The fourth annual Lost Lands music festival, founded by Canadian dubstep legend Excision, featured over 160 artists over the Sept 24-26 weekend. In its biggest and nastiest year to date (not just talking about the mud), the bass community raged out their pent-up pandemic energy.  

Lost Lands is where headbangers call home. It is an intense yet wholesome experience for anybody who likes weird people and loves loud shit. Located in Legend Valley, an hour east of Columbus, OH, it’s a place where dinosaurs roam, and people swear by the unspoken rules of PLUR. As I enter the gates with my wristbands (one is a rave-friendly indicator for proof of vaccination), I walk through merch booths towards a hill of hammocks. Drug and meme-themed totems guide the way to friends: a smiling caveman passes me, holding a pole that reads “legalize tree stars.”  

Among some of the top-billed names are underrated favorites that live rent-free in the hearts and minds of headbangers. Here’s our list of sets you’ll want to revisit (at least until Lost Lands 2022 and Excision’s next festival Paradise Blue in Cancun). These moments are what made Lost Lands wonky and welcoming.

SVDDEN DEATH presents: VOYD 

VOYD encapsulated the most unique sound design and soul-disturbing dubstep in existence. It’s insufficient to call SVDDEN DEATH’s project dance music; it is a submission into darkness. The audiovisual experience of VOYD was one of the highest anticipated in the festival circuit since its debut in 2019, and did not disappoint. In this antlered alter ego, SVDDEN DEATH performed a skull-busting set that punctures expectations of bass music forever. The majority of the set consists exclusively of live IDs, the very reason this is a must-see for yourself.

SLANDER

Seldom will you see as much hugging and headbanging than at a SLANDER show. The LA duo’s penchant for melodic bass undulates between breaking the rail and breaking our hearts. It made for an emotional rollercoaster Saturday night but they were surely cathartic, happy tears. After back-to-back sob-worthy drops near the end, everyone in the crowd had their arm around a friend or rave bae. They finished with two unreleased tracks, “Walk On Water (Love Is Gone Pt. 2)” featuring RØRY & Dylan Matthew and a soon-to-come collab with MARAUDA, “Suffer (feat. Elle Vee)”. SLANDER has been a must-see since closing out Lost Lands 2019. Because of their ravishing hits, we all felt Superhuman again.

Lucii

Lucii’s music is devastatingly beautiful, and she knows exactly when to turn up the heat. With her bewitching live vocals and spacey production, Lucii’s set during Sunday’s golden hour was mesmerizing. “I was feeling myself the day I recorded these visuals,” she tweeted afterward. She had the crowd weak in the knees, and Lucii happily took pictures with swooning fans.  

Lucii has steadily released singles since first appearing at Lost Lands 2019, and her recent collaboration “All My Thoughts” with Dion Timmer is a certified bop. 

While Lucii took on the Prehistoric Evolution mainstage with her spellbinding set, Level Up threw down at Wompy Woods. Lost Lands featured more fresh faces and female producers this year that dominated every stage. Lucii’s Metamorphosis set proves that the voices representing bass music are evolving in the right direction, and the women playing Lost Lands deserve to be uplifted. This year’s diversity also shone through with enthralling headliners such as Jessica Audiffred, Sippy, Lizzy Jane, Jeanie, Vampa, and Zìa. 

DJ DIESEL

Shaquille O'Neal, aka DJ Diesel’s foray into dubstep in 2015 propelled the former basketball star’s popularity to new heights. He’s entered the moshpit before but never have we seen Shaq attempt to crowd surf. Fans commented days later about needing to still recover from the wildest moshpit the festival saw all wookend. We thank all the pit warriors for their service. 

DJ Diesel’s flashy, meme-filled visuals let us watch him literally push the bad vibes and negativity away. His presence created the irresistible hype and shock factor that not even the most brazen neck breakers could handle. 

Subtronics

Subtronic’s weed-infused wubs and chromatic cyclops alias were the keys to making the crowd light up. The filthy Philadelphia-based DJ and producer dropped a slew of brand new IDs. He played VIP versions of collabs including, “Gravity” with SLANDER and JT Roach, “Take Flight” with Sullivan King, and “Bunker Buster” with the bass god himself, Excision. Last year, “Griztronics” was the most iconic track of Lost Lands, and its success threw the collaborators into this year’s top timeslots. If there were any more lasers, our retinas would have probably burned, so it’s fair to say that Subtronics was absolutely bonkers. 

Excision’s Throwback Set 

Lost Lands wouldn’t be complete without Excision playing three of his own sets. The first night he spun two hours of straight bangers, and on Sunday, the Excision Detox set was a relatively chill interlude before one more night of annihilation. 

Excision’s curation of the fourth annual lineup sent waves of nostalgia for previous editions, his previous collaborators, and other massive names in bass music. Standing back at the sound booth with a group of longtime Excision fans, they tell me this is the best spot for the gigantic mainstage. “Everyone and anyone is welcome,” says raver Ben Pflefka, with a sharp ‘X’ tattooed across his back, “as long as you bring good vibes.” 

The all-original set of Excision’s earliest tracks was the perfect ending for longtime listeners. Fireworks shoot into the sky and illuminate thousands of awestruck faces, while eardrums pound during faves like “Home,” “Raise Your Fist” and “Throwin’ Elbows.” 

2021 saw the addition of the Subsidia stage, showcasing the incoming generation of dubstep producers on X’s label. Lost Lands is the ultimate reminder of why many of us fell in love with this thunderous genre, and it was worth the wait. 

Hailing from sunny Los Angeles, California, Good Society embodies the feelings of warm weather, endless days, and good vibes. The record label and event promoter is renowned for their incredible line-ups, careful curation, and stacked compilations. Their latest project Good Society Volume 3 pushes the future beats sound with standout artists like oshi, capshun, Laxcity, whereisalex, DECAP, Chromonicci, and more. They're a mainstay in LA and have been expanding their shows out of state to Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Austin, for SXSW. 

With Good Society's constant growth we felt it would be the perfect time to connect with Josh Yamini, the brand's founder to get an inside look at what makes them so good. We discuss their origins, the fusion of hip-hop and electronic music, fostering relationships, creating a unique live experience, and much more. 

Starting at the beginning, Josh explains what sparked the birth of his platform saying, "I started Good Society as an expression of my love for the underground and bringing people together. My taste in music was largely influenced by SoundCloud at the time of launch and all of my experiences at Insomniac festivals made me want to put that love of music and people into action." 

One of the core facets of what makes Good Society so special is their ability to bring together the worlds of hip-hop and electronic music. Whether it's future beats, chilled-out lo-fi, or experimental hip-hop and trap, this fusion is central to Good Society's platform.

"My love for these genres initially stemmed from ripping gems off of YouTube and Adult Swim bumps. I listened to lots of Nujabes, Flying Lotus, and Erykah Badu at the time which then evolved into listing to artists like Mr. Carmack, Sam Gellaitry, and Smino. Oftentimes I’ll bring my knowledge of the beat scene together with vocalists that I’m newly discovering to create a blend of genres that’s totally unique. Other times I might just be working with the artists who’ve coined a sound in between the two and are perfectly representing the medium with us," Josh elaborates about bringing together the two sonic worlds. 

In addition to uniting unique sounds, Good Society strives to bring people together. This applies to fans, through the music and events, as well artists. Josh expands on this outlook, "Our goal is to create a space where people can express themselves and find common ground through music. Ultimately we’d like to bring that to scale and create immersive experiences that go beyond traditional club settings while incorporating the songs and artists we’re releasing on our label. We want to create an ecosystem."

The genuine love for connection is what makes the brand so good. While some platforms focus more on numbers, social media following, or ticket sales, Good Society is all about creating an intangible vibe through human connection. Whether it's friendships, business relationships, or something even deeper.

"The good in Good Society stems from all of the constructive relationships this brand has built with artists, fans, and listeners alike. Many of our work relationships extend into personal ones. We’ve seen countless people having become close friends or start dating after having met at Good Society events. One couple is even getting married!"

Relationships are the cornerstone of any great business, but authenticity is what seems to separate Good Society from your typical promoter and label. Their connections are longstanding with many artists and come out of genuine respect and appreciation for their work. The brand is an extension of its founder's life. The friendships and connections along the way aren't just to the benefit of the label but are also about enriching his personal life.

"Much of our early outreach was done through Instagram and led to us doing things like flying out chromonicci for our second show ever, when we were really just learning the ropes and how to refine our events process. I’ve done everything very personally with this brand to the point of hosting artists at my apartment for the week of our shows, such as chromonicci, capshun, zotti, J Kuch, Malik Eliah, and more. Running Good Society is just as much a means to expand on my own life as it is for that of the audience that I curate for. So these relationships I’ve formed with everyone involved are directly tied to my own happiness," Josh tells us.

While Josh is the driving force behind Good Society, he's not doing it alone. Roto and MadBliss serve as the brand's resident DJs. In addition, they have their own videographer, Gavin Banksy, and Arielle Lana LeJarde serves as their publicist and advisor (editors note: Arielle is a writer for Festival Inside but did not take part in writing this feature). Josh handles the majority of the bookings, label releases, promotion, content, and social media while collaborating with different partners on a per-project basis. 

Matching the quality of their label releases, the Good Society events series looks to raise the bar. Josh explains what makes the series special saying, "The vision behind our concerts was initially to throw them in nature. Being that we’re in a big city, it felt natural to build up the foundation of our brand with solidly curated lineups, and uniquely unforgettable nights. More recently we’ve pivoted into renegade shows, different experiences such as the boat party, and are slowly gearing up to diversify the setting of our parties to better fit our initial dream of Good Society. What makes our events special is the fluidity of it all. You might get a live band 420 show with seemingly infinite free cannabis, a massive warehouse party with Alexander Lewis, or cruise on a boat across the ocean with Josh Pan & Luca Lush. We’ve even done insane live shows at a mansion and in a tunnel on the beach. Our diversity of curation and experiences is one of our strongest points."

Good Society has a lot of exciting prospects on the horizon. They will be expanding their events series, working towards an outdoor indie festival, and releasing more thematic compilations pushing the sounds they love. Josh closes our interview fittingly with an invitation to all, "I hope you get to attend one of our shows in the future or are positively charged by the music we release! Moreover, I hope we get to meet someday. Don’t be a stranger!"

Good Society Volume 3

"I curated this project to affirm the belonging of hip-hop & electronic music in a single space. Otherwise known as future beats, this project brings together soulful and jazzy boom bap production riddled with soulful rap vocals and electronic sound design."- Josh Yamini