Eye on the Triangle

Brian Jurado 0:01
The views and opinions expressed on Eye on the Triangle do not represent WKNC or NC State student media.

You are currently tuned into Eye on the Triangle here on WKNC 88.1 f m h D one Raleigh Thank you for listening

Hello everyone this is Brian who rather the Public Affairs Director here at WKNC and host of Eye on the Triangle. We've got a fun episode for y'all today with two interviews from Eye on the Triangle reporter Maha to start us off MaHA has an interview with Julian Jacobs the owner of creative space and market the borough following the interview with the borough Maha also interviews Nick and Kai from slingshot music and Electronic Arts Festival so stay tuned.

Maha Syed 0:59
Hey, everyone, this is Maha with Eye on the Triangle on WKNC 8.1 FM HD one and he to catch our show every Sunday from six to 7pm. Did you know three quarters of our landfills are filled with clothes because of fast fashion. And many rivers and streams become polluted with the synthetic dyes used to make these clothes. fast fashion can be tied to human trafficking and slave conditions literally, but also because of the obscene working conditions that workers face every day. These facts have been provided by Good trade.com basically stop buying fast fashion. I'm here with an owner of a shop that offers a unique solution to this problem. Hi, please introduce yourself. How's it going? My name is Julian Jacobs. I am the owner of the borough and part owner of unorthodox vintage in downtown Raleigh. Awesome. So when did this shop open? And what would you like for it to evolve into? So unorthodox was the shop that opened first that open? June 4, I kind of had my own shop before and collabed with another seller. So we opened on orthodox June 4, and the borough is opening October 7, for its grand opening.

Julian Jacobs 2:16
Awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about the borough and what makes it unique. So the borough is a vendor market that I got the concept from a place in New York called artists and fleas. So it's basically just an open space, we have room for people to come. Then on the weekends. We have cool community based events like small shows, we're going to have drawn classes, candlemaking, soapmaking, things like that. And then we have four rooms in the borough that are rented out as kind of like creative space office space. But also they can come in here use all the tools, internet, bringing all their own furniture, and kind of turn it into their their workspace. So it's kind of a co collaboration of creativity and arts. Yeah. So that's a better as a better way of saying it than I did. Absolutely, absolutely. So what kinds of events and activities you have lined up for the shop as of now. So every first Friday and third Friday, we're going to have a specialty market. So first Friday in Raleigh is a big thing. So that's gonna be a night market. And then this month, it's actually on the fourth Friday, but we'll have like an a Halloween, curated markets, a lot of artists, a lot of like spooky music decorations, we're going to kind of it's going to feel like a house party, but a binder market with a house party inside of it. So that's what we can expect for this October. Yeah, so this October, it's kind of like we're just having a couple shows kind of seeing how the schedule fills out. But hopefully in November, we're going to have yoga and other classes in the mornings

during the day, so around nine to 530 ish, it's going to be mostly just workspace for the vendors inside. And then in the afternoons, more classes.

Like I said, the little, like

candlemaking classes. So making classes, we're working with some bands that might want to practice in the space

planning some shows and some live streaming events for those bands if they ever want to perform. So really just like a mix of all different types of activities that you want to do. So I can expect to see all walks of life here. Clothing, fashion yoga, candlemaking Yeah, like everything like house music, EDM, music, rap music, r&b, jazz, live shows, bands, different events, just as if you want to do something here. You can we can do it. Absolutely. That sounds great. How was your shop inclusive of all

Maha Syed 5:00
All different kinds of people?

Julian Jacobs 5:02
Oh, that's a really good question. So, I don't know, I'm really I know a lot of different people. I know a lot of different groups. And I kind of see that like, some groups kind of get all of the love on Instagram, like a certain look a certain vendor or certain wave, when all of these different groups of people have followers and people that support them. So I kind of just want to I go to a lot of different events, I talked to a lot of different people. So it's really just like, wounding all of those different styles and, and different types of vendors together into like, one homogenous market each weekend. So yeah, I think just spreading spreading the net, like really wide, inviting everyone, no matter what you do to come in, well, within reason, no matter what you do, but

Maha Syed 5:52
yeah, letting anyone use the space if they can, if they have a following and they want to bring people in.

