Further Future: Come Jump Further Into the Future
From the minute we packed up the car to head out on our drive out to the dessert to embark on a weekend filled with new opportunities and fun, I couldn’t stop the feeling of knowing that I was going to witness something amazing. For so long, I had been complaining about the repetitiveness of festivals these days, repeated sets that I’ve heard from the previous years. And how some songs…amazing in their own right…are still so played out that if each time I hear it live at a show I cringe and normally start walking straight to the booze line. So when we arrived in Nevada at Further Future, to a pair of smiling faces complete with a super easy check in, futuristic shades and a beautiful metal canteen I knew we had finally had it.
Once inside Further Future it only took me a few seconds to hear the music and slowly start making my way over to it. Inside, seeing people already into the first hours of the festival shuffling under the tent or dancing on top of the crates of chatting with a group of friends while laying on a canopy style portable beds (located everywhere throughout the festival and they were AMAZING) had me feeling all of the amazing vibes that were happening there.
The food for one thing was incredible. There were a few vendors that were a bit expensive yet as we have all seen over the past few years the cost for food, drinks and of course alcohol at any festival is continuing to increase. But the payoff this time was that the food was filling and so delicious. Each time I sat down to eat whether it was a really hot serving of crazy good pho (which I loved during the rainy days), a slathering of cheese curds and bacon covered with gravy or a chicken teriyaki rice bowl covered in the most addicting Korean sauce ever I was satisfied every time.
The sound and lighting production with the music was spectacular and most of the time I was able to be either really close or hanging out way in the back and still hear the music perfectly. One of my favorite highlights from the weekend was waking up and doing an amazing sunrise set with Dixon getting into a groove from 4:45ish all the way to 10:30 meeting and dancing with amazing people the entire time. If you have never experienced a sunrise set with a talented DJ that has the ability to put you into a groove that won’t stop till he stops, you need to put that on your to do list quickly. There is literally nothing like it. DJ Tennis was also an amazing show and I have to say I never knew I was talented enough to eat cheese fries and shuffle at the same time but I learned how to do so semi effortlessly while listening to his set. My childhood was relieved with catching a reminiscent set from The Pharcyde and I had a great time snapchatting my brother (Yes Yes, I can be one of “those” sometimes) and getting snaps back from him rapping along as well. It was truly a moment I wouldn’t forget.
But I think the most of what I took away at the Further Future festival was more of the other side of the entertainment aspect of music festivals. I participated in many meditation sessions, listened to amazing entrepreneurs talk, listen to individuals talk about wellness and many other topics that were intriguing and insightful. This is the backbone of Further Future and I believe that as they continue to grow and bring intelligent and inspiring individuals that their numbers of attendees will continue to grow rapidly. With each inspiring talk whether it was Eric Schmidt the executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. (who we learned goes to Burning Man and had on an amazing mirror vest) or Bob Pittman of IHeartMedia or being super inspired by watching power woman Jane West speak about the future of the cannabis industry, my mind loved absorbing in all of the information and stories.
While I thought there was nothing better than being surrounded by friends all loving the music and celebrating it in one place…the feeling of being surrounded by like minded individuals and hearing more innovate and creative advances coming up in our generation and being able to have great discussions about it WHILE hearing amazing music in the background is a far better feeling that I know I am going to continue to chase. Of course, one of the most eerie yet exciting moments for me was getting a chance to see the future of AI and watching her move around and respond to individuals there as it was so fascinating to see something like that involved in the scene that I find myself passionate about.
Further Future certainly isn’t for everyone. There is definitely a sense and majority of individuals who want to crave something more in their life. For me, I imagine that as you continue to go through your music experience that when the music starts to touch you in a certain way you’ll soon crave more. And when that more starts to develop into you going out and trying the unknown and wanting to experience new sensations and new ideas yet still be in one place where you can have an amazing time with your friends, you’ll find that you will be transported to the future. And those of us at Further Future cannot wait for you to catch up and join us. This is definitely a festival I will be continuing to visit every year and will continue to bring more of my friends along with me for the ride.
AUTHOR CREDIT: SHANNON BALMES
PHOTO CREDIT: RANDALL EYRE