With hypnotic precision and synthetic mastery, the artists of CRSSD Festival arrived this past March. Dripping along the coast of San Diego, California, fans gather to soak up both the sun and performers in an immersive, all-encompassing experience. For a city routinely coated in sandals and surfers, San Diego is biannually transformed into an electric utopia of sound and energy. Artists including Dom Dolla, The Martinez Brothers, and Modeselektor were just a few of the many captivating performers who dominated the big stages at Waterfront Park this spring. 

With elements of house, electro, techno, and breakbeat sounds came one of this year’s artists, Polygonia, the multidisciplinary music and art project by artist Lindsey Wang. With her inspiration drawing from natural acoustics and cultural diversity, Polygonia takes on an experimental approach with complex rhythms and broad emotional ranges to produce performances both undeniable and breathtaking. 

What may send you into a nostalgic and transcendent spiral when listening to the 2008 hit song “Bulletproof” are the works of the Grammy award-winning electronic music group, La Roux. With vocals by Elly Jackson and early-years production by Ben Langmaid, La Roux has held listeners in a synth-pop chokehold since 2006, with loyal fans stretching from adolescence to adulthood. This year at CRSSD, with Jackson as the sole artist, La Roux carried fans into an experience of 1980s-inspired electropop euphoria with high energy and definitive fun. 

Taking a moment away from trailblazing across music festivals worldwide, producing Grammy-nominated projects, and dominating the LA Beat Scene, TOKiMONSTA (Jennifer Lee), the LA-based DJ and record producer, performed at Waterfront Park, bringing a blend of soulful melodies and hip-hop beats to the stage. With her founded label, Young Art Records, TOKiMONSTA delivers an immersive performance that audiences can truly connect with and resonate with. 

Another remarkable performance this year was LA-based DJ Zoe Gitter, who performed on the City Steps stage. Spending the past 10 years in the music industry, Gitter has been performing around the world with widely known artists such as Charlie XCX and Troye Sivan, turning house and EDM into more than just a party but an experience in and of itself. With pop influences and chaotic undertones, her music engulfs the crowd with undeniable power. 

International DJ and rapidly rising producer, HoneyLuv (Taylor Character), took the stage this year with her sets focused on melodic house music and vocal-based tracks. Teasing her new highly anticipated track “Dance w/ Me”, aiming for release this summer, HoneyLuv surprised the crowd with a tech-house performance that was gratifying and completely unmissable. 

Making the not-so-quick trip all the way from London, England came the nu-disco and funk musical duo, Franc Moody. The pair consists of Ned Franc and Jon Moody, who have together created a musical collection of analog-inspired sound, modern funk, disco, and falsetto vocals. Performing with a larger group at CRSSD Festival this year, Franc Moody described the final stage of their tour as “a beautiful day, with beautiful people - a beautiful send off”. 

Another music pair featured at this year’s festival was the German group Zimmer 90, the indie-electro pop duo formed by Joscha Becker and Finn Gronemeyer, who often performed with drummer Michael Schoett. Heavily influenced by disco-pop and alternative genres, Zimmer 90 brings a wave of “dreamlike” vocals and a synthetic pool of reverberations. 

There’s no question that CRSSD carried the weight of the house and EDM music sector this spring. Circled by feelings of euphoria and universal camaraderie, visitors to San Diego were left with a taste of what defines high-energy music and a craving for more.

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