Bi-annually, the gorgeous San Diego Waterfront Park plays host to one of the most unique and certainly by far one of our favorite festivals in existence: CRSSD Festival. CRSSD Festival can mostly be described as a fusion of electronic and indie pop acts with a good mix of rising young talent and seasoned veterans. Going into the weekend, we were highly anticipating this year’s March iteration. Not only have we been craving the delicious gourmet tri-tip selection but this specific line-up had our mouth’s watering all the same. Let’s take a look at who threw down the hardest sets last weekend:

Josh Wink

Many people have no idea who Josh Wink is. This is a damn shame. Not only is he a native Philadelphian but he’s also been one of the the biggest godfathers and pioneers of acid house as we know it. Just as mean on the 303 as he is on the decks, Wink’s CRSSD set was hard, gritty, and pure acidic bliss. Tracks like “I’m Talkin to You” and Ben Klock’s remix of his own record “Are You There” thundered out of the speakers at the City Steps stage on Saturday to an elated crowd who ate up every beat.

Jackmaster

Jackmaster is a unique soul. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland this legend of the underground is known for his crazy afterparty shenanigans and his insane crate diggalicious song selection. Probably one of the best selectors of the weekend, Jackmaster featured an eclectic mix of house, acid, tech house, and everything else under the master of jack’s dirty bass heavy rainbow.

Justin Martin

Dirtybird’s lieutenant of the dance floor is making a strong push for General. Justin Martin has been perfecting his own brand of bouncy bass house for well over a decade now and his meticulous attention to detail of his craft was put on display for the San Diego crowd in full force. In our opinion Martin’s biggest track of the night was actually Christian Martin’s remix of Justin’s original track “Back to the Jungle.”

2manyDJs

What else is there to praise that hasn’t already been praised about the brothers Dewaele a.k.a. 2manyDjs. The Belgian duo (who are also both in a little band called Soulwax threw down our favorite set of the whole weekend. We have been big fans for as long as we can remember and their closing set on Saturday night was a testament to our love for their emphatic style. You can tell these guys are just huge fans of music. They played everything from the techno classic “OG Trommer Bass” by Andre Bratten to “Underwater” by Harry Thumann and seamlessly blended dark and light-hearted tones.

Aluna George

British electro-pop superstar act AlunaGeorge is actually a duo comprised of Aluna Francis and George Reid. Facts of the day aside, their performance at CRSSD was simply magical. Incorporating stunning visuals, well-choreographed dancing, and Aluna’s remarkable singing voice. They truly owned the main stage using every square inch of it to connect with the crowd and belt out classics like “White Noise” and “You Know You Like It.”

Party people…it’s been too long. I’ve got some delightful treats to make up for it in this week’s list. Lot’s of concerts are coming up in the near future that all you guys should consider. I wish I could make it to Ratatat on the 21st at Club Nokia, but I’ll be at Bassnectar at the Wilter in the city of angels on October 9th. Haunted Mansion is fast approaching, and tickets will take their next price jump soon. Check out the Upcoming Events page for details if you STILL haven’t made up your mind on going. It should be a no brainer. Come with me.

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Delightful Mention!

Artist: Goose
I stumbled upon these guys the other day. I accidentally clicked my Last.fm recommended artist section, and the first song that played was “Bring It On.” They were recommended to me because Soulwax was the first related artist. Needless to say, I was hooked immediately. They have the same thing going on as Soulwax as far as sound and dancy-ness goes. Goose is a four piece band complete with a singer, synther, bassist and drummer. Most of their songs start off with a really catchy synth beat that’s followed closely by the drums that’s almost certain to make you move. It will all make sense after you hear the first song.

White Sky (Basement Jaxx Club Mix) – Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend has always held a special place in my heart. Their good vibes and masterful musicianship has always kept them at the top of my charts. Contra their newest album was very much a continuation of their self titled. A lot of people were expecting a different sound and it would have been nice to see some progression, but I still loved it. It’s all too happy and easy to get down to. Nothing makes me happier than when someone takes an indie track like this and transforms it into a danceable club beat. Basement Jaxx have been in the game for awhile, so you can trust that they wouldn’t put their name on anything that wasn’t choice. I’ve had this one on repeat for the past week and by good reason.

Artist: 2 Many DJ’s
2 many? Never enough, if you ask me. 2 Many DJ’s is essentially a Soulwax DJ set. Stephen and Dave Dewaele thought it wasn’t enough to be part of one of the biggest electronic names in the business, so they went on to create 2 Many DJ’s. They always found themselves wanting to spin some of their favorite music when they were in clubs, so they created this group to do just that. The best part is they put their own little Soulwax spin on the songs and seamlessly weave them together live. Their show consists of them spinning in front of a big screen with the album art of the song their banging out. I always respected this, because they’re helping promote a lot of the songs they play. They released their mixtape “As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2” which showcases how talented of DJs they really are. Not only are these guys gods as producers, they really know good music.

Artist: Thee Oh Sees

These guys are a garage rockers dream come true. I was fortunate enough to finally see them at FYF Fest last weekend, and they were just as crazy live as I had hoped. The band is headed by John Dwyer (pictured), who is the backbone and brains of the group. He switched between a regular guitar and his 12 string through the songs and was getting down the whole time. Their lo-fi sound and creative guitar riffs, coupled with the harmonizing of Dwyer’s voice with Brigid Dawson’s (keyboard) really makes for a good sound. They didn’t really catch on with me until I heard their first serious full length “Help.” From start to finish, it really is a rocking album. My favorite off the album is “Meat Step Lively.” Lucky for me, I pulled out my FLIPcam in the nick of time, and it made for an awesome video. Fuck yeah!

Alright guys I hope you learned something new today. The music just keeps coming, so I’ll try and continue to pass on the latest and greatest and old but timeless. All of your feedback and comments fuel the site, so let me know what you liked and didn’t like.

-Skinny Genes