A hazy day in Orange County in August set the stage for the expo of high spirits and unbound senses that was the 2011 Pacific: OC Festival organized by Collaborative Media and Orange County-native and electro-kingpin Steve Aoki. Here is a quick run-down of what went down in the desert according to our [unusually fragmented] memory.
American Royalty
"Like the Black Keys meets Daft Punk," according to one of the group's members. I've always wondered what kind of music the Grateful Dead would be making if they had been born in the 80's, and I think I know now after hearing American Royalty.
American Royalty - Levrolution by American Royalty
East Creep Mix by American Royalty
East Creep by American Royalty
Poolside
I wandered over to the lakeside stage after grabbing a drink and checking out Beanie Man. Unaware of the schedule I look to see the stage, hear the opening bars to Do You Believe, and realized that I'm standing among familiar faces. It all seemed to come together for a moment and this was the most tangible moment all afternoon. It soon got very surreal.
Poolside - Do You Believe by Poolside Music
Poolside - Harvest Moon by Poolside Music
Phantogram
After enjoying a bit of !!!, the energy really started getting strange at Phantogram. Maybe it was the settling dusk, but I feel that those reverb-laden melodies juxtaposed against the steady pulse of electronic drums threw my brain for a loop. From this it would not recover...
The rest of the evening is a bit indiscernible for me - I was continually being blasted to the moon by Jacques Renault, Toro y Moi, Fred Falke, Bag Raiders, Cosmic Kids, Zoot Woman, Classixx, and The Twelves! Really this was an immense lineup that blew Oak Canyon Ranch into the stratosphere.
Check out pics and the official festival recap below:
Pacific Festival 2011 Recap – THANK YOU! | Pacific Festival
And thanks to everyone involved,
HIGH THEORY
