Change is in the air. The tourists are gone, the kids are back in school, and life is returning to normal for students here at Camosun. One popular end-of-summer ritual is just around the corner for thousands of Victoria residents. It’s safe to call it an institution at this point: Atomique Productions’ Rifflandia Festival.
Coming off of a highly successful ten-year-anniversary fest in 2017, Atomique has broadened the program, bringing in celebrated pop and R&B acts Daniel Caesar and Jessie Reyez to play alongside Current Swell, Bishop Briggs, Blitzen Trapper, Chad VanGaalen, The Zolas, and The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, to name just a few of the 150 acts performing this year at Royal Athletic Park and 11 satellite venues over four days.
One of the highlights of this year’s program will undoubtedly be the Saturday night set at the Phillips Backyard stage from former Beastie Boys member, Grammy winner, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mix Master Mike, also known as Mike Schwartz.
Back home in Los Angeles after a world tour opening for Metallica, Schwartz says he has been incredibly busy of late, going beyond the studio to get his hands into just about everything.
“I am everywhere,” says Schwartz. “I‘m not going to lie to you. I’m just keeping busy on all these projects. We just did the premiere for the Teen Titans movie. I did a mix on the theme song. I’ve been doing a lot of movie work, a lot of animation work, a lot of commercial work… I’m writing a chapter in the Beastie Boys book with Ad-Rock and Mike D… and then shows in between, you know what I mean, until I go on the road with Cypress Hill. I just signed a deal with Cypress Hill, so they’ve got me on as music director and DJ. We start the world tour in October.”
Schwartz says that after three decades on stage, he has become a chameleon. Whether it’s a festival or a stadium show, Schwartz says he tries to match the energy of his audience.
“Musically, it’s pretty much all over the place,” he says. “Right now it’s hip hop, but it’s morphed into a whole different thing. It’s a little bit of drum and bass and a little bit of electro, but it’s got that hip-hop feeling. It is performance art. Live performance art. It’s live remixing, right before your eyes. The camera is on my hands, so there is no visual, except you’re watching the music unfold. It’s all improv, and you’re watching it go down live. No sync buttons, no bail-out buttons, it’s just turntables and a mixer. That’s the way it started. Now it has transcended to what it is today, where all of these forms of music are mashed into one.”
He’s come a long way, but Schwartz has taken all the fame, fortune, and accolades in stride. He says he just wants to give people something they can talk about.
“I encourage people to get their phones out and record it,” says Schwartz. “Share it, because you’re not going to get that experience again. I encourage people to break out their video cameras and take something home. The difference between myself and other artists is that I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s kind of like they’re logging my history for me. When they post it, I can look back and say, ‘That’s what I did.’”
Rifflandia
Various times, Thursday, September 13 to Sunday, September 16
Various prices and venues
rifflandia.com