Our Favorite Moments From Sub Focus’ Shambhala 2016 Set

Our Favorite Moments

Sub Focus’ performance at Shambhala 2016 was full of special moments. The atmosphere, attendees, and stages do their part to make Shambhala a special place. But it’s the artists, and their music, that are the proverbial straw that stirs the drink. These moments, straight from the mind and skills of Sub Focus, are the memories we’ll carry with us for the rest of our lives.

The highs started early, with a Sub Focus ID tune getting things started. Fitting right in with the sound and style of much of the Sub Focus we’re used to, the fist song of the performance prepared us perfectly for the rest of the set. A few minutes later, it was a couple of Metrik tunes paving the way for some of the best drum & bass heard all weekend. Fatso and Chasing Sunrise was quickly followed by Dimension’s UK, and everyone in attendance was well aware that Sub Focus had The Village in the palm of his hand.

Things were only getting started, when he dropped into Delta Heavy’s remix of Major Lazer’s 2015 super-hit Lean On. The original, and many variations, were heard throughout Shambhala’s several stages in the summer of 2015, and it’s bassier re-work was more than welcome at The Village. What came next, though, nobody was prepared for. Dropping the low-tempo version of Lean On into the Mefjus remix of Ivy Lab’s Sunday Crunk let everyone in attendance know that they’d have to stay on their toes.

The off-kilter switch was a great attention-getter for what was about to come. We have a lot of favorite tunes from Sub Focus, but few hit the spot as well as Tidal Wave. The mix featured several tunes from Sub Focus’ most recent album, Torus, which was released via the famed RAM Records in 2013. No song from Torus finds its home better in Sub Focus’ Shambhala 2016 set than Tidal Wave.

Then, they brought the lights down low.

Bringing the crowd together, and commemorating the moment with lights only from those in attendance, Sub Focus ignited The Village with Sigma’s 2015-track Lost Away. Culture Shock and Josh Parkinson’s collaboration No More quickly overlaps, and Sub Focus’ genius is made evident. A prime example of a DJ knowing his audience, the atmosphere, and playing to their strengths, Sub Focus’ had us all in awe, less than thirty minutes into the set.

We were expecting more Sub Focus originals and remixes throughout the set, but getting Out of the Blue just a few minutes after Tidal Wave was a treat we were happy to enjoy. The entirety of Sub Focus’ performance is full of tasty chunks of fan-favorites, but the first half-hour, culminating in Out of the Blue, is one of our favorite moments in our multiple trips to The Farm.

A bit later, there was more showcasing from the massive amounts of DJing talent we know as Sub Focus. Around the 44-minute mark, we welcomed one of our favorite bass tunes of the year to Shambhala, when the Englishman dropped Noisia’s Tentacles. The bass-boost was quickly followed by the Sub Focus vs. Fred V & Grafix remix of Endorphins, which smoothly moved into the Shockone bootleg of Jamie XX’s Good Times less than a minute later. We were in bass music heaven, and clearly in the hands of a legend.

The rest of the set featured more memorable moments, such as an always-welcome dosage of Wilkinson’s Afterglow, and more well-timed Sub Focus original music in Turn Back Time. There was also the wonderful usage of an a cappella Sigma’s Nobody To Love overlaid with Culture Shock’s City Lights that reminded us all of the incredible performance we had witnessed.

Finding each and every amazing moment from a set as special as this is hard. Thankfully, we have forever to pore over the spectacular recording full of memorable tunes and moments. Let us know what you thought of Sub Focus’ performance at The Village this summer and how much you’re looking forward to Shambhala’s 20th anniversary next year! Comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter.