On Sunday, August 8th, house music lovers united in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, for Dirtybird’s Road to Campout. The previous host to Dirtybird BBQ prior to the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2019, Exposition Park is nestled near the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, the spacious lawn and tree covered site served as the perfect venue for the eight-hour outdoor musical extravaganza.
Throughout the last sixteen years, Dirtybird has gained a reputation for bringing outdoor house music events to sprawling urban environments. One of several pre-parties leading up to this October’s campout, house music lovers united for a fun day of dancing, music, Dirtybird characters, killer BBQ, custom merchandise, and activities amidst the big open summer sky. Taking place on just one massive stage, the event showcased performances from Gettoblaster, KiNK, Justin Jay, and Claude VonStroke himself.
After years of recruiting KiNK to come play in the states, Claude VonStroke was finally successful in his venture. This served to be a particularly memorable treat for those in attendance. KiNK’s live set was thrilling for the audience to watch. As he performed across his somewhat complex set-up which includes an Akai LPD8, a keyboard, a Novation Launchpad, a Roland TR-8, and a Novation Launch Control XL, the audience went wild for his electrifying live set.
Justin Jay played a particularly memorable set that was chock-full of positive energy. He started it off with some Spanish tech house before moving into playing some memorable hip-hop edits. He then finished it off with some of his classics.
Next up was Gettoblaster. With fire after fire single, 2021 has truly proven to be the year of Gettoblaster. His vibrant set featured original tunes such as “Certified Freak” & “In the Club” that set the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
Claude VonStroke finished off the night with a funky, high energy set that kept the attendees dancing until the very end. Bringing the deep groove, the audience shook their tail feathers to the very end of the event at 11PM. As Claude played familiar favorites as well as newer material off his 2020 album, Freaks & Beaks, fans eagerly danced to the beat while others waved their flags and totems across the night sky. The vibe was super joyful, signaling a positive future to come for Southern California house and electronic music lovers.
Dirtybird label continues to drop a steady stream of releases, the most recent of which is the EP More Is Different from Atlanta-based producer Nikki Nair. The anticipation will only continue to build as Dirtybird prepares for their upcoming annual west coast campout, happening October 15-17 at Modesto Reservoir Campgrounds in Central California. The festival will feature a pre-party from Damian Lazarus, a set from old school hip-hop artists Digable Planets and DJ Jazzy Jeff, drum and bass favorites Planet of the Drums, and all your favorite Dirtybird artists. Tickets are available here.