So what is the mission of your shop? When you open the shop? What intentions did you have?

Julian Jacobs 6:04
Um, well, I started doing pop ups in 2020. And I hate doing pop ups. I love pop ups. But the Why do you hate it? Like the setup, and I don't know, I'm kind of lazy. So I kinda just want my stuff to be there to be ready. So part of this was letting people come and get some of like the downtown Raleigh money

letting them come in, they can leave their stuff, like if they're doing a Saturday and Sunday pop up. They can leave it Saturday, come back Sunday. And then like it takes that stress out of it. Really just like more, a more accessible vendor, vendor area, a more accessible spot for either small business if you just started. And you you want to sell like your earrings that you made in your basement or if you're a large business and pretty much moving as a company and you want to reach a different market in downtown Raleigh. It's it's really for anyone. What do you love most about your shop?

The vibes, the vibes? Yeah, I was just like, the vibes you got over here for people just in the auditory space? Well, I've always wanted like a warehouse space. So one of those spaces like where you go in and there's like eight people all working and they're all working on different things, but they're working together. So kind of has that has that like great co working vibe, where everyone's here kind of doing what they like what they love. But then it has like the exposed brick and the concrete and the piping and it's a basement so you kind of have to walk down into it has just like a cool. I don't know, it has this underground. Yeah, this underground aesthetic that a lot of places in downtown Raleigh don't have or like if it like there are some places like this, but they're used for offices and they're not really open to the public. Yeah, so yeah. So yeah, definitely like opening it up as many people coming down as possible. And kind of seeing seeing what we're doing down here. What's in your bag. So I have a couple of items from some of the vendors. Well, two of the vendors and ones from me.

First I have a painting that goes skills did I name is Gilly she goes to NC State. She's an artist. She makes a lot of stickers, sticker books, cool paintings. But this is something she's going to give away to a follower on Instagram this week. Can you tell the audience what we're looking at here? Is it a beetle? I was like a is it a beetle? Yeah, it's a beetle. It looks like a tribal beetle. Yeah. In a yellow background with like some yellow designs and prints on it. It's a really cool print. I love it. Yeah, she's pretty sure this is a sticker also like oh all of her all of her prints that she does she also makes some stickers love that love that what's next? So I have a it's a rug from Safe and sound rugs. It he toughs them all he does it in the burrow. But this is a his logo right here. So he does like cool sneakers like easy boxes. Yeah, Nike checkmarks all that. And then it looks like an eight ball. It has a really cool look. Yeah. I love that I like I like the black and white. So that's like my favorite color. Like just simple black and white.

Maha Syed 9:21
Of course now what do you have next? So these are these are kind of special to me because when I first started selling vintage I got really into Levi's and vintage jeans.

Julian Jacobs 9:30
Is a pair of 506 Women's high waisted was it standard fit straight leg jeans from those are like the classic blue jeans that everybody loves to wear. These are from 1995 Oh, and I think they go like resell for like 60 or $70. Yeah. And how much are you selling them for? I'm not really selling them. Oh, they're just oh, I don't really fold up there because you're Jean. I sell them

But like I kind of just list them I kind of put them up and then I kind of wait for someone like, Oh, what are those? And then I explain why they're cool. Yeah. And then I kind of like see what they offer of course. But yeah, I love Levi's and I was, uh, in the at the Goodwill bins and Greensboro and found these and paid 25 cents or 50 cents for them. Perfect. So this is like my favorite find right now, where can we find more information about this shop, the opening and any events and curators coming down here. So follow us on Instagram, the borough and see our website is in the link tree. So if there's any vendors that want to pop up, or you want to rent out the space or you want to be on our newsletter, that's the best way to find us. That sounds great. Well, thank you, Julian. It's been an honor talking with you. Thank you for sharing a look into your world. I appreciate it. This is Maha signing off. No problem. Thank you.

Brian Jurado 11:00
Up next Maha interviews Nick and Kai from slingshot music at Electronic Arts Festival.

Maha Syed 11:12
This is Maha with Eye on the Triangle on WKNC at 8.1 FM HD one and HD to catch our show every Sunday from six to 7pm.

