All My Friends Festival to make vehement LA debut: Check out DA’s must-see acts
The city of Los Angeles’ continual role in hip-hop and electronic dance music — not to mention the underground niches that helped birth what we now know as the mainstream music in each genre — has only continued to build upon itself over the years. From the days when gangsta rap reigned, to the birth of G-funk and the underground rave scenes, the city’s symbiotic relationship with the two genres is irrefutable.
Today, in an era of festival superfluousness where festivals seem to be dropping off the map like flies, it’s seeming to be inevitable that very few will sustain. That said, Los Angeles’ All My Friends festival seems destined to succeed despite its freshness on the festival circuit. 2018 marks its first year.
Judging by the Billboard hot chart dominations, streaming numbers, and the sheer fact that the teens love both genres — and of course the fact that we live in a world that caters almost entirely to these factors — there seems no better way to christen the city of Los Angeles’ influence in the genres than for it to host a proper celebration. All My Friends is here to host said celebration, as Los Angeles’ finest meeting of dance and hip-hop music in recent memory.
What’s more of the inaugural All My Friends is that not only is the lineup an impressive 40-deep presentation of the genre’s hottest acts, but that its trend-cognizant curation is concise. Thanks to its curator, Gary Richards and AMFAMFAMF, the dance brand he created at LiveStyle, All My Friends’ calculated debut takes place over the two-day time span this August 18th and 19th. With just three stages, AMF is simple, but in that simplicity lies the best thing music can offer: the possibility to connect and build new friendships. As Richards recently told Billboard, “All the cool people in my life, I know through music… ‘All My Friends’ really has a deep-rooted meaning.”
Ahead of the festival’s debut, Dancing Astronaut‘s compiled the five must-see acts, and although the lineup’s not necessarily a daunting display, that really just means that its attendees can’t go wrong no matter who they end up seeing.
Photo Credit: Emma Swann
Jamie xx
Although Jamie Smith’s All My Friends jaunt does come complete with other Los Angeles dates — or rather, it was intended to, up until the unfortunate cancelation of Goldenvoice’s FYF Festival — it still feels like a rare circumstance. Following his recent stint at San Francisco’s Outside Lands, Smith’s performance as Jamie xx promises an ephemeral experience. Like the chilling air to his 2015 album In Colour, Smith’s performances promise euphoria, nostalgia, jovial dancing, and maybe even some tears, but with his only other public appearance for the rest of this year being at the esteemed Oasis festival in Marrakech, All My Friends is certainly one that’s not to be missed. As such, Jamie xx will be closing out the festival Sunday evening on the main AMFAMFAMF stage. It’ll be a fitting ending to the debut affair.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Yo Gotti
Yo Gotti
No hip-hop heavy festival would be complete without the addition of Yo Gotti. Consider the facts — “Rake It Up,” “Champions,” and “Down In The DMs” — all of which are party anthems and all of which cement the anthemic proportions of Gotti. His set promises to be an essential weekend experience.
Photo Credit: Photo credit of Barclay Crenshaw
Barclay Crenshaw
Any devout Dirtybird fan will tell you that the flock’s hip-hop affinity runs deep. Long story short, it’s nest overseer, also known as Claude VonStroke, began experimenting with hip-hop, jungle, and drum ‘n’ bass long before the label’s inception. Today, Barclay has a collaboration with The Cool Kids — enough said.
Photo Courtesy of Red Light Management
Chris Lorenzo
Chris Lorenzo‘s garnered support from major labels like Dirtybird, Food Music, and Night Bass and collaborated with some of the biggest names in EDM — Skrillex, Steve Aoki, and Chris Lake — to name a few. But, he’s also a vehement producer in his own right, too – known for his distinct remixes of Disclosure, Rudimental, A-Trak, and more.
Photo Credit: Photo credit of RL Grime
RL Grime
RL Grime‘s All My Friends performance comes fresh on the heels of his highly-anticipated sophomore album release. NOVA is a sound marriage of the two worlds of R&B and EDM – where melodic rap and R&B refrains from hip-hop and R&B heavyweights bridge the gap between the two genres and EDM.
Check out the festival’s set times below and snag any last-minute tickets here.
