“Envisionaries came together as a global, evolving, progressive, and inspired psychedelic tribe; the entire escapade was nothing short of life affirming.” 
(c)B.Getz March 2014 

Envision Festival is where the dreamers and the doers unite. Located in Uvita, Costa Rica, and now thriving in its sixth year, the fest’s paradise environs are a near-perfect setting for profound life-through-art experience. The warm and spirited people of the region, the fluttering cicadas, humming tropical birds zipping betwixt the Ceiba and coconut trees and whimsical monkeys, they all spread their wings, opening their hearts to thousands of blessed souls. These ambassadors of love and light flock to where the jungle meets the beach in a celebration of music, art, culture, community, empowerment, compassion and evolution. The focused intention is impact; consciously and culturally, giving and receiving, on the Arts and on ourselves. A mecca of music, motivation and message, Envision is at once a serious business, and a goddamn good time.  

The international transformational festival movement is rapidly evolving, and reaching more people than ever; Envision is evidence of its growth into a massive swollen with progressive passions; For the second consecutive year, the festival has sold out their allotted general admission tickets before the gates have opened; for 2016 the producers added five hundred more tickets and adjusted the venue’s infrastructure and layout to accommodate – (with staff and artists, that puts the total attendance at around five thousand humans.) Getting to this festival is no walk-in-the-park; dozens of hours of international travel, by way of planes, trains and automobiles- cars, trucks and buses, For weeks, a focused and motivated team of locals and Envisionaries, with feet in the sand, hands in the dirt, and heads in the clouds, build a venue and village for the people to congregate; the jungle comes alive, a cooperative that is no small feat. Together on Tico-time. The unified join hands, and a free-exchange of art, ideas, creativity, love and humanity ensues. And there is, of course, the dancing…
 
Although boasting an absolutely stacked regimen of world-class yoga, educational workshops, collective activism, international visionary artists/painters/sculptors/crafters and more, Envision will be host to a mouth-watering menu of musical magic. Beyond their lofty cultural and environmental ambitions, Envision is, first and foremost, a music and art carnival, a gathering of global tribes to dance, to create, to clown, and to celebrate. So this particular preview will focus on artistic endeavors, primarily musical, with a nod to several other avenues of creativity that will be omnipresent throughout the event. We will be back next week with a short rundown of educational, environmental, permacultural, psychological, and spiritual avenues to be journeyed onsite. 

The theme is worldly diversity atop the music lineup for Envision 2016. Shpongle, Beats Antique Live, Akae Beka (Midnite), and Elephant Revival are in bold font, all four being strong international bookings, occupying different lanes and curating their own particular brand of vibe. Simon Posford can be counted on for the psychedelic thrill-rides that from trees and vines, Beats Antique Live will be bringing their patented blend of Middle Eastern/bhangra-crunk, and both members will be performing elsewhere (Sidecar Tommy, and the eclectic, obscure and enigmatic Dirtwire, featuring David Satori). 

Elephant Revival, the wildly-popular acoustic delicacy hailing from Nederland, Colorado will cut a wide swath among the international attendees. Reggae is traditionally a considerable influence on the soundtrack, and the mindset of Envision; Akae Beka (featuring Vaughn Benjamin and members of Midnite) are among the most accomplished and engaging live reggae bands in the world. One can rest assured that this Sol Stage set will be vibey. Santos y Zurdo are a Costa Rican electronic dance band out of San Jose, and play Envision regularly; their set on this same stage is always among the best attended of the festival. 

The Luna Stage is once-again being conceptualized and created by the renowned artist/designer Carey Thompson and his incredible Galactivation crew. Luna, she of divine moon, plays hostess to Envision’s legendary adventures in emotional, psychedelic, shamanic, sensual bass music These nightly excursions from dusk til dawn are dripping in the jungle’s engrossing sounds and colors. Returning to Envision for an unprecedented sixth visit is Random Rab, an artist whose meditations and manifestations are woven into this festival’s familial-afghan like none other. His sentimental, spiritual sunrise seances, atop a whirling dervish of decadent dance and devotion, are truly the stuff of legend; the Church of Rab will be once again in service. 
 
