Summer 2017 has officially ended, and what better way to end it than with one of the most down and dirty celebrations on the west coast? Dirtybird Campout has just wrapped up its 3rd year and campers are finally starting to feel recovered(ish) from their wild summer camp weekend. All in all, it was a successful weekend indeed – a weekend filled with dust, dancing, debauchery, and of course, Dirtybird. A new venue allowed campers to experience and explore the festival in a whole new way. There are so many highlights that can be taken from the weekend – but like all good stories, it’s always best to start at the beginning.
Thursday – Day 0
My friends and I made sure to secure Early Arrival passes this year because we wanted to get the jump on the prime camping spots, and we also wanted to have the convenience of already being set up and ready to go Friday morning. We got in around 10pm (just barely making it) and made our way to the campsite we wanted to claim – Northern Nookie. It was dark out which presented a little bit of a struggle, but luckily we were prepared and brought lanterns. We found the perfect spot under these nice, shady trees and decided to set up there. The fact that it was dark and cold out made setting up camp much easier and less stressful. After we had everything sorted, we turned on our speaker, grabbed our drinks, and got the weekend started.
Friday – Day 1
Because we decided to go to sleep relatively early Thursday night, we got the party started bright and early Friday morning. The early bird catches the worm right? We ate our breakfast, began pre-gaming, and put on our best camper clothes, ready to start this weekend off on the best foot possible. We headed out to the Birdhouse early in the day to catch Lauren Lane, and to also celebrate two of my friends’ birthdays who had set up an EZ up, a table, and the coolest little party set-up ever. After we grooved to the sensual sounds of Ms. Lane, we made our way over to the Bass Lodge to catch Mikey Lion’s and Porkchop’s Desert Hearts takeover. By 5pm, the party was ON. Mikey and Porky were keeping the energy high throughout their entire set, straight into sunset. As the temperature dropped, we made the trek back to camp to throw on our furs and warm clothes (and to re-up on supplies). We made our way back to catch the end of J. Phlip’s set (who ran a little late apparently, but J. Phlip is well worth any wait). Kill Frenzy b2b Will Clarke was next, and man, did they have the place MOVING. Not one camper in the crowd had their panties on after that set. Next up was one of my favorites from the entire weekend, Danny Daze. As the air got colder, every track he dropped ignited my fire and kept me warm. And after that was the head honcho of Dirtybird himself, Claude VonStroke. He started his set by upping the bass so high that I could feel it in vibrating in my veins. Papa Claude closed out the Birdhouse with one of the hyphiest sets of the weekend. After that, we were able to catch the funk that was being thrown down at Ardalan b2b Worthy at the Bass Lodge, aka, the Afterhours Lodge. Christian Martin wrapped up the official afterhours festivities, and we made our way back to camp for our own unofficial afterhours festivities.
Saturday – Day 2
Even though we went to sleep very late (or early, depending on how you look at it), the trees we chose to set up under provided all the shade we needed to sleep in as late as we wanted. That extra sleep definitely came in handy, because we headed out to the Birdhouse early again to catch some of the early heat – Sirus Hood, Lux Groove, and Weiss kept us grooving until the late afternoon. Then Cut Snake was on, another favorite of mine who happened to create a highlight of the weekend for me by dropping my one of my favorite songs (On Hold [Jamie xx remix] – The xx) right at peak sunset hour. Sonny Fodera got the evening started with some old classics and new bangers, with Gene Farris taking over right after, which was a special treat. A live rendition of their hit track “Work It” was done as Sonny handed the decks over to Gene. After that, we made our way back to camp to get warm for the night and made it back just in time to catch the end of Coyu. Next up was one of the most highly anticipated sets of the weekend – Walker & Royce, with Dances with White Girls singing live. The entire set was bumping, but the real treat came when they closed out with the one and only Take Me To Your Leader – LIVE. It energized the entire crowd as everyone jumped along singing those infectious lyrics. Justin Martin ended the night on very high note, dropping multiple notorious IDs we all know and love that may never get released. Our night ended with some sweet drum n bass at the Bass Lodge with DJ Marky and the Martin Brothers behind the decks.
Sunday – Day 3
Another very late night resulted in us sleeping in even later Sunday morning and being sluggish the entire time we were getting ready. We made our way out into the heat one last time, filled up on some delicious Dough Lab pizza, and got our last day of summer camp started. Denney got us going at the Birdhouse, with Sacha Robotti and Chris Lorenzo both bringing their A game to the stage right after. Fisher was the special guest at the Bass Lodge Sunday afternoon and he shook the place up. Fisher unleashed some insane tracks on us, released and unreleased, sending the entire crowd into a frenzy. He had the entire stage jumping with so much vigor, you would’ve thought it was Day 1 again. Mija brought her FK A GENRE to the Bass Lodge with Netsky and Ryan Forever for a truly memorable set. Back at the Birdhouse, Riva Starr and Jesse Rose were bringing the house down with their b2b, which was extra special as it was Jesse Rose’s final West Coast performance for the year. Matthew Dear, who I recently found out also performs under the Audion alias, went on after and earned his spot as one of my top sets of the weekend. We ran back over to the Bass Lodge after his set to catch Bleep Bloop, which was another highlight from the weekend, and a nice little break from all of the house and techno. As much of a techno/house head I am, it was nice to flex my basshead muscles again. After some good old fashioned spine tingling, we headed back to the Birdhouse for another old favorite: Shiba San, who definitely did not disappoint. The penultimate set of the weekend went to none other than Eats Everything, who also claimed one of my top set spots for the weekend. He threw down some Dirtybird classics that haven’t been heard in years, and threw in his own special tracks of course. The annual Family Set closed out Campout, which meant any DJ that played the festival who was around and feeling up to it could play a song. The last song was played by Dirtybird legend himself, Justin Martin.
Another incredible weekend filled with friends new and old, that summer camp spirit, endless dancing, and some of the best music I’ve ever heard. This was the 3rd rendition of Dirtybird Campout, and my 2nd time attending. After the experiences I’ve had over the past 2 years, I can definitely say that this is a festival I can see myself attending for a long time. Til next year, Dirtybird Campout!
P.S. Walker & Royce just dropped a new video for their song Rub Anotha Dub ft. Green Velvet. This was one of the anthems of Campout, so be sure to watch and support when you get a chance.
Rub Anotha Dub by Walker & Royce & Green Velvet on VEVO.
FEATURED PHOTO BY JULIANA BERNSTEIN