I am here with two of the organizers for the slingshot festival coming up on October 7 through the ninth hosted at the fruit. The slingshot Music Festival courageously groups dance, electronic or thinking pop and experimental music from around the world and puts them center stage for the locals in the triangle. This year, they're teaming up with boiler room in addition to several other local artists like second wave, Gemini, God fan girl, Sally see Drummond lace, he karo Yama, Mora, and so many more. So hey, Nick. Hey, Kai, how are you guys doing today? Well, there's a great, thanks for having us.

Thanks for being here. Yeah, of course. So can you guys tell me a little bit how slingshot was like created, I'm talking like origin story back when this was probably written on a napkin or something like when this idea became, I'll keep it I'll keep it brief. So we can get current. But I was living in Athens, Georgia, a lot of my friends were going to South by Southwest, and kind of complain about always having to go South by Southwest. And I said, we can just do our own thing here. And so I don't know, if you've been to Athens, a small, super small town, a bunch of music venues. I was doing some PhD work at the time, also had a lot of friends in the music industry was also playing in bands, yada, yada, yada. And I just kind of

Nick 12:50
put this idea together that people could slingshot from Athens over to South to Austin for South by Southwest, not thinking the name would stick independently, that whole endeavor. And then of course, so you know, kind of super DIY, put some holes on some clubs, said my band would play. And so it's like, we have one band, and we have some detail. And so that's, you know, one thing that's wonderful about Athens, Georgia, is people tend to rally they're very accessible, similar to Durham, in a lot of ways. And so we began kind of a kind of a grassroots, both national and local events. And, you know, slowly, with Athens having a deep music history, the b 50, twos REM, Neutral Milk Hotel, it goes on and on. But people in my church I found, were super excited about coming to coming to Athens. And it was just very humbling, you know, between the university and town and the bands and the National

booking agents, we just kind of built something very small on like a $3,000. Kickstarter, and just kind of kept going. So that spirit is still actually in, in the current version, truth be told, where, you know, it's it's parts.

Maha Syed 14:14
It's not to be too

dramatic, but it's really about the people that have always been involved and how humbling that is and the ability for people to want to

Kai 14:26
make something grow right where they're living, per se. So we did we recently shot did four or five iterations in Athens. I came up here to to run Moke fest, which was in Durham at the time.

The climate was very similar to Athens, maybe a little less

gritty. I met Nicholas early on when I was working at MAGFest. And we've always shared a passion for events for thinking music, teamwork.

Nick 14:57
And it goes on so so

When MAGFest kind of went the way of the wind, a couple years ago, we decided to kind of like brew this thing back up. And I saw a lot of the similar components as far as the great community town, Nick and his team. It all kind of lined up. And so here we are, we are.

Unknown Speaker 15:22
In some ways, the name still fits like it's right before movement in, in Detroit, figure things out over the movement. And then in October, we're the weekend before or a week or two before add the big the big industry thing over in Amsterdam taken slingshot from from here over to there. So the name still still fit? Yeah. Yeah, it's

Nick 15:44
got a little bit of a funky vibe. You know, it just once you name something, you don't know what's gonna happen. And so so that's that's pretty much the origin story. You know, there's basically it's still in its current version, which is a blend of great people coming together, friends of ours playing and some national and international people wanting to join us, which is great.

Unknown Speaker 16:04
I think. I think it plays nicely with hopscotch too.

Nick 16:07
Right? Yeah. That's right.

Maha Syed 16:10
We love hopscotch. It can see we covered them last week. They're pretty cool. And yeah, so one of the ways I found out about you guys was through boiler room, because I follow boiler room. And, you know, I think they're London based. And so how did you guys like how did you know that sort of interact?

Nick 16:30
Oh, yeah. There's some hand gestures for all you audio listeners. Who maybe? Didn't you do?