We tracked down Random Rab to ask him about this covenant he shares with Envision:  

Nothing compares to the unique experience of playing at Envision. I have the distinct honor of performing at everyone and it truly keeps getting better every year. I remember playing the first one when there were only about 500 people there. The place was misty and mysterious. I had never performed in the jungle before and the sound of the ocean, birds, and monkeys seemed to gently harmonize with the laughing and cheering of so many wonderful humans. Last year was unbelievable! Thousands of people showed up and the sense of intimate connection was only enhanced. Very few festivals can maintain the feeling of familiarity with everyone beyond about a thousand people, and Envision somehow does it perfectly. I write my songs to exist in their own dimension in a way. I find it fascinating to play sunrise there, because I feel like I’m hearing my own music for the first time.  It’s really indescribable, but there is a sense of now that pervades each moment. The sun simply dominates down there. From sunrise to sunset, it hangs in the sky with a grandeur and power that I’ve never felt anywhere. At times it is too much for me, but that first beam of sunrise and the last glimmer of sunset are those perfect crystalline moments that I carry with me into all my life. 


 
The folks who throw Envision really are the ones to thank for all the goodness.  I’m not sure people know how much work each person puts into this event..  Working down there is tough.  It’s hot and slow going at times. Nothing is as simple as it is in a place like California and there is not a Home Depot or Walmart a few minutes away to get those last minute supplies. Without the incredible dedication of the producers and the support of the amazing local community, this festival would not be possible. They are truly the reason I know I can come back and feel that oh-so-good feeling I only get down there.” 


 
Among the most progressive, and downright sexy in West Coast bass music culture will be showcased over the four days. Bay Area resident royalty An-ten-nae is returning for the second straight year, bringing his dynamic Medicine Crunk steez on the solo tip. Hailing from Oaktown’s district of the same name, an-ten-nae’s Dimond Saints may be the most anticipated set of Envision 2016. They are the upper-crust of indie electronic music- adept at the emotional edit, and the panties-dropper too; this is the next frontier of sonic erotica. Andreilien returns as well, a harnessing a machete-in-dub, for slicing up meaty chunks of glitch-hop breakbeats. Cagey veteran DJ Dragonfly can be counted on for a blissful and mind-expanding journey, produced seemingly effortlessly, and in any of a number of styles. Meanwhile, Martin Andrew stage-manages, fixes gear, and helps out random festival goers whenever he can. Yet we’d be remiss if not to mention the new kid on this here block; though he’s been making himself known for a minute now. British Columbia phenom aTYya is also back for another year of jungle-pillage. uncorking nocturnal transmissions of subsonic sensuality, hinting at psychedelia and sensitivity. Equally comfortable flipping an Aaliyah joint as he is Thriftworks. Expect to hear both sides of his coin and more. 
 
We asked aTYya what exactly IS it, about Envision: 

“…a bunch of really epic and spiritually connected people all meet in a tropical paradise, to dance to incredible music that unifies everyone in a neo-tribal ceremonial celebration. We share cutting edge knowledge and stories, Bask in the sun and splash in the warm ocean waves. We enjoy the plethora of exotic tropical foods, and climb on a bunch of huge bamboo towers just like the howler monkeys you will see in the trees above you! I have over ninety minutes of brand-new content since last year, and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with everyone at Envision 2016!” 

The Human Experience is in essence the living, breathing, singing, steezing personification of this festival; David Block is Envision to the core.  

Costa Rica is special for me as its the first place I moved to, back when I quit my job at 21 years old, and decided to explore the world. Envision was the first international festival to book me. It’s always held a very special place in my heart. I’ll be bringing (vocalist) Danny Musengo to perform Gone Gone Beyond, I’m doing Cats Pajamas. I’m also giving a lecture called “Accessing the Creative Spirit”. and an all-acoustic “David Block and Friends” set where I’ll be playing guitar, piano and singing. 

Underground house music has exploded in recent years, I speak from personal experience; the movement is a runaway freight train of positive energy and beautiful people, pulsating, throbbing rhythms, and exhilarating shimmy sessions teeming with reckless abandon. Envision has responded to this cultural tidal wave with a brand new hot-spot, the LAPA Stage. Headlining (and helping curate) is a returning favorite; Los Angeles’ dancefloor sorceress Tara Brooks. She who melts hearts and mesmerizes will be slangin’ those super-sexy grooves.

