With the help of Goldenvoice of Coachella, the San Diego party promoters FINGRS CRSSD host the sold-out CRSSD Fest at the iconic Waterfront Park location near the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego.
CRSSD FEST Spring 2016 was a breath of fresh air from the over-saturated and commercialized festivals that have been spreading exponentially over the world. With the heavily discouraged rave-attire and no VIP bottle popping areas, CRSSD Fest was a special kind of indie-fest, focused on quality, deep underground music, and good vibes.
Three stages lined the waterfront, making it easy to bounce around. The sun was shining and the breeze from the ocean tickled the back of your neck throughout the day. The water fountains surrounding the stages were a refreshing option if you needed to cool off from the heat. Here‘s our recap from the weekend.
Saturday:
Female DJ Lee K set the groove on the middle stage deemed ‘City Steps’ with her signature tech-house style followed by a more progressive style with Swedish producer Jeremy Orlander. Damian Lazarus, Skream, Jon Hopkins Live, and Ben UFO all followed with their own unique sets through the sunset before Eric Prydz closed out the night with an epic performance as his minimal-tech alias, Cirez D.
At the main stage, the 20-year-old female producer from Niagara Falls, Rezz, breaks off her Mau5Trap tour to slam the ocean view stage with her signature industrial-techno style followed by the diverse tropical nu-disco styles of Bondax, Gryffin, Ryan Hemsworth, an unforgettable performance by techno wizard Gessaffelstein, and Odesza closing out the night with a special live instrumental set.
At the smaller jungle style Palms Stage, California’s own Poolside kept the afternoon kickin’ with a funky bass-disco vibe followed by deep-house producers Lane 8, Tiga and Hot Creations own Lee Foss and Jamie Jones.
On Sunday:
The City Steps stage had a killer combination. Sacha Robotti (1/2 of Robosonic), Tom Trago, Adriatique, Skream, Green Velvet, and Loco Dice held down the stage with Maceo Plex wrapping it up replacing Tale of Us who had to drop off the lineup after coming down with an illness.
At the Ocean View, Sam Gellaitry, Oliver Helden’s more underground / alternative style through his alias Hi-Lo, live performances by Tycho and Gorgon City, and Chet Faker closing it out.
Sunday’s Palms Stage had a big Dirtybird presence with Will Clarke astonishing the crowd early in the day. JPhlip went B2B with Ardalan and Dirtybird boss Claude VonStroke closing out the night with his original funky, heavy-bass style. Also, taking stage were Gorgon City with a special B2B DJ set with Kidnap Kid. Not to mention Julio Bashmore and Hot Since 82 doing their thing while the sun set along the water.
The weekend wouldn’t have been complete without the warm up brunches and after parties at Andaz Rooftop & Pool, Bang Bang, Music Box, and Spin Nightclub. The fest offered a great way to check out San Diego and kicked off festival season with a bang.
This year’s fest recap video isn’t out yet. But here’s a taste of what the festival offers.
–Thomas Zente