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MUSIC ZOOT autumn/winter 08/09

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BOOM

By Pedro Botelho Moniz photo by João Curiti

Long gone are the days when Boom was just another small Trance music festival. Over the years Boom has evolved into a multicultural festival where artists from disparate areas such as music, painting, bioconstruction, and videoart, among others, have had their own space to showcase their work and pass on their skills and knowledge. On the mesmerizing Trance music still provides the glue for all of the experiences one lives while at shores of Lake Boom; and also has the unique role of Marechal Carmona, cleansing of people’s souls whilst they dance to exorcise their inner demons at Idanha-a-Nova, (among little elfs, aliens and the shining the 7th edition of the light it is safe to say that demons were Boom Festival was surely spotted by some). There are other sides to the music scene at Boom apart celebrated. Over seven unforgettable from Trance - those who visited the site will surely have warm memories of the days and nights it Chill Out area, an space to relax, close joined together more your eyes and let your imagination run than 30,000 people wild, where Ambient Trance is king and the hypnotic rhythms rock you into an even under the tagline: more distant reality. World Music also has its “We Are One”. own stage with instrumental and on-stage live performances, known to the regulars as the Sacred Fire. This year Boom also saw the birth of a new musical area, the Groovy Beach, which locked and stocked an interesting watt power aimed at Dub Step, Techno and Minimal Techno lovers. Though more mainstream that its fellow stages, Groovy Beach enjoyed much polularity among the inhabitants of this small country named Boom.

There are many aspects about the Boom that make it unique in Portugal and part of a very select group of festivals all around the world. It is environmentally sustaintable: it uses renewable energy to feed the whole festival site, waste management is dealt with so efficiently that no trash whatsoever is seen on site, and they plant beautiful gardens all throughout the site, all with the simple yet so necessary objective of leaving the smallest mark possible on the environment after the caravan has departed. There was one environmental factor over which the organizers, unfortunately, couldn’t have had any control; the contamination of the lake’s water with salmonella bacteria. This made going for a swim under the blazing heat an adventure on its own. Many could not fight the temptation of a revigorating swim and payed dearly for it.

Back to the positives. Boom is unique in its freedom from sponsorship and brand association. Picture this: 30,000 people from all over the world and not a logo in sight nor even a headline in reference to some super-brand so often associated with the Portuguese Summer Festival scene. Boom is brought to life and survives solely from the revenues of the ticket box, the bars and space rental (flea market, etc). For seven days people are free from the constant bombardment of brands, capitalism and the materialistic frenzy of the real world. When asked about this particular question, the organizers respond: “Boom defends the importance of giving out culture in an independent way and not as a marketing tool.” The unique experience of living absolutely outside the common standards pushed by society is what you come to realize that Boom is all about. While I write these words, feet still sore from the endless dancing and precious walkabouts, skin still tight from the blazing sun, I give this year’s Boom tagline a second thought and cannot help but smile. This is the same exact smile I’ve exchanged with the many people I’ve come across in the streets of Lisbon who are still wearing, proudly, myself included, the bracelet that gave us acess into this precious fantasy realm. We really are all one, and in two years, we will return. As one. Again. www.boomfestival.org