Unknown Speaker 16:39
Yeah. Yeah, that was. That's correct. My heart. They're based in. They're based in London. And they, they were doing things in the US in LA, at least, like in the early the early teens. So I would I would go to those parties with some friends. And it felt very punky it felt very underground and illegal. But yeah, funny story, like last year, around this around this time. My life, my label co founder, and I, Sarah, put out this, this thought we were like, Wouldn't it be so cool to bring boiler room to Durham, but we had no idea how we would do it. We just like thought that would be really cool. Well. In October of last year, we partnered up with Kai and started working on slingshot together for the spring edition. We started working with Kai in earnest more as partners. And after that spring edition, which we all worked really hard, on really, really hard. I think we all gave more than we had. And we were we were glad to Boiler Room reached out to us, you know, I am, I am no but well, it reached out to us and, and said that our our curation and our pipe was was exactly what they were looking for in a partner and asked if we'd be interested in having them co curate a stage and in 2023, and we were like, Oh, well, how about just why don't we try it in October. And that over the summer, they had a they had a boiler room up in New York. So we went up there met their team hit it off like that they really are very simpatico with with what we're trying to do and and they're just really coming coming to the US in earnest outside of LA and New York. So we thought would be we'd be honored, you know, to to be part of that. That first wave of hitting the US. We got to see the boiler room. In Nashville recently. It was it was awesome. But it was a boiler to max and it wasn't it wasn't filmed. It's not going to be streamed on boiler room. So we we love the those Nashville cats. So this is just a side a side story. But I'm terminal at Nashville such a cool and diverse crew. And we invited them to come, you know to slingshot and play as a whole crew. Because they're just they're so cool. So you'll see them curating a stage on Sunday. Boiler Room is CO curating a stage on on Saturday with us. And we're so stoked about this lineup it's girl and made evoke who they were so like boiler room was over the moon about about this duo. It's Yeesha who played in Nashville at Boyd REMAX. She's super cool. New York based Yeah. South Asian She's so cool. We got sisters Oh, amazing artists. New York base super cool. chlobo Who hoo chi has known for a while and been falling for a while. Super cool. Modular artists from LA and then rounding it out is roughly on the Maura from Chicago, who we've been trying to bring the Durham for a while, her boyfriend got got canceled over the pandemic. So another cool story of getting to like, you know, had her come to town and record a boiler room is great, like we love. We love all these artists that are that are doing drums for the room. That's so

Maha Syed 20:19
cool. So for the audience who is just learning about slingshot and boiler room for the first time, they kind of bring together the best of like underground and global EDM sound, for those of you who are like in the rave scene are looking to get into the rave scene. And if you're not in the rave scene, you totally should get in the rave scene. Um, when I when I found out about slingshot, one of the things that really attracted me to the whole appeal was the level of diversity that's represented it as far as music, but also artists. I think that the level of global and like musical diversity that is being brought to the table through this, like amazing festival, really is kind of turning the tables in like the triangle, because a lot of what we see in the local area kind of relates a little bit more to house and techno, which is fine. But Nick and Kai, I wanted to ask you like in your own words, what makes slingshot unique?

Nick 21:28
Good question. I would say I would say that there are? Well, first of all, the one thing is for us, like integrating locals into a scene that's internationally recognized, I think, is always something that is feeds back on both the international scene and local scene. I'd also say that being able to bring, you know, I know you mentioned EDM, but also kind of more avant garde electronic music composers. Next to kind of more dance music focus people. I think that makes it a little more unique. Sometimes you can find festivals that are super heavy and in the composer realm, or super strictly in the dance realm, and just trying to find where those points meet, I think makes it kind of individual, if you will, I'll let Nick maybe chime in some more. But that's

Kai 22:16
yeah. Okay, can you hit the nail on the head as usual? I mean, it's what's so cool about slingshot and has been since its inception, is you'll see artists like Angel Olsen next to Juicy J like, it's so it's so cool. And it's such, our goal is always to have a really cool and interesting cross section of the music that we love. And so it's the unifying component is that electronic element, I think. And that's kind of in the spirit of Moke fest. In this iteration, you know, I curated that for for years and helped produce that,

Nick 22:56
I would just say also, with Nick is going on, you know, just the idea that you can like make a place where creatives can converge a little bit. Because even more cool than the experience itself, I mean, being being kind of a slight nexus point that people that come to slingshot are definitely cooler than I am personally, they're not quite as cool as Nick, but we're, but it's getting close, quite honestly, because they're

Maha Syed 23:22
trying recurrently try.

