As nightfall settled over San Diego’s Waterfront Park on Sunday, the sky darkened and a lightweight, unrelenting rain started to fall. As a substitute of sending festivalgoers scattering, nonetheless, as an alternative it reworked the dancefloor into groove-soaked spectacle.
It was a becoming scene for the tenth version of CRSSD Competition‘s spring showcase, which has not solely endured, however flourished as a cornerstone of stateside digital music tradition on the West Coast.
Over the past decade, techno and home have moved from the fringes of the competition circuit to the middle of worldwide dance music tradition. However CRSSD’s success hasn’t come from following the group. As a substitute, its identification is constructed on sharp, intentional curation, favoring artistry over hype. This yr’s lineup embodied that philosophy, seamlessly mixing pioneers and rising abilities alike.
Few acts illustrate that stability higher than Justice. The long-lasting French duo, whose Hyperdrama tour has been promoting out worldwide arenas, took the Ocean View stage on Saturday night time, delivering a blinding symphony of distortion, disco and maximalist electro towards the backdrop of the Pacific.
CRSSD’s coronary heart beats within the underground, and this yr, that sentiment manifested within the type of Inexperienced Velvet, a shock last-minute addition to the lineup. The Chicago home music legend felt like a pure match for a competition that thrives on rigorously curated alternatives, including one other layer of authenticity to a weekend that celebrated the style’s origins.
Sunday’s programming leaned into techno’s darker, extra relentless aspect, culminating in a feverish b2b set from Nicole Moudaber and EDM.com Class of 2023 star Anfisa Letyago on the Metropolis Steps stage. Their efficiency was a masterclass in momentum, every kickdrum touchdown in a rhythmic storm that mirrored the rain falling over the group.
In the meantime, Poolside supplied distinction, their breezy, sun-drenched home beats soundtracking a picture-perfect San Diego afternoon. If Moudaber and Letyago’s set was a dash to the end line, Poolside was a deep exhale, reminding “America’s Finest City” that CRSSD’s magic lies in a balanced mix of depth and euphoria.
And at its coronary heart, CRSSD is constructed on neighborhood, the form of competition the place a shared love for a four-on-the-floor beat is sufficient to type a bond. That spirit was by no means extra evident than on Sunday night time, when Kavinsky closed out the competition with a sweeping set that spanned synthwave and cinematic digital music.
A decade in, the competition has confirmed that it’s an establishment. And in a world the place dance music continues to evolve at a breakneck tempo, CRSSD stays precisely what it’s all the time been: a spot the place the music issues most.
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