Joining Ms. Brooks on the LAPA will be Desert Hearts crew compadre Lee Reynolds, for a fantastic voyage through the jungle’s heart. Bringing some much-needed East Coast swagger is Brooklyn’s dynamite house music duo Bedouin. This team has been unleashing some of the most luscious dancefloor vibrations across both coasts, and are rapidly becoming international favorites at many diverse dance music festivals. Kicking things off on this new art/sound-stillation is Nevada City, CA icon Brian Hartman, the man behind HeartBass. Hartman is a school-teacher, a party-promoter, and a community leader; in life and in art he is a force of nature. He’s the perfect cat to plug us into the portal, to light the proverbial fuse. 

Tara Brooks: “I’m very excited to come back to Envision this year for a variety of reasons. Obviously, nothing really beats playing music on the beach in Costa Rica, especially to such an amazing ,open-minded community. I’ve been super-blessed and appreciative to have connected with the founders and creators of Envision. These guys are special, and I’m grateful to have contributed to the booking and programming of the LAPA Stage. Underground house music is not yet quite as popular or developed at Envision, in comparison to some of the other genres. But I feel that because of this beautiful vibe we’ve created, Envision has been so loving and supportive of our growth. So yea, I am feeling pretty proud to be a part of the expansion of our music and community, and I look forward to sharing this love with you all!”  
 
Brian Hartman:I am super excited about sharing music at Envision this year, and am especially stoked to be playing a world set of Latin beats & African rhythms at sunset on Thursday to help open the festival & set the proper vibes for the weekend. While there will be great music, and the ambience is unmatched, the thing I am most excited about is seeing so many friends from all over the world gathered together down in the jungle. It is going to feel like a reunion of the global familia, and what better way to celebrate this life than to get together in the jungle for music, dance, & community. I couldn’t be more excited! 

The HeartBass family has rented a 250 acre villa near Uvita for two weeks so we’ll be staying there, and enjoying all that Costa Rica has to offer before & after Envision. My guess is we’ll throw a pre/post party or two so keep your ears open for that. I am playing a couple sets at Embody, a dance retreat in Uvita, prior to Envision, and also playing at a party at a friends café up on Mt. Chirripo the week prior to the festival. 

There will be a plethora of performance artists of all stripes, styles and sizes wrecking shop to a soundtrack. Among the most jaw-dropping artistic elements of Envision are the myriad of dancers and performers. There are dozens that get up to get down, but Envision really attracts the creme de la creme, including elegant and graceful goddess Sofia Thom. The co-founder of Danyasa and Dominical resident will be hosting her Temple Body Dance Workshop, underground priestess movement on Friday, (Venus Freya Goddess day), as well as dancing magnificently to Random Rab, among others. Look out for the brilliant Bijoulette Airlines, a fully interactive, sexy and sophisticated, singing and dancing clown troop that doubles as a non-traditional a capella singing group. Another Envisionary OG, the lovely and talented KaytiBunny Roberts is returning for a sixth Envision. Roberts is a whirlwind kaleidoscope of pure joy, a superhero of the flow arts broadcasting in day-glo living color. She known to clown around and a whole lot more.  

Elana Meta Jaroff is the truth, a body-rockin’, street-skatin’, swag-surfin’, capoeira playin’, vibe-sprayin revolution. The B-Girl from BK-NY all the way to Venice Beach, LA is turning the world on its axis, one pop-n’lock at a time. You can catch her divine demonstrations onstage every night. The inimitable, enigmatic girl they call META will be leading a Hip-hop group dance on the main stage, to inspire the whole crowd to dance the same moves together in unison. She will of course also be at the epicenter of a festival wide flash mob, her patented storm surge in celebration.  

Envision founder Stephen Brooks: 
“All we wish for in every participant is that they take home some meaningful experience, where they learned something about community or themselves or how it all relates to the earth, and let it make a lasting, positive effect on who they are and what they do.”  

For more on Envision Festival, you can head to their official website. The full lineup poster can be seen below, as well as a gallery of images from Envision Festivals past, courtesy of Adam Straughn and Jill TrAshley: