Escapade Music Festival Concludes with Confetti and a Cooler End
ESCAPADE MUSIC FESTIVAL FINISHES ON AN EXCITING BUZZ IN THE RAIN WITH SOME MAGNIFICENT SETS.
The Canadian crowd showed their collective support for a host of international artists who came to party. June 27 and 28th officially marks the dates to turn up in Ottawa City out by the Rideau Carleton Entertainment Centre.
The first day welcomed a spur of eager festival attendees looking to rage in the nice weather. By Sunday morning, news of the massive storm had already sunk in the collective consciousness. However no amount of rain water would deter the crowd’s cause to dance and Escapade day two went on full ahead.
Without an orderly list, here are a few of the major moments Canadanightlife captured from both days of the chaos called Escapade. Notable mentions go out to Carl Cox and Friends stage the second day for the shelter and providing amazing music to groove to.
Photography by JP Castonguay
Blasterjaxx’s Big Room Set
Blasterjaxx came on the main stage at 8pm the first day before a sprawl of dedicated house fans. The two Dutch DJs have never played at Escapade before and were anxious to see the Ottawa energy. There was no complaints and only positive praises afterwards from the duo.

The connection between both high school friends runs deep and is noticeably reflected on stage when they play together. They bring a special side of the big room sound to festivals all around North America.
By the time that Blasterjaxx finished their set, the entire audience was in hysterics. Their straight house drive and bouncing bass kept the energy level high throughout their whole performance.

A Plethora of Flags
The national pride during Escapade was apparent from the mass amount of large Canadian flags held over heads. Those with ambitious intentions and signs to show always find a way to the front of the stage at any festival.

If the cool summer weather didn’t ease your festival ego then maybe Escapade’s fountains at front stage did. There is almost always a way to cool down the crowd at any large event because when things get heated, you certainly need a refresher. It was convenient to see a cold water station avaliable on site as well this year.

Your usual self promotional methods can only get you so far until you need an extra edge to give your festival costume a reason to stand out. If you ran into these girls with their sign at any point then you know that this framing style works and requires some creative skills.

Some Montrealers showed their true colours with official Hab flags right at the main stage.
Where’s the Bloody Knife Party?
Knife Party’s performance on the first day was nothing short of spectacular. The duo moved through a range of old and new material with little communication on stage between themselves. It seems Rob and Garth have developed a unique relationship to produce powerful music and then blend that music in with their set.

The Coldharbour Crowd
Markus Schulz and his Coldharbour Records crew had the tent stage in a pure state of trance all day long. From Nifra to Ferry Corsten, there was an abundance of low frequency transitions and psychedelic sounds perfectly suited for the colourful environment.

Jauz’s Gutted and Offbeat Show
None other than upcoming LA producer Jauz could have made so much commotion with a versatile set. Jauz chooses from a vast library of tracks what to play next and often will read into the crowd’s response. He moved from deep house to hip hop and back to dubstep repeatedly all throughout the span of an hour.

Canadanightlife spoke with the musician before his set to find out more about his creative process. Having worked beside some of the electronic music industry’s biggest DJs, he’s bound to have learned a thing or two about mixing multiple genres live.

The Explosion of Kandi Culture
The surplus of kandi among the audience proved to be an essential component to the crowd’s attire. There were even some stands selling pre-made bracelets with some suspicious and sleazy slogans. Despite the questionable kandi for sale, the food truck and stall space were a pleasant addition this year.

Most people come prepared with their own assortment of kandi labelled after their favourite acts. It’s always interesting to see the growth of a trend like kandi that has now evolved into a whole market. You have to give credit to those willing to craft entire masks and 3D cuffs taking the art form to new dimensions.
All in all: Escapade Music Festival knows how to celebrate good music with real style! The festival’s services were in top condition and there were several artistic displays. The artists all expressed their excitement playing the festival and each performance brought a different soundscape to three interesting stages.
The biggest fan favourite sets are easily identified as Carl Cox, Chus & Ceballos, Borgeous, and Laidback Luke b2b with Yellow Claw.
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