DoLab – The Bouncy Kitty

Once Spring has sprung, it can only mean one thing – it’s time to fest with the best, On the West Coast, you’ll find droves of party people, festival families – and actual families, flocking down to Weekend 1 and Weekend 2 of the Coachella Music and Arts Festivals, and then again the following weekend for the Stagecoach Festival – but the later is definitely for another time and place 😉 Over the last few decades, the pull of the music community has been strong with Coachella – eliciting the creme of the crop from each and every far reaching corner of the music industry. Originally founded in 1999 by Paul Tollett, Coachella is now in it’s 19th year and produced as a beautiful byproduct of the California based AEG subsidiary, Goldenvoice. Like Coachella, Tollett has only magnified his position in music culture as the President and CEO of Goldenvoice and a Board Member of AEG.

A dynamic, ever changing event – many of us have been witness to the pure expansion of the festival and it’s widespread cult-like appeal. At it’s inception, Coachella boasted one day of decadent dancing; in 2002, the festival had spawned an extra day of extravagance, by 2007, a thirsty third day was added into the mix and in 2012, Coachella had grown large enough to warrant double weekends. As of 2016, we’re all anxiously awaiting the global takeover – and it starts g as the best of the West heads East in the form of New York City’s Panorama Music, Arts and Technology Festival, held on Randall’s Island July 22-24; not to mention this week’s announcement of 2017’s Arroyo Seco Music + Arts Festival, which wistfully ushers music festivals back into Los Angeles proper.

Now that we’ve had ourselves a little history lesson, it’s time to prepare for our Adult Spring Break the only way we know how – an official playlist of all the artists you’d be a fool to miss while you’re imbibing, indulging and enjoying yourself in Indio’s desert landscape. We don’t know how the stages are going to tear our groups apart quite yet, so until then we can all share this proverbial dancefloor together and groove to the collective tunes of the esteemed Coachella cast of 2016.

Each weekend’s music is a cascading arc – from Friday’s dynamic stage presence of James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem, to Saturday’s historic sounds Rock and Roll sounds of Guns N’ Roses and then closing it off with Calvin Harris, in an ode to the sheer power and prowess of EDM. There’s definitely something for everyone at the show, but at The DJ List, we want to give an extra special shoutout to the BPM brothers and soul sisters, booty shakers and dance music tastemakers that have ushered in stages like the Yuma, overrun the Gobi, scared the over-30 crowd away from the Sahara and coveted the Do LaB stage all for their own.

The dance influenced acts of this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival are: the emotive and brooding Underworld, M83, bass heavy, crowd pleasing DJ superduo Jack Ü, made of Skrillex and Diplo ( does this mean we should be prepared for some Bieber fever?!), Purity Ring, 2manydjs, DJ Mustard, Snakehips, Bob Moses, the queen of Techno Nicole Moudaber, Sasha (and will be maybe bring Digweed on stage?!), Disclosure, Zedd, RL Grime, Tchami, ZHU, Nina Kravitz, RÜFÜS DU SOL…..and I’m not even halfway through the second day, not to mention the EPIC lineup from the Do LaB camp!

I’ll be out at Weekend 2 of Coachella representing The DJ List with some of my press besties, including Danny who’s shooting the event as an on site photographer for Getty Images; I can’t wait to show you guys the magic he captures! don’t be afraid, to share some grooves, moves and or beers with us as we enjoy the 17th anniversary of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

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For more on Coachella, head to their social media channels:

Originally Published on The DJ List: As a sidenote, I’ve written for The DJ List for a year and a half now; worked my way from Ad Hoc press releases to being the Senior Editor and PR Specialist, and at about the 150 article mark – this interview with Lucent Dossier founder Dream Rockwell stands at the pinnacle of my accomplishments, right along with my coverage of Lightning in a Bottle, Sea of Dreams and Krewella’s Get Wet Tour with Seven Lions. Enjoy; I know I did!

