In a scene the place competitors is usually the default, home music manufacturers may appear to be they’re battling for a similar territory, chasing comparable followers, bookings and market share. However for Dirtybird’s Label Supervisor and Expertise Purchaser, Deron Delgado, and Residence Bass’ Founder, Brian Thomas, a shared imaginative and prescient is an open door—not a dividing line.
That ethos laid the inspiration for this yr’s Dirtybird CampINN, a resort-takeover competition occurring over Labor Day Weekend in Orlando, Florida. As Dirtybird celebrates its twentieth birthday, CampINN will supply stage takeovers to Defected, Desert Hearts and FriendShip.
Delgado mentioned the collaborations replicate Dirtybird’s objective of reclaiming certainly one of EDM’s core values: inclusivity. After 20 years within the scene, he sees that worth slipping away, changed by a tradition of competitors pushed by trade giants like Reside Nation.
In a panorama the place unbiased occasions have gotten an endangered species, Delgado says neighborhood and collaboration matter now greater than ever.
“Dance music in general has always been inclusive, but sometimes in this world of festivals and concerts, it’s like, ‘I have my radius and you can’t play within it.’ It can be very competitive and exclusive,” Delgado tells EDM.com. “But independent festivals can kind of do what they want. We can all live in the same universe together. It doesn’t have to be so competitive. And that’s where these takeovers came in.”
Delgado, who minimize his tooth within the San Francisco scene with Dirtybird originators Barclay Crenshaw and Justin and Christian Martin, calls this collaborative mindset “expanding the flock”: the model’s mission to unite fanbases and foster cross-brand partnerships.
With roughly 60 artists having launched music on each Dirtybird and Defected, Delgado mentioned it was “a natural thing to work together.” That very same synergy extends to FriendShip, whose offbeat vitality and roster typically overlaps with that of Dirtybird. On the subject of Desert Hearts, Delgado put it merely: they’re “two peas in a pod” who share West Coast roots, a loyal following and a aptitude for the wild.
Whereas some could view these manufacturers as opponents, Delgado believes their shared DNA is exactly what makes these partnerships work so properly.
“While the branding might be different, the vision is still the same,” Delgado defined. “When you peel the layers of the onion back, you’ll see we’re all cut from the same cloth. For us, it’s trying to go back to the roots of being inclusive and making it about everyone, rather than, ‘we need to have our section of the pie, and you can’t have any bite of it.'”
For Thomas, who first pitched the resort-takeover idea to Crenshaw over dinner pre-pandemic, the liberty to curate really various lineups is one more reason why boutique festivals like CampINN have such an edge.
“That’s what’s so great about independent festivals: we get to create things how we want,” he mentioned. “We have that flexibility and we really think about the community. That’s what I love.”
Anchor festivals like Extremely and EDC typically function a gateway for brand new ravers, however as soon as followers get that first style, they begin searching for one thing extra private. That’s the place unbiased occasions like CampINN shine.
“We get a lot of people who are exploring new music,” Thomas mentioned. “Once people get hooked on festivals, they ask, ‘what else is out there?’ [CampINN] is what else is out there. This is where we get to deliver that experience to new people who want to do something different.”
With the artistic freedom comes a way of duty, and a deep belief between the neighborhood and the expertise shopping for crew. However that belief hasn’t been constructed in a single day—it has been 20 years within the making.
Recognized for curating genre-bending lineups that merge home, bass, hip-hip, techno, entice and extra, Dirtybird has lengthy embraced its position as a tastemaker. As an alternative of following tendencies, the label focuses on uplifting rising expertise and betting on sound over standing.
“We’ve always been the underdog in a sense, and people dismiss the silly guys,” Delgado says. “For our festivals, we don’t go and sign artists who are the number one person on Beatport right now. We just feel the music is great and we want to give that shot.”
A lot of Dirtybird’s tracks come from artists who’ve by no means had a launch earlier than, Delgado defined, and that very same spirit carries over to their occasion bookings. As an alternative of recycling the identical ticket-selling names weekend after weekend, Dirtybird lineups not often repeat.
“It’s not one big bird at the top of the helm. It’s more about giving people the opportunity to to be a part of something, and to use that brand power to lift people up, rather than chasing hits,” Delgado explains. “The power of what people feel is important to us. We’ve been lucky, after 20 years, to still be able to have that freedom to put people on, and to be known as a curator, in the sense that people trust the brand.”
As CampINN prepares to make its return after a two-year hiatus, it’s as soon as once more leaning on the belief and loyalty of its fanbase. For Thomas, who secured a brand new, bigger resort venue 2025, staying true to the competition’s “original values,” together with their iconic summer season camp-themed actions, is a necessary a part of the method.