Nick 23:25
But you know, I think it's the people I got to go back to that. And so, overly simplistically, if you will, but I think when you open the doors up to this kind of level of diversity and creation, like you pointed out, you bring together people that are also looking for that world, and maybe it's not always representative in their immediate environment, quite honestly. So. So I think it's that kind of combination with the curation but also people brings together and the ethos that I mean, we're, we're crazy music lovers, like we are crazy. We're really bonkers music lovers, right. And so we're not the only ones out there, you know, we're not the only ones that listen to, you know, ambient next to techno next to, you know, whatever, some guitar based music, you know, we're not the only people out there. So, being able to bring those people together under one umbrella, I think is something that makes them unique, if you will.

It's so cool. And yeah, I'll just I'll just, you know, put a book in on that with my other thought, a big a big goal for us as audio files, you know, we have very, we like to think we have very high production standards, you know, we're not just going to go to, to any old venue necessarily, where maybe our ears are just sensitive. I don't know what it is. But from top to bottom, we really, we really put a lot into the production. We want it to sound and look Great, and that's, that's something that we really like to, to offer all the artists, we want to put every artist that is on one of our stages in the best possible context for their music so that they can have like, the best set ever. You know, whatever level they're on, whether they're their local artists who's only played locally, or regional artists who's trying to break out, or, you know, these artists who are playing boiler room, we want them to have their, the best set of their their life or at least create that the context for that possibility. And we also are very experienced festival goers. And so we want to create this guy was saying that the focus is not super hardcore on experiential stuff, yet, like, like Burning Man, or even like Coachella tries to, you know, we're not trying to create Instagram moments and things like that. We're trying to have people be in the moment. More rather than just like Instagramming something. But we are also like, limiting attendance, you know, and growing it slowly, so that it doesn't have this, like State Fair livestock feel or like, you know, like you're, I don't know, I think we everybody on this, in this interview has has probably experienced that, that kind of festival where you just feel like a number you feel like you know, there's like, there's been a value placed on your attendance, that is monetary. And we're just trying to get away from that, like, I think festivals have have lost themselves, as they become like a big business as they become an industry. The festival industry is a thing in the US. And it's kind of gross. And we all, at least on our team kind of shy away from that and really look at independent paths. And so we're also just super proud to join the slowly growing gang of independent fests on the east coast and in the greater us.

Maha Syed 27:10
You guys heard it here first, Nick, listen car, the Messiah is of EDM.

Exactly what you said is exactly what attracted me to the when I found your page. For the audience listening, I was going through Instagram when I was doing my little rounds or whatever. And I found slingshot festival. And like I'd mentioned it, this is the fifth year coming. Right? According to the website.

Nick 27:42
That's a good question. We might need to tweak that website. But that link on the website, I mean, we did we did four years in Athens. And this is the this is the kind of like, it would have been October. So six, which is crazy. And we're doing it twice a year we did it may and in Cali, and in October as well. So

Maha Syed 28:00
so this is the sixth. Yes. So this is the sixth year. This is you know, sort of going. And one of the really cool things that I found about this is that first of all, I hadn't heard of it prior. But also, I understand that you guys are trying to just cultivate a very specific environment of like minded music lovers, and you're not trying to make it a sell out event. This is a very personal thing to you guys. Is that right? Is that what you guys are trying to do?

Kai 28:30
Yeah, I mean, I think we've put, we've limited the capacity to the degree that it that it could sell out, but it'll still be comfortable if we do sell it out. And it's not gonna feel it's not gonna feel gross with really long lines, for anything for the bathrooms for the bars, you know, so experience wise, that's what that's what we really look forward and experience like, just the lack of waiting, which has taken you out of the other things we've we've designed and schemed.

Maha Syed 29:00
So now where does the musical inspiration come from? What kind of sounds do you guys like a little bit more of like tuning into your creativity? What is it that attracts you to either the sound or the music that you incorporate into these events?

Nick 29:17
Great question. I'll speak myself I'll let Nick Yeah.

