San Francisco's inaugural Portola festival made a strong first impression last September; and its second edition promises to be even bigger. Organized by Goldenvoice and held from September 30 through October 1 at Pier 80, its lineup features Eric Prydz with his popular visual spectacle HOLO as Friday night headlining act, along with Skrillex on Saturday as headliners; Nelly Furtado (making her U.S. performance since 2007), Underworld, Polo & Pan and FKJ will all perform as part of its inaugural lineup last September 30 through October 1.
Skrillex
Skrillex rose up through Florida post-hardcore scenes as a teenager to become one of electronic music's most influential producers. Based out of Los Angeles DJ Lax's discography ranges from metal dubstep to pop anthems and more - propelling him to the forefront of EDM world. His latest album 'Quest for Fire' released last year was an exciting follow up featuring guest appearances by Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and London MC Fred Again along with bass, beats, drops.
Skrillex's album's catchy title track has quickly become a fan favorite, disproving naysayers who claim he can't be a pop star. Boasting an irresistibly catchy synth whirlwind that serves as an irresistibly danceable anthem with lyrics like, "Where have all my lost boys gone?," its irresistibly danceable chorus has quickly become one of its hallmark features.
Skrillex's Quest for Fire showcases not only his most prominent artists, but also some of his signature productions from early in his career. For example, "More Monsters and Sprites" offers fans all that is great about early Skrillex sound - pretty strings to buggy electronic noise to piano relief; plus its "drop" sounds just like Leatherface shattering your ear canal, exactly the kind of shatteringly hard sound on which he built his reputation.
Another highlight is a collaboration with mid-aughts electro pioneer Boys Noize. The German musician brought his analog expertise and taught Skrillex about computerized beat building for this memorable track that will have fans of this genre turning up the volume to 11.
Make It Bun Dem' is the second EP from Dubstep pioneer MC Leo's "Quest for Fire" trilogy and showcases him at his most experimental. A high-octane ride, it blends frenetic breakbeats, distorted guitar riffs, and vocal samples from Missy Elliott to produce an unforgettable, uninhibited experience that will have you dancing around in no time! This head-turning and haunting track will have you dancing along in no time - perfect for when dancing bare!
Eric Prydz
Goldenvoice's inaugural Portola Festival made an impression upon its inaugural outing last year, thanks to its unique location within Pier 80's million-square-foot maritime shipping pier and impressive roster of electronic leaning talent - two elements which contributed to an experience that was well received and widely celebrated.
This year the festival returns September 30-October 1 with an incredible lineup. Prydz will headline Friday night with his visually spectacular HOLO, while Skrillex will close out the weekend. Also performing will be Jai Paul (who recently performed his debut set at Coachella), Nelly Furtado and Rina Sawayama of FKJ and Hot Chip along with other major acts including Major Lazer b2b with Major League DJz Dom Dolla Charlotte de Witte as well as many others representing house, techno indie electronic, R&B or funk artists!
Portola Fest tickets can be found on its official website beginning Monday, May 22 at 10 AM Pacific time (PT). Presales begin that same day.
Jai Paul
Jai Paul's music casts its own spell, with its craggy basslines and shifting dynamics that give listeners an uneasiness that suggests its breaking apart at any moment. A generation of young British artists from Mura Masa to Nao cite Paul as an influence; Ed Sheeran covered Jasmine while Niall Horan's debut solo single Slow Hands sounds as though an AI bot had been asked to create an extra soulful version. Even his 2019 debut Bait Ones (including its 29-second sample flip of Tamil pop hit Bala Main Bairagan Hoongi by Vani Jairam) can take listeners away into another realm.
Paul remains relatively inconspicuous despite these high-profile accolades; his public persona is almost nonexistent. He's given only one known interview and released only a collection of demos leaked early 2013 that wasn't officially released until six years later under the name Bait Ones - reflecting Paul's music's unorthodox aesthetic, full of glitches, oddly compressed sounds and samples taken from 21st-century pop; however his artistic persona stands apart from social-media oversharing trends.
At Coachella, Paul's band -- featuring A.K. on guitar, Fabiana Palladino (who has released music with The Paul Institute label), Rocco Palladino on bass and Isaac Kizito on drums -- sounded solid and powerful. Paul performed some of his subtler songs such as Crush in Minneapolis funk style to Genevieve which featured aquatic soul stylings. Though some songs require less from Paul vocally; his powerful delivery still packs a powerful punch.
Paul's set was marked by two of his biggest hits, yet it took the room a while to warm up to him again. At first, it felt like an audition with audience members trying to see up close their hero Paul; by halfway through however, everything began to come together with Genevieve singing her sweet harmonies making everyone happy and everyone having an enjoyable evening out with Paul.
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado first achieved widespread recognition with her DreamWorks debut album in 2000 - an upbeat hip-hop-tinged pop album which produced such hit singles as "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn off the Light," seemingly signalling her arrival as one of pop music's top stars for much of the decade. After her second effort flopped commercially however, in 2006 Loose by Timbaland proved an instantaneous hit; trading catchy hooks for darker electronics with more serious rap-esque sounds; its lead single, "Promiscuous," established itself as an enormous hit that set a precedent for what would follow throughout Loose as an album release.
Lyrically, Furtado's track may not be groundbreaking but is nevertheless enjoyable to dance to and features an upbeat beat composed of clever synth lines. Furtado even engages her producer in flirtatious banter during its accompanying music video directed by director X.
"Maneater," for instance, and more introspective tracks such as "All Good Things Come to an End" really shine during the second half.
Furtado has become well known for her English-language albums; in 2009 she also released Mi Plan in Spanish language as an album that showcases collaborations with Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Fernandez, Julieta Venegas among other musicians. Furtado is also well known for her musical versatility and genre exploration.
This week in dance music saw plenty of action: Carnage released a song detailing his departure from Gordo, San Francisco's Portola festival unveiled its stunning lineup, Above & Beyond unveiled their brand new label focused on downtempo and ambient sounds, Purple Disco Machine put out an incredible edit of Lizzo's "About Damn Time," and Skrillex joined Calm meditation app in offering three diverse mood mix series; all this and more were featured in our weekly roundup of dance music's best moments! All this and more was featured in our weekly roundup!
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