“It’s crucially important to keep the core: the team leaders, the Gator Gangs, the Flamingo Fams, and the Scuba Squads, while not changing too much else of what the community values,” Thomas explains. “We’re enhancing the environment, the venue, the staging, the production, and all those pieces correlate with the experience. But, it’s the community that enhances it so much more.”
Putting the steadiness of staying true to CampINN’s quirky roots whereas delivering one thing recent and thrilling is paramount for the organizers. As EDM tradition expands past the membership into daytime events in coffeeshops, pizza joints and different unconventional areas, the music panorama and fan needs are shortly evolving.
Delgado embraces this shift, recognizing the necessity to “create something that’s unique, that people are going to want to spend their hard-earned dollars on.”
“In times like these with uncertainty, high prices and recessions, people are like, ‘why would I want to go have the same experience, when I can have something different?'” he displays. “What we’re trying to do is create an experience, because the fans now want more out of their ticket price.”
Dirtybird has all the time had its feathers on the heart beat of evolving fan expectations, from internet hosting barbecue events to delivering their signature summer season camp-style video games, all within the identify of serving up really distinctive experiences. The manufacturers color-wars actions have been born from a need to push the boundaries of what a competition will be, past the music.
After all there will likely be music programming all day and evening, Delgado defined, however what concerning the downtime? What occurs when followers want a break from dancing for 3 days straight? That query sparked the creation of Dirtybird’s now-iconic video games, that are playful, ridiculous and designed to ship a heavy dose of childlike marvel.
Thomas mentioned he appreciates how the video games encourage followers to “meet somebody new, have fun and let loose, and do something new that you wouldn’t have tried if you hadn’t come to CampINN.”
“The music is what brought us together, but the games and activities is what grows the community deeper and better,” he says.
Along with playful absurdity of speed-walking contests, sack races and egg tosses with festival-goers, the video games additionally contain the artists themselves. As an alternative of a typical meet-and-greet with artists signing merch behind a desk, Dirtybird takes a distinct strategy.
Followers may discover themselves enjoying dodgeball with Sacha Robotti or teaming up with Will Clarke in archery. By weaving the artists into the video games, the expertise transcends past a handshake and a whats up, to shared laughter and real connection.
Delgado mentioned Dirtybird fosters “community and camaraderie between the fans, the artists and the production team” all through each side of their festivals. This sentiment extends all the best way to their stage design. Slightly than constructing towering, unapproachable phases that starkly separate artists from the gang, Dirtybird deliberately invitations followers nearer.
“We like people right there, where you can touch them and shake their hands, instead of fans looking up in awe and worship,” Delgado says. “It’s more like, ‘we’re on the same team here. I can’t perform without you guys dancing, and you can’t dance if I don’t perform. So how do we break that barrier down?”
This immersive, up-close expertise is a part of CampINN’s magic. The competition’s signature wackiness contributes to a vibe that feels each wild and deeply private, a pure extension of the competition’s dedication to breaking down obstacles and protecting issues human.
In a time when followers are craving experiences that really feel recent and distinctive, CampINN delivers. While you combine all that freedom with floaty races within the pool, comedy exhibits and all-night resort chaos, the result’s some really unforgettable reminiscences.
For Delgado, one of many high highlights was seeing GRiZ—simply forward of his hiatus—enjoying a b2b DJ set with Justin Jay at CampINN 2023 after their solo performances. Whereas the distinction between their respective artistries is putting, the sudden efficiency labored completely. To Delgado, it was “the epitome of precisely what we’re attempting to do and attain.”
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Thomas, who has a specific love for CampINN’s playful prank tradition, shared a standout reminiscence when he was on the receiving finish.
“I got a call on the security radio to go to the women’s restroom because there was something going on over there,” he remembers. “I walk in, and it’s the Flamingo Fam dressed up as shrimp, handing out shrimp cocktail. It was one of the wildest experiences, seeing people singing, cheerleading and eating cocktail shrimp in the bathroom.”
Whereas the competition panorama is more and more dominated by the predictable, CampINN is proof that occasions can nonetheless shock you, particularly once they’re constructed on inclusivity, range and pure silliness.
Scheduled for August twenty ninth to September 2nd, Dirtybird CampINN 2025 will characteristic performances by Destructo, VNSSA, Eats All the things, Kevin Saunderson, TroyBoi, Rusko, The Glitch Mob, Mikey Lion and EDM.com Class of 2022 star ACRAZE, amongst many others. Tickets can be found right here.
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