Kai 29:21
And and let me interject the chi is usually the the genesis for for these lineups. Chi will have the idea of like a half a dozen artists and it will really and then we'll we'll start to riff on those But Kai usually has like, he's he'll, he'll plant the seed, and it'll hit like, three or four big things, but I'll let I'll let Kai i just wanted to mention that and you talked about you're kind of

Nick 29:48
I would just say I would say that on the more composer side I mean when you think about just what what's possible with electronic music, you know, it can range from from very stay under two more creative, if you will. And I think some things that inspire me personally are people that are getting, you know, ambitious with what electronics can do, even with what music can do not not strictly electronics, if you will. And so on that front, I think, you know, experimentation is one of the driving forces, if you will. But so is, you know, just sheer appreciation and a good time, right? You know, it's a little bit of a sugar with the medicine kind of situation. I'm probably the medicine, Nick is probably more sugar than I am. But, but But you know, I would say that, you know, trying to find those places where you can feel comfortable fingers, listen, you're listening to but also have your ears expanded a little bit would be kind of the genesis of that. On the dance music side, I'll probably let Nick answer that question a little bit more, if you will. But, but that's yeah, I would say I would say that. That's kind of where some of the genesis of the ideas come from, or interest in the people that come to slingshot.

Kai 31:05
Yeah. And what's what's great about working with Kai, Kai has very discerning tastes, but it's open. It's open to less, even more left field ideas that will bring to the table but Mason Fanta is my, my label that I co on was with to my best friends in Durham. And we really, we really like underground dance music, you know? For us, it's like, it's it, it's our, it's our, our main thing. So we definitely lean that way like my techno is my is my lane. So like, if you see a lot of these German techno X, German and European techno X are some that I was focused on. Sarah, from our from our team is a big lover of like to staff and UKG and breaks bass stuff. So they really have their their finger on the pulse of that, that type of music. And Simon who rounds and rounds out the pounders Simon loves minimal stuff, but you know, minimal techno minimal house and ambient. And so we're all kind of looking, doing our own a&r, but we're also when we're, when we're looking at who to book for events. We're looking at a lot of different things in our own lanes. But yeah, we we definitely reach out to people who I think I think our main our main sort of thread is we're trying to like, hone in on a story what, what, what artists are really telling the story of music in the US right now? Like, what's, what's important, you know, like, what's worth showcasing and talking about not just like, people who will necessarily just big names that will sell tickets and will be like, that are interesting. Maybe that's obvious, but it's like, it's hardest that we're passionate about. It's artists that we want to see or have seen. And yeah, we just want to bring them over to our house. We want to bring them to Durham, show them what's what's going on over here. And it's just really great when you can have some of your like, artists you look up to or like artists who are brands that you also look up to, and just show them what's going on down here and a place they've maybe never heard of. It's like it's really rewarding. So, I hope that answered your question.

Maha Syed 33:36
Absolutely. I love listening to you guys talk about that made me really happy. I feel the same way.

Nick 33:43
Hey, I'm Kai signing out. gonna hand it over to Nick de Nieto and Maha to rock the rest of this interview. Thanks for listening. Keep going. Love y'all.

Maha Syed 33:53
Thank you buy chi. So what are so what are you most excited to see this October?

Kai 34:01
Great question. I think for me personally, Leon Vaughn Hall. I'm super excited to catch him and break. Who? Yeah, this is Broncos first tour in the US. nicking there is amazing. I'm excited to see him again. He's he's just such a entertaining DJ to watch. He's just like giving it everything going for it. Really enjoy him. I Yeesha. Can't wait to see you again. I mean, we have a strong South Asian contingency, the sun. So super excited. We have five South Asian DJs or techno artists. So it's not six, maybe, maybe for getting someone. But yeah, I'm super excited for boiler room two. That's going to be amazing. And then Juliana Huxtable been a big fan for a long time and was really pushing Booker. So that's just off the top of my head. I mean, I'm excited to see my friends from Europe take Dede away Anything that they're telling me, they tell me that more alien is super great. And I really liked her and her partner's music. And my friend John Felipe, I know that they got just named everybody just

Maha Syed 35:13
did love it, because I totally want to hear all of them too. I'm so excited. I'm really excited to hear Gemini. Um, that's

Kai 35:24
the two local crews that we decided to showcase this past permission. And the conjur are both amazing. And their, their crowds are amazing. Their parties are super great. So yeah, just very excited about about both of these crews play. And you've got to check out permission.

