The Plantasia Festival Experience

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to be able to attend Day One of the annual “Plantasia” festival at Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory. This Conservatory puts this even on in collaboration with  Sacred Bones Records and local venue Empty Bottle. It is a tribute to Mort Garson’s “Mother Earth’s Plantasia,” the highly regarded Moog-heavy album for plants and the people that love them.

This is the 8th annual Plantasia festival which began in 2018 with the  first physical re-release of the album since it was originally given away for free at a plant shop in LA in 1976. It also marked the 50th anniversary of the album itself, making this year's shows all the more special. The event takes place across two days and three stages at the Conservatory. Each stage offered a different experience, and attendees were also allowed free access to the Conservatory grounds.

The first iteration of the event recreated the album live, but now it’s more of a tribute show that platforms amazingly talented ambient and electronic musicians from across the country. Part of the proceeds from the event return to Garson’s estate, to pay respects to a legacy that has paved the way for entire genres of music.
There were seven artists scheduled to perform on Day One, including Chicago’s own Jeremiah Chiu. Headlining was powerhouse duo Helado Tropical; comprised of Brooklyn’s Helado Negro (Roberto Carlos Lange) and Mexican-American singer, Reyna Tropical (Fabi Reyna).

The duo released their first self-titled album on July 17th through Psychic Hotline and it does not miss any marks. With focus on creating “textured analog-based worlds,” the album takes you on a peaceful and culturally rich journey of sound over the course of nine songs in 26 minutes. It has been on repeat for me since its release and I was very excited to be able to experience their energy in person.

We were let in a little late, doors were scheduled for 5:00PM but realistically were around 5:15. We could see staff using walkie-talkies and running from the gate to a large stage in the distance. I was happy to endure a little disorganization if it meant the event was run by passionate community members instead of a music entertainment monopoly. As we made our way onto the grounds, we were immediately greeted with the first track off Mother Earth’s Plantasia, plainly titled as such.

Next, at the Greenhouse Lawn stage, New York’s james K initiated us into our night of sound. As she set up, many show-goers unfolded blankets and laid down to fully take advantage of the lawn. She apologized multiple times for needing to turn her back to the crowd to avoid being blinded by the evening sun, but that didn’t affect her set at all. K’s music would dance between gorgeous hymnal vocals to simplistic but energizing beats.
 After leaving the grassy area, we wandered through the Horticulture Hall. Echoes of the Torn Light Records DJs followed us as we explored the different areas. In the fern room we heard pieces of Manuel Göttsching’s, E2-E4 (an early inspiration for the house and techno genres). In the desert and succulent room, a seemingly “slowed and reverbed version” of Requiem, off of Killing Joke’s 1980 S/T album, lingered overhead.

We eventually found ourselves at the tail end of the Age of Peace set in the back left of the Horticulture Hall. These two also make up half of the brilliant art-punk band, Artificial Go. Without much friction, we made our way to the front of the crowd. Singer Angie Willcutt played the xylophone to their clean-air protest song, Soap Factory, accompanied by a puppet show depicting the lyrics. Black smog clouds attached to sticks floated over crudely drawn but obviously unhappy cityfolk while a cardboard soap factory loomed in the background. As the song ended, the factory was replaced with puppeted doves flying over a rainbow that proclaimed “LOVE.” If you are a fan of Colorado’s The Space Lady, you will definitely appreciate the artistic perspective that Age of Peace embraces.

After the sun set, we found ourselves back on the Greenhouse Lawn, where we overheard a couple excitedly whispering “Modular synth!” to each other as Jeremiah Chiu walked on stage. He introduced himself, gave a short description of what to expect during his performance, and let us know he’d be playing his unreleased new album “Edge Condition” in full, to the best of his abilities. The introduction was charming and reflected his experience as a lecturer at multiple colleges. The set was just downright pleasant. We made ourselves comfortable in the grass and enjoyed trip-friendly visuals that distorted as the music did. Though sometimes you found yourself in industrial-like bubbles of sound, Chiu always brought you back to earth with serene waves of electronic warmth.
Helado Tropical ended the night at the largest stage in the complex. At different times throughout the evening it was easy to feel like you were in a 50 person venue, (especially when nestled in the palms of the greenhouse) but this stage proved how large the festival was. Hundreds of patrons flooded out of different corners of the complex and onto the lawn like water.

The duo took the stage, which would prove to be a beautiful violet chamber for their synthesized sound (shoutout bisexual lighting). The set began with their single, “Sensación”. The song is bright but calming. With hints of Cumbia samples in the background, Helado and Reyna sang about a morning spent learning tenderness with another.

As the set progressed, the duo continued switching from one of four keyboards, to synthesizer, to guitar. They switched between instruments all while singing and occasionally bantering with each other and the crowd. I was surprised at how closely they sounded to the record. Which, of course, is not exactly the goal during any live performance; but was impressive to hear as they’d created tremendous depth to each song on the record and were able to replicate it in real time to the audience. The performance spoke to the intentionality the duo had while recording: to be present and to be honest with their creative process.

Before the last few years, I was not an avid listener of electronic music- having really only been familiar with likes of LA ravers L.A.U.R.A., a random variety of 80’s new wave, and Denver’s Tollund Men (who have long since disbanded). I wasn’t actively seeking out minimal ambience. Mort Garson was one of the first artists that introduced me to the serene world of ambient music. I found Mother Earth’s Plantasia on YouTube after moving back to Denver from Philadelphia at the beginning of the pandemic. It offered a lot of calm while the world was (and still is) anything but. Being able to spend an evening with others who share a similar appreciation for the album was phenomenal.

And no! We did not eat mushrooms… because I accidentally dropped them in the port-o-potty toilet when we got there.