Another influence in The Funk Hunters' development was the annual Shambhala Music Festival in the West Kootenays region of southern British Columbia. Middleton first attended the festival in its formative years and soon began bringing Smith along with him. Shambhala was Smith and Middleton's first grand exposure to live presentations of electronic bass music, and after only a few short years they themselves have since become Shambhala audience favorites.
