via the Buku Music + Art Project (via Alive Coverage)



This one’s for the girls.

Just a day after International Women’s Day, the Buku Music + Art Project served as a showcase of the best of what women in music have to offer, and then some.

Situated along the bank of the Mississippi River, New Orleans’ Mardi Gras World has played home to the Buku Music + Art Project since 2012. Set to the backdrop of the rusted and uninhabited Market Street Power Plant, the festival has been home to one of the more unique atmospheres on the festival circuit. With a carefully crafted lineup that has consistently brought some of the best up-and-coming electronic and rap acts, as well as alt-indie rarities like this year’s MGMT, the Buku Music + Art Project once again cultivated a unique lineup that sets it apart from others on the festival scene.

Despite its lack of camping quarters, the festival has uniquely cultivated a hip and edgy vibe that infiltrates the French Quarter every March.

Even with this year’s expansion, moving the main stage across the railroad tracks that once served as the barrier from the fest and the surrounding city, the festival found a way to make it seem like you were crossing into another world.

Friday opened up to a cool breeze and overcast skies, and as the chilled gales of wind whipped through the urban playground, early arrivals were treated to charming acts like CloZee, The Russ Liquid Test and MGMT. This playful introduction served as gentle foreplay before the hard hitters like Borgore and Ganja White Night showed up to the Float Dean, the most intricate of Buku’s stages and arguably its biggest attraction.

Tucked in the back through obstacles of street performers and locally-commissioned art installations is the Float Dean, a expansive rusted-out warehouse along the river, that— when it isn’t jam— packed with bass-happy fans- perfectly houses some of the most unique and electrifying electronic shows. Lacking the towering LED screens and giant statues of festivals like EDC Orlando, the Float Dean instead relies on pairing its niched music acts with the harnessed energy from its festival goers, whose energy and mass only ballooned as the nights went on.

EVERY DAY IS WOMENS DAYS BECAUSE U R ALL FUCKING QUEENS.



TO EVERY WOMAN OUT THERE; TURN DOUBT FROM OTHERS INTO SOMETHING THAT DRIVES YOU.



:) — ALISON WONDERLAND #blacklivesmatter (@awonderland) March 8, 2018



Much was to be gleaned from Buku in 2018, but the most noticeable theme of the weekend was the aforementioned standout effort by Buku’s ladies— particularly its EDM headliners, Alison Wonderland and REZZ.

After a jolting performance by Snails— who brought with him many of his “Vomit Squad” following— the 31-year old Alison Wonderland took over the Float Dean just as the combination of dusk and cloudy skies began to lower the visibility in and around the warehouse. Sporting her patented outfit of an oversized black T-shirt and long socks, the Aussie DJ came out with a terrifying and thunderous pinged drop, immediately shocking life back into the crowd after a brief set change.

Much was the case for the rest of her set, mixing synth-heavy future bass drops into originals and choir-inducing covers like Paramore’s “Misery Business.” Fitting the electric warehouse vibe, she dropped into a brief house segway mid-set before ending with hits like “U Don’t Know,” during which she gave a heartfelt shout out to victims of depression. It was an impressive showing from “AW,” who looks to drop her new album Awake early next month.

If she was outdone by anyone, it was Saturday’s closing performer and fellow female headliner, REZZ.

After a strong day set last year, the soon-to-be 23-year old was chosen by festival organizers to not only return, but close out the festival, due to her being a perfect fit for the “#TOOBuku” vibe. Festival organizers would not come to regret this decision, as REZZ turned out one of her best and more mesmerizing performances. After her set at EDC Orlando—which was slotted during the day, taking away from her set’s iconic visual component— left us wanting more, REZZ turned the already unruly Float Den into a madhouse. Her spooky, thumping beats made the warehouse rumble, with its patrons loving every minute of it— from the head nodding “Cult of Rezz” members by the rails upfront to the column-climbing crazies in the back.

Not to be snubbed was yet another female stand out of from 2017, R&B/hip-hop darling SZA, who also headlined Friday night (still think the ladies need to “do more,” Grammy’s?) Despite having to cut her set short due to a rolled ankle, the 27-year old looked and sounded every bit as dashing as she did at her sold-out Orpheum performance in October. Catch her when she returns to the Tampa Bay area in May, when she visits the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in a co-headlining affair with Kendrick Lamar on “The Championship Tour.”

Buku’s women had further opportunity to stand out this weekend, in large part due to their male counterparts inability to show up in New Orleans. Headliner Lil Uzi Vert, Chi-town’s Famous Dex, and Ski Mask the Slump God— who also missed out on his Okeechobee set the weekend prior— were all no-shows for a festival that, in retrospect, took a step down in its rap selection a year after leading with Travis Scott and Run the Jewels.

Top billed rap headliner, Migos, fresh off the release of Culture II, was nearly 40 minutes late, then only gave the crowd a half hour of their time. Hardly shocking considering their reputation for tardiness— evidenced at last years Last Damn Show. This isn’t to say that all the gentlemen came to disappoint. Friday night was closed out with the U.S. festival debut of Porter Robinson’s alter-ego Virtual Self— and man was that set worth the hype. Robinson unveiled an entirely new production to go along with his new hyperactive, progressive trance sound. Beams of light— when not sporadically firing across the Float Dean— often entrapped the 25-year old in a prison of lasers and shadows. Despite having the sound system cut out twenty minutes into his set, causing a brief delay, the NC-based producer managed to exhibit one of the more exhilarating sets of the weekend.

Another male standout was, of course, the festival’s main attraction, Bassnectar— who made his first appearance in NOLA since headining the festival in 2015.

After leaving us speechless and with our necks barely intact at Okeechobee Music Festival this past weekend— a run that featured not one, but two uniquely designed sets— the 40-year old kept up the pace with an onslaught of high octane bass output. Featuring an often Mardi Gras-themed array of lights and lasers, Saturday night’s Bassnectar set featured some of the EDM legend’s deeper bass-heavy cuts as well as notable fan favorites like “Slather” and “Cozza Frenzy.” He even revisited his affection for Kendrick Lamar by mixing in his feature on Danny Brown’s “Like Really Doe.”

“This crowd is dense,” ‘Nectar exclaimed, taking note of the bulky, rowdy mob of “bassheads” crowded atop the gravel surrounding the new Factory stage.

Having wrapped up his third set in a week, the EDM icon will get a brief break from the headbanging until his annual Spring Gathering takes place in Chicago at the end of the month.

So, despite a weak showing — or lack thereof — from its rap bill, the Buku Music + Art Project yet again proved itself as one of the more distinctive festivals of its kind, largely leaning on the sensational efforts of its ladies and iconic headlining talent.

Buku Music + Art Project has the benefit of Bourbon Street to beckon fans to its concrete playground, however Buku offers so much more.

With a lineup as trendy and hip as its artistic aesthetic of graffiti and neon, Buku promises not only to return fans in the masses, but also looks to maintain its outlook as one of the more promising festivals in the region. Its commitment to fusing a Mardi Gras vibe with its industry-standard curation of musical talent make this festival exceptional in its own right, and is one we will look forward to for many festival seasons to come.