Identity Festival [Hollywood] Review

Posted by on September 19, 2011

With a last minute venue change, a decent lineup, and the most anticipated stop of Identity the following day…Identity Hollywood still managed to deliver. Despite it’s traditional use of indoor performances, The Palladium actually worked extremely well by turning the back parking lot into massive outdoor arena. Everyone performed as expected except for one artist who completely blew us away…hit the jump for all the details. For all of you that we promised to upload your pictures to, you can find them here.

Click “more” for the full concert review!

Le Caste Vania

I went into Identity not a big listener of this guy, but 10 minutes into his set I became an avid fan. The thing I love most about Dada Life is their energy on stage and Le Caste Vania exemplifies that same energy to the fullest. His music has an interesting twist to it mixing extremely heavy electro with some disco as well. The bass at the indoor stage couldn’t have been better for Vania’s set, it featured some crazy electro with some metal which sounded like Skrillex on steroids. Definitely not your Afrojack esque mainstream artist, but Le Caste Vania gets two thumbs up in my book.

PREVIEW: D.I.M. – Is You (Le Caste Vania Remix)

 

Doorly

FNT nation, you probably know this guy from his dubstep remix of Basement Jaxx’s “Raindrops”. While I’m a big fan of that track, I wasn’t very into the rest of his music. I’m an avid fan of dubstep, but only if it’s manageable. Beyond his track selection, Doorly is one hell of a live DJ. In today’s world everyone is DJing off their computer (if you can even call that DJing) however, Doorly sticks to the CDJ’s, looping live, and giving the crowd what they deserve. In a world where DJing is being redefined, Doorly is doing it right sticking to it’s roots.

PREVIEW: Basement Jaxx – Raindrops (Doorly Remix)

Booka Shade

On the outside Dim Mak stage, a duo named Booka Shade played a very unique set with one member working the CDJ’s and controllers with another playing live drums. Initially, I thought this was going to a be some wanna-be DJ AM-Travis Barker, but the set went surprisingly well. They definitely proved why they are legends in their homeland of Germany and with their unique on stage performance these guys could easily make a name for themselves here in America.
PREVIEW: Booka Shade – Buffer Ruffer (Original Mix)

 

Steve Aoki


Steve Aoki was without a doubt the performer I looked forward to most. What I learned most from Aoki’s set was that he’s not so much a DJ, but more of a performer. Aoki knows exactly how to get the crowd going, he spent 90% of his set running around, climbing speakers, jumping in the crowd on an inflatable raft, and spraying champagne. I now wonder how other DJ’s feel about Steve Aoki’s sets…while they are beyond entertaining, he literally DJ’d for a total five minutes. Aoki as a DJ didn’t win me over, but his performance was incomparable to any other I’ve ever seen.

PREVIEW: Laidback Luke & Steve Aoki – Turbulence (Original Mix)

Pete Tong

Pete Tong’s set is exactly what you’d expect it to be. He played a lot of deep house and had some of the better song selections of the day. Sadly, no BBC 1 World Exclusives. Bottom line is, he’s a veteran of his trade and his flawless set exemplified that to the fullest.

PREVIEW: Pete Tong & Paul Rodgers – Headstrong

 The Disco Biscuits


Still wondering if the guy in charge of this lineup should have a job or not…while The Disco Biscuits are definitely a solid band, they’re definitely not the right fit for Identity Hollywood, or any Identity stop for that matter. For those of you who don’t know, The Disco Biscuits are a genre of rock that some refer to as livetronica, but to be honest they’re in a genre of their own. The songs they played ranged from anything from trance to hip-hop and everything in between. The energy on stage was there, but at a show filled with musicians who’s on stage performances are hindered by their instrument (DJ tables) I expected a much more energetic lively performance. Regardless, selling over a quarter million tickets a year, The Disco Biscuits are making a name for themselves.

PREVIEW: The Disco Biscuits – Fish Out Of Water

 

Pretty Lights

Dressed in a fitted baseball cap and a plain black tee, Pretty Lights does things unlike any other mainstream DJ out there. His set was filled with decades of music ranging from jazz to hip hop all infused into his unique electro sound he’s mastered oh so well. The precision of his set was phenomenal, everything was on cue and looped perfectly. I’ve heard people say that Bassnectar’s bass live is incomparable to any other sound, the same goes for Pretty Light’s entire set. The heaviness of his drops and hip hop/soul infused electro is unexplainable. Pretty Lights goes down in my book as top 3 favorite live set’s I’ve seen, if you ever have the opportunity to see him, do it.

DOWNLOAD: Pretty Lights – I Know The Truth

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