Dirtybird Campout 2017 || Tamlyn’s Event Recap

Dirtybird Campout 2017 had fans “movin’ up and down, side to side like a roller coaster” with three days of booty percolatin’ beats.

It’s practically common knowledge that San Francisco-based Dirtybird Records knows how to throw a party. So it comes as no surprise that their flagship festival, Dirtybird Campout, was once again a crazy success. Now in its third year, the festival has seen a massive growth in attendance as well as moving from its original home in Southern California to its new home in the Northern part of the state.

The move from Oak Canyon Park in Silverado to the San Antonio Campgrounds in Bradley, California was a necessary change, but with this change came a few growing pains.

One of the first things that stuck out to me was that the layout of the new grounds was too far spread out. The distance between portions of the campgrounds to the festival itself was quite the trek, and the ground itself wasn’t necessarily the best surface to walk on. In fact, it was a bit dangerous at night when walking around if you didn’t have a flashlight, as you might randomly encounter holes in the ground.

The convenience of being able to easily go to and from camp was lost along with a lot of peoples’ patience. Although Dirtybird tried to lessen the walk with the implementation of shuttles, there simply weren’t enough to accommodate the increase in attendees. There were maybe two or three shuttles running during the festival hours when there should have been around five or six, considering how many people wanted to ride.

Luckily, all this was overshadowed for me by a number of sound camps that kept the party going into the morning.

The new venue brought forth the ability for sound camps to really flourish and the festival itself to truly run 24/7. Whether it was day or night these camps provided the soundtrack of the campgrounds as plenty of DJs, sometimes including special guests from the Dirtybird Fam itself, showed off their best beats for small crowds. A special shoutout goes to PinkEZup who kept the party going all three days and showcased a plethora of local talent from the Bay Area and beyond.

Photo Credit: Watchara

The growth of Dirtybird Campout this year also allowed for the creation of the Bass Lodge, a dedicated bass stage that welcomed a number of new artists.

In the past, the second stage was dubbed the Late Night Lodge and only ran after the music had stopped at The Birdhouse stage. Now running at the same time, the new stage allowed for Dirtybird to bring in additional acts while opening up their fan base by diversifying the lineup.

Notable sets that took place at Bass Lodge include Desert Hearts’ Mikey Lion b2b PorkChop, Bleep Bloop, and DJ Funk. The surprise set by Fisher was hands down a fan favorite, and his unreleased track “Stop It” garnered the attention of many. Fisher is definitely an artist who is on the rise and if you haven’t heard “Ya Kidding” yet, you must listen now.

The main stage, The Birdhouse, also received a facelift with added production and more room to dance.

Notable sets for me that took place at The Birdhouse included Chris Lorenzo, Shiba San, Gene Farris, Walker & Royce, and Eats Everything. But of course, the star of the show and one of my favorites was the coveted Family Set that closed out the final night. A rough tracklist of the set included some major tunes like Eats Everything’s “Dancing”, Walker & Royce’s “Rub Anotha Dub”, and Fisher’s “Stop It” so you can get an idea of how perfect of an end it was.

Photo Credit: Aaron Glassman

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by how on point the music was all weekend and found that the addition of the Bass Lodge was definitely a great one.

One of the reasons why I love Dirtybird is because they put an emphasis on having a great time and keeping it light-hearted. Even though the festival nearly doubled in size, I felt they did a good job at finding a way to keep the community vibe alive. All the attendees that I encountered were stoked to be there and were very friendly. I think that’s why so many people are attracted to Dirtybird – it really is a family.

I look forward to seeing Dirtybird grow and expand into new territories. Who else is seriously considering making the trek with me to the East Coast Campout this February with me?

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Feature Photo Credit: Miranda McDonald Photography