As Spring manifests into Summer, Los Angeles based avant-garde performance collective the Lucent Dossier Experience are taking a quick break between legs of their first North American Headlining Tour “Light of the World.” The tour showcases the production and vocals of Lucent leader Dream Rockwell alongside singer Sarah Llewellyn and band members Atla Gadret and Metaphase. Commencing at Coachella’s Gobi Stage, and then another headlining set at California’s coveted underground music festival Lightning in a Bottle, they’ve been taking the East Coast of the country by storm with their out of this world stage spectacle of acrobats and contortionists ebbing and flowing to eastern inspired melodies. City by city, the 21 person performance troupe joins up with exclusive local acts for a unique Lucent Dossier Experience each and every time.

With multiple tours spanning twelve countries over the past decade, it’s easy to understand how the ensemble worked their way from humble beginnings in the vast underground party network of Los Angeles to international stardom. In a Bohemian-Steam Punk induced style all their own, The Lucent Dossier Experience combines the theatrics of modern dance and performance art with the immense creativity that fuels festivals like Coachella, Burning Man and Lightning in a Bottle. Weaving aerial acrobatics into body rattling sub-bass frequencies, the troupe delivers a performance package that completely redefines the live theater experience by further blurring the line between performer and audience member. The team is led by the effervescent Dream Rockwell, a creative visionary with a clear understanding of what she wants to give to the world; and we were lucky enough to touch base with her as her troupe gears up for their Summer tour across the West Coast and Canada.

TDJL: Thanks so much for finding the time to talk with The DJ List! To start with, what kickstarted you to form the Lucent Dossier Experience and what fuels your creative fire?

“I started The Do LaB with two brothers. They loved to build and light things, lots of power tools and stuff. I wanted to do more frilly lacy things….more spiritual, if you will, more silliness; so I started Lucent, to get my creative wiggle out. We became the perfect complement to each other. I fueled by my desire to live in a better world and the understanding that we can’t do it alone. We have to go together. So I hope to inspire others to create a better world for us all to live it. That’s my passion.”

TDJL: Not only are you the founder of the Lucent Dossier Experience, but you’re a co-founder of Lightning in a Bottle – what other hats do you wear?

“I have a foundation called Cuddle the World, we deliver cuddle blankets, inspirational toys and instruments and necessities to children in basic care institutions worldwide. In fact, I’m almost on my way Guyana to visit an orphanage and play with the kids there. I’m pretty excited about that.”

TDJL: Coming off of your amazing performance at Lightning in a Bottle, how and where do you draw your inspiration from and how does that translate into your solo performances – like the one coming up in Los Angeles at the Nokia Theater?

“We’re always inspired to inspire others. To be more of who the really are. Not who we think we should be, but just who we are. We’re all weirder, more powerful, more playful then how we’re living and acting…..at least that’s my belief. Lucent is a permission slip to let it all transpire, all the awesomeness of who we really are. “

TDJL: You’re on another tour – the ‘Light of the World Tou’r – how does this differ from your last national tour and when ‘Lucent Met Herakut’?

“When Lucent Met Herakut was a show we put up at the Palace DTLA. Our last national tour was with Panic! At the Disco. We’ve done lots of dates here and there but this is our big first tour in years, and our first as a headliner! The difference is, we are more in our power now then we’ve ever been. We are super solid in our craft and as a team. It’s an exciting time for us. “

TDJL: With the Do Lab – life seems to be non-stop; a festival here, performance there – how do you manage to stay on top of it all and, when you’re not Do Labbing it up – how do you fill your leisure time?

“I’m not involved in the day to day of The Do LaB operations these days. I’m focused on LIB and Lucent. But even so, leisure time is few and far between. I could probably use a little more leisure time and hope to get it soon. But I love what I do; it’s important to me.”

More tour dates will be rolling out soon, so make sure to stay up to date with Dream Rockwell and all things LUCENT DOSSIER through their socials.

Early Summer 2014 “Light of the World” Tour Dates:
7/25 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
7/26 Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
8/10 Salmo, BC Shambhala Music Festival

Lucent Dossier Experience: The DJ List | Website | Facebook

Dream Rockwell: Facebook

To find out more about Dream’s Non Profit foundation ‘Cuddle the World’, please head to the website here