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The Believe festival lineup

Pique put together a selection of the dozens of acts playing the five-day festival. For a complete list visit believefreedomfestival.

Pique put together a selection of the dozens of acts playing the five-day festival. For a complete list visit believefreedomfestival.com

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Dubconscious July 13, 3 pm | Sun City stage

Dubconscious

July 13, 3 pm | Sun City stage

Bouncing around Toronto, Victoria and Nelson for years, Dubconscious finally settled in East Vancouver, where he's cultivated a DJ act full of urban and modern bass. He has shared the stage with acts like The Roots, Mixmaster Mike and Rusko and played festivals from Shambhala to Bass Coast to the Dragon Festival in Spain.

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Protonica July 13, 7 pm | The Galaxy stage

Protonica

July 13, 7 pm | The Galaxy stage

Progressive trance duo Protonica hails from Berlin and have been DJing together around the world for over a decade. Made up of Piet Kaempfer, who brings the harmonies as a skilled pianist, and Ralf Dietze, adept at grooves, have put out three releases in recent years, including 2012's Form Follows Function.

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Julian Marley and The Uprising July 13, 8 pm | Sun City stage

Julian Marley and The Uprising

July 13, 8 pm | Sun City stage

Julian Marley was essentially destined for a music career. As son of the legendary Bob Marley and Grammy-nominated roots-reggae musician Lucy Pounder, he quickly learned an array of instruments as a kid, recording his first demo at the age of five. Before releasing his debut solo album, Julian formed Ghetto Youth International, a production company, with his brothers Ziggy and Stephen. Eventually, he put out three records, including Awake, released in 2009, which was nominated for a Grammy in the best reggae album category. For his Believe Festival set, the London-based musician will be accompanied by his band, The Uprising, who have travelled all the way from Jamaica.

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Luminaries July 14, 5 pm | Sun City stage

Luminaries

July 14, 5 pm | Sun City stage

Luminaries created the foundation for their brand of uplifting hip hop, steeped in positive messages, by rolling up their sleeves and practicing what they would come to preach. "It was 2005 when I started working with homeless and at-risk youth," says J Brave, one of the group's three MCs. "Another MC (with whom he later formed the group) introduced me to the field. I was still doing day-to-day work and he was like, 'Yo, you should come check out this centre I work at.' These are young people, teens living on the street, some squatting in abandoned buildings, prostituting, in and out of incarceration."

Instead of letting the heartbreaking work drag him down, he used the experience to inspire him, going on to form the group with other like-minded musicians and MCs. The California group has since toured around the world, playing at various festivals and fundraisers along the way, and releasing one full-length record with another on the way. "This has been our busiest summer yet," J Brave says. "It seems every year we keep stepping up a little bit."

That includes playing in Canada for the first time at the Believe Festival. (They will also play a fundraiser event called Seeds of Change in Vancouver on July 16 afterwards to benefit Nepalese youth.)

"Our live show is super high energy. It's impressively powerful," he adds. "We have songs called "Yes," "Practice" and a song called "Rise up.'" Every song is intended to invigorate the audience in a powerful way and help them feel inspired. Our intention is to have fun."

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Liquid Stranger July 14, 12 am | Sun City stage

Liquid Stranger

July 14, 12 am | Sun City stage

Swedish producer and DJ Liquid Stranger released his acclaimed album The Invisible Conquest in 2007, filled with a combination of dub beats, hints of tribal sounds and raga grooves. But, according to his Facebook bio, he also has another accomplishment on his resume. "There was this couple living in the apartment above me that had these horrible quarrels," he writes. "I mounted an 18" subwoofer to my ceiling and every time they started yapping I shook their whole floor. They always stopped fighting. I might actually have saved their marriage."

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Stickybuds July 13, 10 pm | Sun City stage

Stickybuds

July 13, 10 pm | Sun City stage

Stickybuds gets around. The Kelowna DJ has performed in over 14 countries and festivals like Shambhala (where he played every year from 2005-2012), Glastonbury and Burning Man. He has also released around 20 dance floor-ready tracks that explore funk, drum 'n bass, glitch hop and reggae, on several different labels.

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Symphonix July 14, 4 pm | Sun City stage

Symphonix

July 14, 4 pm | Sun City stage

German duo Sympohnix have been playing their progressive trance tracks on dance floors around the world for the last decade. Emerging on the scene with their first bass-heavy, melody-laden song in 2003, the pair was at the forefront of the burgeoning scene.

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Atmos July 14, 12 pm | The Galaxy stage

Atmos

July 14, 12 pm | The Galaxy stage

It's an unusual gateway into music, but Atmos, a.k.a. Thomasz Balicki, first became interested in exploring sounds after watching TV for the first time in the 1970s. Drawn in by the soundtracks and jingles, he later became a DJ before shifting towards producing progressive trance tracks and, eventually, putting out four albums.

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Lish July 14, 1 pm | The Galaxy stage

Lish

July 14, 1 pm | The Galaxy stage

Leading Israel's progressive scene for the last 10 years, Lish have released three albums and collaborated with a staggering number of DJs. The duo have traveled the world over, cultivating a reputation as a top notch touring act for their blend of dark tech and psychedelic trance.

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Gaudium July 14, 10 pm | The Galaxy stage

Gaudium

July 14, 10 pm | The Galaxy stage

In Latin the word "Gaudium" translates to satisfaction and that's what the pair of Swedish progressive trance producers who perform under that name believe music should offer. Forming in 2004, both Andreas and Dennis had worked on separate projects before coming together to experiment with a sound that incorporates house and techno with their progressive-psychedelic sound.

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Neon Vibes July 11, 12 pm | Sun City stage

Neon Vibes

July 11, 12 pm | Sun City stage

Made up of two staples in Whistler's music scene, Neon Vibes will make its official debut opening the entire Believe Festival on Thursday.

Monty Biggins of rockabilly/country act The Sociables has teamed up with reggae act/jam session leader Kostaman to create a group that falls far outside either of the sounds for which they're known. "I think it's a wonderful opportunity to showcase a different side of our artistic ability as opposed to playing in town and gearing our sets towards the type of visitor in the crowd or what the local venue is looking for," Biggins says. "I feel there's a bit more freedom in it."

Creating an ambient sound using instruments like sitar, harmonium and hand drums and combining them with modern looping and delay technology, the pair will also bring up guest musicians for their set. They plan to add a heap of improvisation to the show, which will feature a loose plot.

"We wanted to touch on themes of earth, water, wind and fire," Biggins says. "We wanted to talk about the elements of our world, our surroundings and we broke it down to those four main themes. Kostaman has been playing bamboo flutes for quite a while now and as we go through the set, it tells the story of bamboo growing into a bamboo flute."

Although he's released electronic music under the moniker Neon Beige before, Biggins realizes what a departure the new group is from his more established band. The pair hopes the sound, story and vibe will set the tone for the festival. "I'm super excited to be part of it," he says. "It sounds like (the organizers) have brought something pretty special to our town."



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