Identity Festival San Diego 2012 – Recap

On August 21, 2012 by Andrew

After a couple days of recovery, the review of Identity Festival San Diego 2012 is here. We arrived at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater at about 4:20pm (see what I did there?) and saw our first performer right away: DJ Porta Potty. Hey, it’s a long way from OC! The line to get in the venue was relatively short, and the “security” was nothing more of a quick look into your backpack (at least the line I went through).

This festival was my first day time show, and to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when there’s still light out. You got the sun out, the heat, sweatier than normal people due to those things, etc. We decided to check out the iHome Main Stage first and found Le Castle Vania rocking the stage. Near the end of his set, he told everyone to come down in to the pit, which caused a mass exodus from the grass area down to the stage, which was pretty amazing to see.

Next, we took off to the Rockstar Energy Drink Festival Stage to catch Audrey Napoleon. I’ve heard of her for a while, but really didn’t know what to expect. What I found out was that she had great energy on stage, which transferred to the people who were there listening to her. The Eye was on deck next, and while I only got to hear a few minutes of his piece before we left, it made me want to check out more of his music.

As we went back over to the main stage, we passed the LED Stage, where TJR was grinding out his funky beats as usual. I was disappointed I didn’t get a change to listen to more of his set, but I had just seen him play about a month ago, so I made the sacrifice. At the iHome Main Stage, Russian import Arty was performing a huge set that got the crowd a little more involved.

The group split up at this point, with some people heading over to see Doctor P. I had a tough decision to make, but this next group I could not miss after what I’ve heard from friends who have seen them. But up next was one of the three acts I pretty much bought my ticket for to see. Bingo Players. Oh snap. Those guys definitely threw down, playing some of their well known hits such as “Cry (Just A Little)”, “Rattle”, and “Mode”. They also had a couple of tricks up their sleeves that really surprised me.

We reconvened at the iHome Main Stage to see legendary trance producer Paul Van Dyk came up after Bingo Players, but he just didn’t stick to that genre. One of the best transitions I’ve ever heard came from him that night. He somehow managed to mix deadmau5’s “Raise Your Weapon” into Knife Party’s “Destroy Them With Lazers”. I could not believe how the two tracks came together so easily, which is how he made it seem.

As I was walking back over to the Rockstar Energy Drink Festival Stage, I heard Noisia, but then also a sick MC was throwing it down. I know that voice anywhere…it was MC Dino. I’ve seen him at some smaller shows and he is really chill. If you haven’t heard him live, you’re really missing out. The dude can spit rhymes faster than a baby drinking too much milk. He added to what Noisia was spinning and it didn’t seem like it was too much. Rather, they were playing off of each other and it really showed how well they worked together.

The group split up again, when everyone went to see Showtek…except me. There was no way I was missing the young and energetic Porter Robinson, the second reason why I had bought my ticket. Nothing against Showtek, but I had already seen them perform at Nocturnal Wonderland 2011 and had been wanting so see Porter Robinson for a while. Let me just say that the kid played everything. Within the first ten minutes of his set, he had played everything from house to dubstep to trance to hardstyle to trap, while still being seamless and cohesive. His last song was, of course, “Language”, which had everyone singing and dancing along to.

The headliner of Identity Festival was closing the night. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Eric Prydz, also know as Pryda and Cirez D, the third reason why I bought my ticket. In what was his first appearance in the US in 5 or 6 years, it was something I did not want to miss. Eric Prydz does not disappoint. He opened with his remix of Depche Mode’s hit “Personal Jesus” which got the crowd warmed up for what was about to happen. Some other songs that he laid down were “Pjanoo”, “SW4”, and his remix of Digitialism’s “Circles”. The smoke and lasers that were a part of his show were amazing to watch, going off in unison with what he was playing and adding another dimension to his performance. He ended his set with his newest track “Allein”, which left the crowd wanting more. The title means “alone” in German, and looking around seeing everyone dance without a care in the world, we were not alone. Eric Prydz managed to bring thousands of people together in something we are all connected to: the music.

Overall, Identity Festival San Diego 2012 was an amazing experience. From the sound of the music to the sights of the visuals, it looked like everyone was having a great time. Adding on to the visuals element, that was one of the things that impressed me the most. They were different for whoever was playing at that time. Whether it was Le Castle Vania performing, Bingo Players spinning, Porter Robinson throwing it down, or Eric Prydz playing, the crew at Identity Fest (as well as each artists personal team) created something unique for each artist which I hope to see at more festivals.

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