Page 32 - Zone Magazine Issue 021

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I caught up with some of the artists and asked them to describe their experiences.
First up: Reggae Remedy, a Singapore based Reggae band featuring Denny Frust from Indonesia.
You can see their events on their facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/reggaeremedysg/
“ It was our 2nd time performing in Vietnam with Denny Frust & Reggae Remedy. Wicked vibes when we open our set with the classic reggae tune No no no to set the vibe right followed by several more Reggae & Ska anthems to warm up the set before Denny Frust took the stage with more positive Reggae vibes and the crowd was totally loving it. Much love from us. We travelled a Long way to get to the festival it was worth the travel to play to an amazing crowd.”
Next up: DJ AC Selekta the original rude boy from UK. Check him out on -
https://www.facebook.com/DJACSELEKTA/
“ 7 of us came down (4 DJ's and 3 MC's) from Hanoi to play at Vibe Nation for Beats, Bars n Breaks. It was amazing to play in such an amazing setting with so many talented people. The festival itself was amazing such a diverse fusion of music from all around the world in one of the best settings I've ever had the pleasure of playing in. Our set really popped off with people dancing on top of VW campervans and the vibe was amazing! I can't wait for next year, this has definitely become one of my favorite festivals in the world. Everything was exactly how a festival should be from the eclectic choice of music to the reasonably priced food. Next year we're going to bring the whole crew for more fun on the beach. ”
Sean Richards from Beats Bars n Breaks had some positivity to -
http://www.facebook.com/nook91
to in our ends. it embodies everything that a lot of us have grown to love about Vietnam, our new home; A raw scene ready to be molded, industrious ingenuity, a depth of creative talent of all forms and the excitement of something new and fresh that you know will grow from year to year, whilst staying truly special. ”
And finally I got some words from Yeveni, DJ Paf Paf and organiser for the Chillgressive Psytrance crew -
https://www.facebook.com/chillgressive.saigon/
“ VibeNation crew did a great job to bring together a bright crowd, musical variety and high-quality sound system to the well-known camping place. As usual, it was a great gig with a magical touch of freedom - I'm sure that everyone had a great time there and that we will meet again in the next year. See you on the dancefloor. ”
For me, this was a very positive experience, the only thing I would have liked to have seen different was the lack of local Vietnamese party people in attendance, festivals can a great way for bring local people and intentional people together so expats like myself can easily make local contacts with common interests, but perhaps the ticket price is a tad too high for the average local salary. It would be nice to see incentives or concessions for locals in future. But apart from that I really can't think of anything I didn't like. The nature was amazing, I got to meet some frogs!, the toilets were well managed, fairly clean and equipped with toilet paper.....very important! The food was fresh, the line up for beers was never too long, the crowds were super friendly and open minded and the staff were helpful and kept smiling even though some of them looked super stressed, there was no trouble at the event, everyone came with peace, happiness, love and compassion.
Vibe Nation made its first event last year which was supposed to be just a test drive for a reggae festival at Coco Beachcamp but people loved it so much the first time that they decided to repeat it, The date for next years festival is still unknown, but they are definitely planning to do it again, this time they aim to double their attendance from 1000 to 2000, reaching more people to grow by extending their marketing campaign and starting promotions earlier, so keep your eyes peeled if you plan to be in Vietnam, this is a wonderful party not to be missed.
Connect: http://vibenationbeachfest.com/
Words & pics by Darrell Johnson
“ The immediate impression of the festival and the La Gi area was that the scenery was breathtaking and legitimately one of the greatest settings for a festival, that many of us had ever experienced. Look a little closer and we saw that it was ahead of many of its larger western rivals. Each stage was a unique mad little world of its own and the line up were an honour to perform amongst. Most of our time there helped to us to make contacts to aid our venture south, and at the same time find fresh new faces to give opportunities