on the heavy hitters it brings to the California desert in the EDM/DJ genre. Two-piece Flosstradamus is one of those powerhouse tandem D.J.’s that will surely get the Coachella crowd pumped up. Signed to Fools Gold Recordings, they have collaborated with rapper Danny Brown in “From the Back” and pop artist Kid Sister in “Luuk Out Girl” in 2011′s Jubilation. Still, the mastery of Flosstradamus comes in the simple explanation that their mixes make the crowd move. DON’T MISS FLOSSTRADAMUS.

City & Colour (Acoustic)

Confusing to me that an emotionally fueled acoustic performance such as City & Colour is on the Coachella 2014 card, but that’s not to say that I am complaining. I am a firm believer in Dallas Green’s solo acoustic project that has flourished. Many people may (or may not) remember Dallas Green’s name from the Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, but Green’s success as an acoustic musician. City & Colour’s most known album is the 2005 debut album Sometimes; the recent 2013 album release, The Hurry and the Harm has gained significant enough steam to land City & Colour on Coachella 2014. Creating Culture is very excited for City & Colour. DO NOT MISS CITY & COLOUR!!!

Now For Our “Not Looking Forward To” list:

Lorde (Pop)

A lot of people will disagree with me, but I could care less. Living my youth in the 1990s, I have grown to despise the repetitious plays that specific undeserving musicians have received on the radio airwaves. Lorde is a perfect example of this. I gag at the sound of Lorde’s hit single off of Pure Heroine called “Royals.” I am tired of so-called music connoisseurs swearing by this New Zealand internet phenom. I’m over the hype, and I’m over everyone trying to sing (horribly) an otherwise average song. Pass on, Lorde.

Anti-Flag (Punk Rock)

Anti-Flag is one of those punk rock bands that has overstayed its welcome on-stage, and I’m baffled at the fact that this band is playing on as big of a stage as the Coachella Music Festival this year. I’ve worked on the Vans Warped Tour for a handful of summers, and Anti-Flag was one of the sets of the day that made me cringe. Every day, Anti-Flag would perform the same scripted set, down to the same scripted preaching that vocalist Justin Sane voices about his opinion of anti-establishmentism and his blunt protest of nationalism and religion. We’ve heard the same preaching since the 1990s guys, let’s change it up or retire? Pass on Anti-Flag.