I had never been to the venue before, so I’m glad my first experience there set the bar high for future events. I arrived around 2:30 p.m. and caught the beginning of Ardalan’s set as we got in the short line for free burgers, hot dogs and watermelon. Everyone behind the grill was sending their good vibes our way. As I approached the end of the line, we noticed J. Phlip standing at the grill with cheese ready in hand. I spoke to her briefly about the tour and she told us how her schedule is crazy busy for the rest of the year but that “it’s the best job in the world”. She was cute, soft spoken, and very humble.
It was awesome to see the entire lineup hanging out together behind the grill and casually talking to all the people who share their love for house music. I walked over to the stage and greeted Ardalan, who looked lonely on stage but was clearly in the zone while mixing. He tossed me a “Dirtybird BBQ Compilation Mix” CD which features a bunch of artists of their label which are finely selected by Claude VonStroke himself, and comes with an exclusive download for his Dirtybird BBQ mix.
Christian Martin came to the stage around 4 p.m. as people were still pouring into the venue. By this time, the lineup was significantly longer and most of my friends had already had 3 or 4 burgers each. But people were seen grooving to the beat while in line and I didn’t hear a single complaint; after all, the food was FREE and the DJs were cooking it for us! How often do you see that?! Justin Martin joined his brother’s side on stage, bobbing their heads almost synchronized, and it rubbed off on the audience completely.
J. Phlip began her mix at 5:30 p.m. and nailed the entire set! I had just seen her recently in June at Electric Forest in Rothbury Michigan, and it was easily one of the best sets out of those 4 days of raving. But, this time her set was more intimate and she seemed more relaxed with her entire Dirtybird family by her side. The real dancing began when she came to the stage. Around this time, it was also announced that the burgers were all gone, so drinks became 5$ as compensation. Anyone who was there from start to finish knew that this event was totally worth the juicy burgers, good beats, and now cheap drinks.
Justin Martin came on around 7 p.m. and dropped the No Sun by Kyle Watson, as well as the Dusky remix of Martin’s original track Don’t Go. The crowd was perfect. No one was aggressive, so it was easy to maneuver from the back of the venue by the bathrooms all the way to the front row. During his set, J. Phlip and Ardalan were seen taking silly selfies together and photo-bombing other artists on stage. It was refreshing to see the DJs be so relaxed while providing house lovers with a great event.
The entire event was great. It had the vibes of Electric Island and the mature crowd of true house music lovers. Thank you Embrace, Coda and Platform for another 19+ event that truly made the difference in atmosphere and safety. Thanks for the free food while it lasted, and it lasted a lot longer than I expected! Thanks Ardalan for the free CD available on Beatport today! I’ve been playing it on repeat since the BBQ and it reminds me of the fantastic weekend.
Dirtybird BBQ was easily one of the best outdoor events I’ve been to in all of 2014! I have a feeling this is just the beginning of Dirtybird BBQs and I look forward to the possibility of one next year!
Support the Dirty Bird Record label and buy their compilation CD here.
LINKS:
Claude VonStroke
Website
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
Justin Martin
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
J. Phlip
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Christian Martin
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Ardalan
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
Talal & Zoi
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
Serafina Thoma – EDM TOR
