III Points Festival 2019 has officially wrapped up and a lot of fans are waking up with the battle scars to tell it. With thousands of fans in attendance and over 120 performers blessing 7 stages, the 3-day trek of music left every type of music lover satisfied. It's seldom that acts have such a variety of people to expose their music to, and many had a chance to be converted into a fan of artist they'd likely not come across in any other circumstance. In our tradition here at Check the Vibes of putting you on, we compiled a list of artist we think you should be checking out. They made us fans, thanks to III Points, and we think you will be too. Without further ado, check out the acts building a buzz that lit up III Points Festival below.
Artist: Twelve‘Len
From: Carol City (Miami)- FL
Genre: Alternative/R&B
Stage: Mind Melt (Friday Feb 15th-6:30pm)
Most recent Project: Swim-EP (2017) Friends (2016)
Social Media: Twitter: @TwelveLen Instagram: Twelvelen
Twelve 'Len was among one of the first acts we saw, and I was stunned by how polished his set was. He oozed charisma and there was a sharp focus in his lyrics. He didn’t sway too far from the one mic stand but still managed to entertain the crowd that he had in front of him even though it wasn’t a huge one. Twelve‘Len’s music is optimistically romantic, and his writing is charming. The records on his full length album is beautiful sonic-ally, and is the audio embodiment of the infatuation stage. Although much of the music swings between genres, his single “Start Dust” is a powerhouse R&B record with an undeniable grove. With credits on Denzel Curry’s Black Balloons and a gang of potential, he has the potential to give an alternate representation of the Miami music scene.
Artist: Masègo
From: Kingston, Jamaica
Genre: Jazz, R&B, Soul
Stage: Mindframe (Saturday- Feb 16th)
Most recent Project: Lady Lady (2018)
Social Media: Twitter: @UncleSego Instagram: Masego
Masègo was so seasoned of a performer and musician that when I watched his set, he convinced me that he was already a huge artist and I was just late to the party. His set brought a huge crowd and at least 70% of them were women. I’d assume the other 10% were men that were there was because their girl brought them. It wasn't until I spoke to others to find out that this man is not nearly as popular as he should be. Masègo had easily one of the best performances of the weekend. He commanded the crowd from start to finish. He was charismatic, entertaining, funny, engaging, and that’s not even getting into his talents as a vocalist. He can play multiple instruments, but his specialty is the saxophone. It captivated every woman in that crowd when he played it. By the end of the show, every girl wanted to be with him, and every dude wanted to be him (I know I did). Another impressive part of his live show is how he showcased his abilities as a musician. Instead of randomly picking up an instrument to show off, he went around his band as if he was building an instrumental from scratch. He played a bit of the bass, keyboard, drums, and instructed each band member to do it but better. Go buy his latest project, Lady Lady, that dropped in 2018 now. It’s long overdue.
Artist: Paperwater
From: Miami, FL
Genre: Dance/Electronic
Stage: Sector 3 (Friday Feb 15th) Most Recent Single: Tony Hawk (feat. Tim Ajayi) (2018)
Social Media: Twitter: @Paperwater Instagram: Paperwater
As we strolled through the III Points festival looking for things to get into, we just happened to bump into an extraordinarily dapper gentleman. After asking him to take some pictures so we can highlight his fly, he told us that he’ll be performing later that night at Sector 3. Come to find out, the gentleman we met was Daygee Kwia and Eddy Sammy who together constituted the electro group Paperwater. We were there to put our ears to new sounds, especially emanating from Miami, just as much as we were there for the established artist. So, we made sure to check them out. What we found were two artist who had an intriguing sound. It's not traditional electro, although all the elements are there. It blends a hint of Hip Hop, and Eddy Sammy lends his vocals to add a baritone deep voice to the music. A singer named Morgan Bryson also accompanied them during most of their set and helped contribute vocals as well. Their sound was lush, and you couldn’t help but notice their hunger and their willingness to take advantage of this platform they’ve been given. As if the music is not enough to lend your support, they’re also home team. Check them out.
