Now only five days away (!!!), it's time to start prepping CRSSD, the best techno and house festival on the west coast. Since its emergence five seasons ago, CRSSD has become one of North America's most celebrated electronic music festivals. Each year CRSSD curates two industry leading events which champion a balance of the dance world's most talked about talent and future stars. A combination of forward thinking bookings and the idyllic Pacific coast backdrop at the Waterfront Park make it the crown jewel of the West Coast festival calendar.
With the event now on the horizon, EARMILK is here to take a closer look at the lineup and shine the spotlight on a few artists you simply cannot miss.
Amelie Lens
This techno queen alone warrants a trip to the festival. Belgian DJ/producer Amelie Lens has, in a little more than two years, soared from relative anonymity to one of today's most in-demand artists in the world. At the same time her releases on Italian imprint Lyase and Pan-Pot's Second State started to flow consistently on high level labels, Amelie started her own event EXHALE at Labyrinth Club. With these critical foundations laid, it was no time before she began headlining the industries most acclaimed events, such as Awakenings, Circoloco, Time Warp, and some of the world's best clubs like DC-10. As if it wasn’t apparent after all this, Amelie Lens is just getting started.
Kaytranada
Born in Haiti and raised in the city of Montreal, Canadian artist Kaytranada has experienced an explosive rise in the past couple of years with his irresistible production and live sets. Before touring the globe and amassing millions of hits online with his series of beloved tracks and mixes, the young man came up as a true disciple, absorbing hip hop and R&B culture since his childhood and finding ways to make the music his own. In 2016 he dropped his debut studio album 99.9% which cemented him as one of hip-hop's rising producers and since then he has continued produce a steady stream of remixes, singles. EPs, and mixtapes that are all guaranteed to keep the party going.
Yaeji
Seoul-born DJ/producer Yaeji says it more succinctly than I ever could: "She's into it all." Seriously, it so aptly describes Yaeji's musician styles and influences, which run the gamut from trap, bass, techno, house, future, and even downtempo. The DJ/producer has been hard at it for a number of years now, but only recently did she see her stock meteorically rise with bookings at some of the worlds biggest festivals and clubs. I'm pumped to hear what she has in store for us next.
Kyle Watson
One of South Africa’s biggest dance music exports, Kyle Watson has quickly become a permanent fixture in the Bass House genre with a strong following spanning the globe. Whether you’re in a small, sweaty club in the heart of the USA or a 15,000-strong open air festival in Brazil, you’re likely to hear a Watson record. Releases on dance music’s biggest record labels – from Ultra to Atlantic, Dirtybird to This Ain’t Bristol – have helped evolve his craft into a unique style of forward thinking house music that blends the dark with the light, sweeping melody and musicality effortlessly amongst the grit and energy of a raw bassline.
Eli & Fur
Since their debut release in 2013, Eli & Fur have been perfecting a sound built around infectious melodies with deep driving bass lines topped with their distinguished brooding vocals. Their sound has developed into something unique and has earned them respect from some of the biggest names in the industry. With major releases on some of dance music's biggest labels, the duo seems to get better and better with each new release. Their most recent EP, Into the Night released on Anjuandeep, is just the most recent example of their sound. Indeed, I'm sure they have much more in store for us.
So that does it for a preview coverage. Be sure to check out EARMILK on all platforms, as we plan to cover the festival with aplomb. And definitely check the links below for more info on your new new favorite festival.
Connect with CRSSD: Official site | Facebook | Instagram
