Three hours of house and disco: SG Lewis uploads surprise Do LaB set from Coachella

by: Rachel Narozniak May 4, 2022

Shortly after the sun set in Indio, SG Lewis would spearhead what, in retrospect, reigns as his “favorite experience DJing to date.” And for a creative whose soles have treaded stages and festival grounds around the world, that’s saying something.

Lewis’ appeal has steadily percolated since the Dusk, Dark, Dawn period, spanning April 2018 through June 2019. In 2021, though, the Brit’s identity as one of the American music market’s most in-demand imports crystallized with the release of times. His debut LP went on to earn the title of Dancing Astronaut‘s Album of the Year, an accolade that might be more expected of a sophomore or later long-form project. But across its 10 tracklistings and diverse but altogether A-list cast of collaborators—Lucky Daye, Nile Rodgers, Channel Tres, Robyn, to name just a few—times actualized as a glossy, concept-minded body of work that would—and has—invariably set the bar high for what’s next for Lewis.

In the time since times touched down in February 2021, SG Lewis sold out consecutive dates on his North American album tour and grew ubiquitous on festival lineups. CRSSD, Coachella, and Life Is Beautiful represent a small sampling of the events that have since put his name in bold type on their posters. All things considered, that Lewis’ three-hour surprise DJ set drew more than 10,000 attendees to the Do LaB stage is anything but eyebrow raising.

And though Lewis was hesitant to upload the set, citing his sentiment that “it felt like one of those moments where you had to be there,” a barrage of kind yet entreating requests for him to do just that moved the needle. “Listening back to it brings about so many great memories, and so many of you asked so nicely for it. I’ve never received so many messages about a DJ set before, so thanks to everyone for the lovely words,” he stated.

The kinetic merger of SG Lewis’ disco, house, and other musical sensibilities unfolds below, amid murmurs of a follow-up LP that, per Lewis, is currently in-progress.