The Best Tracks of CRSSD Festival Spring ’24 (DJ Selects)
Ten DJs who performed at the Spring edition of San Diego’s bi-annual house and techno showdown, CRSSD Festival, select their top tracks from the two-day event.
Few events have come to mean more to Southern California ravers than San Diego’s CRSSD Festival. Returning to its home at the city’s beautiful Waterfront Park, this bi-annual three-stage event continues to flawlessly execute its eclectic presentation of techno, house, and live electronic music with each passing year.
We caught up with a handful of the talented performers from this year’s Spring CRSSD function — a mixed bag of beloved local selectors and international heavyweights — to find out their favorite tracks from the festival.
Archie Hamilton
“This is such a massive track for me at the moment; it’s got pretty much everything I love in a peak time banger, whilst not being too hectic. The vocal sample is killer, loads of tension in the breakdown and a super simple acid line that ties everything together really nicely.”
MARIE NYX
“I may be a little biased here, but my favorite track I dropped in my set was Pilo and Deuce Hurt’s ‘Day One (Maude Vôs & Marie Nyx Remix).’ This is a club remix with a blend of impactful industrial low-end, worldly percussion and vocal chops. Every time I drop it in a set, I feel the energy rise within myself and the crowd. It is not only exciting to play a remix I am extremely proud of but also one that is so meaningful to Pilo. The original and remix honor the life of one of his dear friends, who is the vocalist on the track.”
SIMON DOTY
“My favourite track of the set would probably have to be ‘Lady Danger.’ It’s been my biggest release of the last year or so and it always seems to get a special response. I always envisioned the track being best suited for a daytime vibe, so CRSSD was the perfect place to play it. There was even a girl in the crowd with a “Lady Danger” shirt on!”
SAMMY VIRJI
“It’s a classic house tune, one of my all-time favourites as well. The feel-good piano melody seemed to resonate with the crowd nicely, and it felt like an upbeat moment in the set.”
KY WILLIAM
“This track is something I can always fit in my sets. I feel like it can fit in the beginning, middle, or end of the set. I find myself always playing music that works for any point in the night. I felt like this was a great track for CRSSD because I was able to keep the energy high while not going too hard being I had an earlier slot and didn’t wanna overwhelm everyone too early on.”
NEKTER
“This was my first time playing at CRSSD Fest and I had a wicked fun time opening up the City Steps stage. Rinsing this new track by Confidential Recipe was certainly a highlight — the build-up and drop had everyone, including myself, super pumped. I couldn’t stop smiling while spinning because the energy in the environment was so positive, communal, and the music was hitting all the right spots.”
MAZ
“Banho de Folhas” is a very special song that opened many doors for me. It’s great that through it, I can showcase more of my work to the world, and it was one of the songs that rocked the CRSSD dance floor the most; it was beautiful!
SYREETA
“I’ve been rinsing this track nonstop. It’s my absolute favorite weapon for the dance floor at the moment!”
NILS HOFFMANN
“My favorite track from my set is “Running In A Dream.” It’s a song that’s packed with emotion and has a lot of sentimental value for me. It’s also the title track for my new album, and it is the first track on my setlist, so I always make sure it gets the proper recognition it deserves!”
X CLUB.
This is one of our new tracks that we love. It’s got such an amazing break and build-up section — heavy but not too intense — and it gets a really good response every time. It’s the lead track off of our latest Wrestling With New Technique EP on our Hide The Junk imprint, so go check it out!