Maha Syed 35:45
I've heard you I will, I will check out some of the music and start following you on there. I would love to get into the world of more of these artists, because you already have an incredible lineup. So just following that theme of just like, experimental global open, like, I'm all about bringing that to this, this town. You know, this this area? mazing. We need it.

Nick 36:09
I agree.

Maha Syed 36:11
So what is the most exciting and craziest moment you've had during a slingshot festival? And any music festival in general?

Nick 36:24
Well, I'll tell you this. Last year, there were a lot of crazy moments. I think.

Maha Syed 36:34
As an organizer,

Kai 36:37
both I think I think that there were so many cool things, you know, Earth theater was was a whole experience. She's amazing. Sam Barker, he's this incredible techno artist, he just hung out. He just became like a fixture at the festival. My friend Matthew Cha, who's becoming a partner on the fast he does this saxophone. He does this jazz techno thing and I got to see him for the first time. And it was it was transcendent. And one of my favorite moments was was he had he grabbed a saxophone and was about to hit a note and he looks up and he sees that his idol. Sam Barker has like come into the room. And so I just see this little moment where he like raises the eyebrow but then hits this note on the saxophone. And that was magic for me like I was just I'm so glad I got to see that. But the big moment was for me of the of the past I think was um we were able to get mauled, grab this techno artists that I really like. We were able to grab him last minute as before he ended his US tour. And he closed down on Sunday at the fest. So the best started on Friday the 13th. And it ended with a blood, a blood moon lunar eclipse on the Sunday so like during his set, the Eclipse started. And after his really crazy set, everyone leaves that warehouse space like super sweaty. And it turned out he wasn't closing the past the moon was and so like there was a couple 100 People in the parking lot.

Maha Syed 38:10
Eclipse is

Kai 38:12
what's so cool. It was so that was very, very auspicious. Very cool. And I think that takes the cake as the moment of the fast for me. So yeah, that's the one that I can like talk about as far as like fest. But um, I just went to sustain release. And that was super fun. Like that's a camping festival up in New York hosted by upstate New York hosted by Aurora. Hello, who we had at the fest in April. She's amazing. But I think my favorite moment of that fest is Avalon Emerson is this kind of kinda. She's a quite world famous DJ who we tried to, we were going to have a slingshot, maybe maybe next iteration we'll see. But um, she she DJ. On a basketball court. They have like a basketball tournament at the fest. So like, went from playing panorama barn in Berlin to like DJing on this basketball court a few days later. And she must be a basketball fan because like every time someone scored, she would like hit this like reggae air horn. This dub siren and like, I don't know, just watching her play this incredible set, but also make the time to like, hit this air horn. It was really cool. Watching people rave on a basketball court. It was surreal. It was like a cartoon.

Maha Syed 39:31
That's awesome. Really cool. Yeah. So for the audience listening, who's interested more in finding out about your events and the history of slingshot. Where can we find this information?

Kai 39:48
Yeah, check out our website, slingshot. festival.com. Follow us on Instagram. That's up to the minute. And yeah, we're doing we're doing some giveaways with the fruit in Fact. So jump on our Instagram and look at that. Yeah, and oh, and we're looking for volunteers still. So check out our Instagram. If you're interested in volunteering. There are some nice perks including festival tickets, cool shirts, things like that getting to work with some cool people can meet all of us.

Maha Syed 40:21
No doubt, no doubt. So, this is Maha, and I'm signing off. Thank you Nick for being with us on Eye on the Triangle with WKNC.

Brian Jurado 40:39
Well, folks, that is all for today's episode of Eye on the Triangle. Thank you to Julian Jacobs. The borough is a space that I'm personally very excited about their social media handle is at the burrow and see if you're interested in learning more. Also want to thank Nick and Kai from slingshot festival. The festival is going from October 7 Through October 9 this year. Their website is slingshot festival.com This has been Brian hood Otto from Eye on the Triangle. I hope you all have a lovely week. Music for today's episode is will to Power BI half cool from the YouTube Audio Library soon and Sundays at 6pm for more episodes of Eye on the Triangle episodes are also available at wknc.org/podcast

Transcribed by https://otter.ai