CRSSD Festival, the bi-yearly house and techno vortex brought to San Diego by FNGRS CRSSD, is back this weekend from September 24-25 at its ancestral home of Waterfront Park.
Traditionally, the festival pays tribute to four-on-the-floor beats and holds space for both OG’s in the scene and new exciting acts. This year, the promoters made sure to live up to that ethos.
From Fatboy Slim, Dom Dolla, and Joseph Capriati to VTSS, The Avalanches, Fred again.. and Sarah Story, they worked on assembling a lineup that is well versed in not only the house and techno genre spectrum, but gender and first-time debuts.
Here are four artists making their debut at CRSSD Festival that EDM Maniac recommends you don’t miss:
1. Mochakk
Known for his high-energy performances and ability to make the crowd groove, Mochakk, the Brazilian DJ born Pedro Maia, will perform for the first time at CRSSD.
Mochakk is a lover of hip-hop and skating culture, and has creatively paired the two with his appreciation for house music production. One example is his unreleased edit of “Respiration” a track from Mos Def and Talib Kweli‘s project known as Black Star.
At just 22 years old, he’s had the opportunity to perform at the popular Ibiza party Circoloco, do a back-to-back set with Vintage Culture, and produce a successful track titled “False Need,” under Chris Lake’s Black Book Records.
2. The Avalanches
Australian electronic group, The Avalanches, got together in 1997 with one mission in mind: to create magic. Since then, the group has alternated between different members.
It currently consists of well-rounded talent from Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi, and Andy Szekeres. In their years of producing music, the artists have been nominated for 15 awards, winning four, including one for Best Live Act from MUZIK magazine.
In their most recent project “We Will Always Love You,” the group collaborated with popular acts like Blood Orange, Denzel Curry, and MGMT.
3. Fred again..
Rising act and Boiler Room phenomena, Fred again.. is making his debut at CRSSD Music Festival and we know it’s going to be good. He’s made himself known worldwide through his versatile production, insane fingerwork on beat pads, and lofi experimental sounds.
Apart from achieving a Producer of the Year award at the Brit Awards in 2020, the artist has had the opportunity to work with acts such as Swedish House Mafia, The XX, Burna Boy, FKA Twigs, and more.
4. VTSS
A force to be reckoned with and an electrifying act on the come-up, VTSS, also known as Martyna Maja, is showing San Diego her background in EDM, techno, sped-up trance, and hardcore.
VTSS appreciates the sounds of Depeche Mode, Placebo, and Aphex Twin, which shows through her multi-faceted DJ sets and musical productions.
She has played at the popular Berlin club, Berghain, and other admired spaces in the scene like London’s Printworks and The Pickle Factory.