Artist: PNTHN
From: Dallas, TX
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
Stage: Mind Frame (Sat Feb 16th)
Most Recent Project: Rico (2018), Potluck (2018)
Tony Tone, one of the most jovial members of the collective PNTHN (pronounced Pantheon) looked around the crowd in the middle of the set with pure excitement on his face. “This is unbelievable. Last year we were doing shows for 7 people and all of them were on stage”, he yelled. It's with this level of enthusiasm that the whole group hit the Mind Frame stage with, and the crowd enjoyed every moment of it. The 9-man collective consist of rappers, producers, engineers and DJs. TWOHORIZONRA, YD, Romby, Otto, DC4Prez, Pink Ranger, Tony Tone, Kenny Casanova, and Por Vida all roamed around the stage like kids that hadn’t had recess in months. They were full of energy and were never too cool for any part of their set. One moment you’d have TWOHORIZONRA taking random shots of Hennessey on his own and then shots at the request of a fan, to Por Vida ending up in the middle of the crowd out of the blue partaking in a mosh pit, to DC4Prez rapping furiously on top of the speakers. These guys made every opportunity to please their current fans and make new ones. Most importantly, the songs bang. Comparisons stink, but I could not help but get that feeling of how A$AP Rocky and the A$AP Mob used to sound and perform like at the start of their career without the fear for your safety. Rico and Potluck, both of their Eps released in 2018, is a great place to start getting acquainted.
Artist: Virtual Self
From: Chapel Hill, NC
Genre: Dance, Electronic
Stage: Mind Frame (Friday Feb 15th)
Most Recent Project: Virtual Self
Links: Twitter: @virtual_self Instagram: @virtualself
Day 1 of III Points festival was a long one. After getting a chance to enjoy Pussy Riot’s set that wrapped up around 1:30 am, there was only one show in town. Battling pure exhaustion, we decided to live on the edge and check out Virtual Self at the Mainframe stage. To our surprise, the stage was filled with people there. Certainly not the crowd you’d expect to see at this hour, when most are already headed home. We found a decent spot and put our attention to the stage not knowing what to expect. Once the robotic artificial intelligence sound effects began, the crowd started to get into a calmed frenzy waiting for the music to drop. What came next was an entrancing lights accompanied with lush electro sounds. Being a casual electro fan and a lover of albums like Love Mysterious by Kaskade, I felt like I found myself at the right stage. After warming up the crowd, he launched into what I’ve come to know as “Ghost Voices” off his self-titled EP. The entire crowd was captured from there forward. We didn’t stay for the whole set, but we were there for another 30 minutes and trust me when I say, we had no intentions of doing that. Virtual Self better known by his real name Porter Robinson, is 26-years-old from Chapel Hill, NC but already has the skills of a seasoned DJ. The Virtual Self EP is well worth a listen if you’re a hardcore fan of dance/electro with hints of progressive house or just a casual fan like me. You won’t regret what you hear.
Artist: Yaeji
From: New York City, NY
Genre: House. Trap
Stage: Mind Frame (Saturday Feb 16th)
Most Recent Project: Yaeji-EP2
Links: Twitter: @kraeji Instagram: @kraejiyaeji
Yaeji set herself apart from most during her set. The Korean-American delivered a performance that captured the crowd with pure energy and vulnerability. Hailing from New York, Yaeji has been fairly new to the music scene as a DJ, but quickly established herself. Making house music with trap leanings backed by a smooth voice, she showed the ability to project a calming, relaxing set while still making the crowd move their feet; A hard task for any artist. Two of the songs that garnered the most reaction from the crowd are from her EP, EP 2. Raingurl, a real catchy minimal house record got the crowd into a groove, and her remix of Drake's Passionfruit showcased her ability to soothe a crowd. Nothing about her set seemed pre-meditated whether she was behind the DJ board or simply dancing on stage. Prepare to see a lot more of her in the future.
All in all, III Points was the place to be this past weekend and quite frankly, it's the place to be every year. Did you discover artist this past weekend thanks to the festival? If so, comment below! Let us know. Put US on. ✊🏼
Cover photo credit: Kevin (@mkbruix)
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