(All Photos by Summer Luu via ListenSD)
Following an epic weekend, CRSSD Fest might’ve just become our new favorite music event in California. Presented by FNGRS CRSSD, the two-day festival is everything we’d wish for and more. Even though it mildly sprinkled on Saturday night due to the El Nino weather, it’s safe to say this is the best CRSSD thus far. The Waterfront Park in San Diego was the perfect venue for a festival that features artists that preach good vibes and company. The palm trees on the side of the main stage stick out in an occasionally clear sky, and the rain might’ve just loosened us up a little bit more – the music made it that much better.
To sum up our experience at CRSSD, we’ve handpicked five of our favorite acts that we think best highlight the festival. Check out our list below after the jump (in no particular order).
1. Lane 8
Daniel Goldstein a.k.a Lane 8 is a magician when it comes to house music. His 75-minute set was perfect for The Palms stage which brings an overall chill vibe to CRSSD. The crowd was definitely feeling it with their hands in the sky and you can see the umbrellas hanging from the beautiful structure extending out from the stage. To our surprise, the Anjunadeep powerhouse played an unreleased tune you can check out here, which is also featured in his new Spring 2016 Mixtape.
2. Jon Hopkins
Jon Hopkins was an act that we were looking forward to as soon as the lineup came out. With collaborations with people like Brian Eno and the minds behind Late Night Tales, we knew that this was going to be a profound experience. And it totally was. Hopkins delivered a performance that was unforgettable– mainly because of the emotion the crowd could feel from Hopkins himself. Live mixing the music from an array of his works, Hopkins took the crowd on an incredible journey that was melodic and euphoric at times, and aggressive and sharp at others. The complexity of Jon Hopkins was made known to anyone who watched his set, and we’re so glad we made it.
3. Odesza
Now it might be cliche to put Odesza as our favorite act of the festival, but they really did wow us once again with their electrifying performance filled with surprises. The visuals, the transitions, the live drums; everything was done perfectly. You can’t fully appreciate what Harrison and Clayton of Odesza can do until you’ve seen them live. To continue the energy they brought to the first ever CRSSD a year ago, they undoubtedly gave their 110% to this headlining set. They surprised everyone by bringing out two trombonists to conclude their set by playing out their infamous unreleased trap song, a remix of Alex Adair‘s “Make Me Feel Better”, which had the crowd going insane. With that said, it’s always relieving to see artists playing out new or unreleased music which you can only witness live.
4. Sam Gellaitry
Gingers do have soul, especially the ones who slayed their DJ set with unreleased trap edits of rap songs. That’s right, we’re talking about Sam Gellaitry, the young Scottish producer who you may have heard of as a part of the Soulection crew. Hands down one of the best sets we’ve got to witness at CRSSD. His hardhitting minimalist style of trap music will you get you bouncing up and down, and his production skills are definitely far beyond his years. We were especially excited because this is his first ever show in the US (LA set was a no-show because of his flight being cancelled), and he absolutely crushed it. Please do us a favor and check him out if you haven’t already – it’ll be the best decision you make today.
5. Chet Faker
The Aussie ginger beard rock star ended the weekend with an emotional and gratifying performance. Chet Faker was definitely one of the rare non-house music acts in CRSSD. He’s a one-man-band as we all know, but for festival sets he usually jams out with a full on rock band. He could hype up the crowd with tracks like “Drop The Game”, or play out emotionally-driven tracks like “Talk Is Cheap” and “Cigarettes and Loneliness”. Without a doubt, he showcased his musical versatility at the fullest with this performance, as shown on people’s faces leaving the venue after the festival.
Big thanks to FNGRS CRSSD for an unmissable weekend. To put it simply, CRSSD was nothing short of amazing. And if you like good vibes, good music and good San Diegan beer, be sure to hit up the next one preliminarily set in October 2016. You won’t be disappointed and that’s a guarantee.
