Pacific Festival OC 2011 – Angry Mob Music

September 9, 2011
Uncategorized

Angry Mob had troops on the ground at this year’s Pacific Fest OC, one of Southern California’s hottest music events of the summer. Just in case you missed it, here’s a recap of the weekend’s proceedings. For starters this year’s lineup sported some of the music scene’s best acts in contemporary indie, electronic, house and nu-disco.

First up, the !!!’s set. Definitely a great way to start off the day. !!! always keeps it fun with their brand of energetic tripped-out-disco-funk. Shortly after their set we made our way over to what seemed like the longest line for beer EVER (the only real downside of the festival). Nothing says ‘Music Festival’ like a 20 minute wait for $8 dollar Pabst…mmm.

We made our way back over to see fan-favorite Calvin Harris, whom we expected to bring the full band like we’d seen in the past, but instead was only booked for a DJ set. No matter, his set was surprisingly good, though a bit ‘ravey’, clearly a departure from the style of his first album, but no one seemed to care as he had the crowd going wild from beginning to end. In short, Calvin killed.

Later we were posed with the toughest choice of the night… the double-booking of the ‘Toro y Moi’ and ‘Fred Falke’. Ultimately we chose Fred Falke, the almighty Godfather of French House music himself. But make no mistake, Toro y Moi is a face we’ll be seeing in music for years to come.

Fred Falke’s set was spectacular, and the overall vibe was enhanced by an incredibly evocative stage concept created by the people at The Do Lab. The set started right as the sun was setting over the lake. Breathtaking. He brought out his bass and started the blissfully smooth track ‘909 PM at the Beach’, which instantly transported the audience to the white sands of Ibiza. Clearly a highlight of the festival.

We also took in a little Zoot Woman. It was surprising to see a relatively small audience given their cult following. Even if you are not a Zoot Woman fan, you have to pay homage to Stuart Price, who has a long (and impressive) list of production credits including Madonna, Seal, and the Killers.

To close it out, we had to throw down a little bit of the Snoop Dogg. The man, the legend. A fitting end to a very gratifying day of music appreciation. All in all the Pacific Festival OC was a hit, and consider it one of the more organized Los Angeles based events in recent memory. The new venue was a great choice, very spread out with lots of shade. The sound merits a mention as well. Very solid production. Props to Dim Mak, KCRW, and the many other sponsors for a good show, we’ll be back next year!