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Kissay @ Adelman North

03/30/2025

Treefort Music Fest: Local DJ Scene (Interview)

By MATT HANSEN // Idaho based DJs performing at Treefort this weekend fill us in on the Boise scene

As summer music festival season approaches, organizers should take note of the way Treefort Music Fest nurtures and supports its local DJ scene. Between Space Banana and the dual venue space of The Adelman Building, Treefort churns out the electronic jams in a conveniently walkable area of downtown Boise for 5 nights every March. Purusing the DJ line up of this past weekend at the fest and you're sure to find big national headliners, but with a majority of the acts being booked locally, you'll be mostly getting homegrown talent night after night. And it's Treefort's idea of giving back to the community in which the fest takes place that other festivals can learn from, if only try to imitate.

We asked some of local DJs performing this past weekend what makes the Boise dance scene special and their answers all pointed to the support of entities like Treefort.

"What attracts you to the Boise DJ scene?"

"What attracts me to the Boise DJ scene is the amazing community we have here. I have been playing here for about 13 years now, though I have traveled around the NW and California to perform. My style has always been a bit on the unique side but it's changed in many ways, as has our scene here. I tend to play more on the left-field sides of underground electronic music and really enjoy showing the scene new sounds or genres. I also run an electronic music festival here in Idaho called Konnexion Music Festival, which is the state's main Electronic music festival. Our scene here has really blown up with how many performers live here in the last couple years. It has been very cool to watch and nurture." - Kissay

"After playing throughout the U.S. since the late 90s, Treefort Music Fest has become one of my favorite events to perform at due to the diverse range of music, art, comedy, tech, and so much more. I'm happy to be returning to Treefort for my 3rd appearance this year. The Boise area has a lot of talented artists/musicians/DJs, so I do my best to provide something unique when I perform. My favorite shows are when I can play whatever I want, lots of genres, and introduce people to sounds and artists they haven't heard before, new and old. Huge thank you Treefort for bringing such a special event to Idaho every year!" - Chaz Bizar

“In my opinion, what really stepped up Boise over the years with the DJ scene is, of course, Treefort Music Fest, Konnexion Music Festival, and Esthetic Evolution. The big names they brought with their lineups created opportunities for all the producers and DJs and really elevated the quality of mixing. Currently, I think the underground scene and collectives are really thriving. My crew, Evolve Audio, has been grinding over the years, and we are very excited to have a showcase this year at Konnexion Music Fest. What's nice is that there is a lot of support between the Boise underground. Yes, there are always cliques and times where we have to show our skills and let the 'new DJs' know what's good, but all in all, I think we are all elevating the scene. I'm proud of Boise, and I think we are in a growth period.”– Soul Velocity

"I live here in Boise and have been a part of the Electronic Music Scene for twenty years. It's a personal responsibility of mine to see the Boise EDM scene I love flourish, whether it be from my actions as a promoter, DJ, or patron." - Billy Heath

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