The Buku Music and Art Project, New Orleans’ newest music festival, is bringing plenty of big-name artists to the Crescent City.
Buku will host recent Grammy-winner Skrillex, as well as Grammy nominees Wiz Khalifa and Avicii. The two-day festival will be held March 17 and 18 at Mardi Gras World, a venue near the east bank of the Mississippi River.
The festival’s objective is to provide a showcase for the merging of hip-hop and techno music, said Reeves Price, co-founder of Winter Circle Productions, the company behind Buku, in a news release
“The line between hip-hop and electronic music is becoming increasingly blurred,” Price said. “There isn’t anything else out there that is purposefully fusing the two genres … and the Buku Project aims to fill that void.”
Price said the event, which is mainly targeted toward a younger audience, has been years in the making.
“This festival is something we have been building up to for a few years,” Price said. “It’s very unique – a large event for the younger generation that incorporates elements of [electronic dance music], hip-hop and indie dance music.”
Price said the festival was fortunate to acquire such high-profile performers in its first year.
“We got lucky to assemble such a diverse and accomplished collection of musicians for the first installation of Buku,” Price said. “It kind of snowballed and paralleled the explosion of this scene into the mainstream media.”
Price said the festival is expected to sell out and anticipates crowds of about 8,000 per day. He said Winter Circle plans to make the festival a yearly event.
In addition to music, Price said Buku will also feature various art installations by New Orleans artists, similar to art pieces at festivals such as Bonnaroo and the Voodoo Experience.
“It is important to us to capture the aesthetic of the venue, which is right on the Mississippi River, and the local New Orleans culture, which is one of the richest and most progressive in the country,” Price said. “That’s why we are bringing in local artists of various mediums to set up installations throughout the venue grounds.”
Price said he considers the art aspect of Buku to be just as important as the music.
“Some of these installations will be interactive, some will be more visually oriented,” Price said. “The goal is for attendees to connect with Buku on as many levels as possible.”
 
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Contact Joey Groner at [email protected]