Doing the “dougie” with Doug E. Fresh? Check.
Rapping on stage alongside Schoolboy Q? Of course.
Dancing in the rain in a crowd of thousands until you wear out your favorite kicks? Well, that was the whole point.
And it was just the beginning of Trillectro, the District’s first music festival to mix EDM and hip-hop that took place on Saturday at the Half Street Fairgrounds.
If the event is news to you, then you must have dodged the web this weekend. #Trillectro was riding a wave of love with thousands of Twitpics and even more tweets.
Sprung from the minds behind DC to BC, Modele “Modi” Oyewole, Quinn Coleman, and Marcel Marshall, with the help of a creative crew of twenty-somethings, the day-long DIY celebration featured over 20 acts including Body Language, Brenmar, Oddisee, BassCamp, Casey Veggies, Rex Riot, Nouveau Riche, Dave Nada and more.
“Literally everything we did was done by some kids, nobody older than 25, and we made it work.” – Modi Oyewole
From 11 a.m. until far into the night, a mix of locals, New Yorkers and even a few west coasters filled almost half of the venue. The crowd circulated between the two ends of the park, splitting time between the main-stage on one end and a Red Bull- sponsored revamped pick up truck that served as a second stage.
The organization proved spot on, granting enough distance between the two stages so that sound didn’t clash and overwhelm, essentially creating the affect of two very separate, equally entertaining parties. When the masses got tired, they sat in a middle no man’s land, populated by a few picnic tables, food trucks and booths. There were a limited number of food options, like Top Dog and of course the usual six-dollar beers. With few noticeable glitches and an unfortunate neighbohood noise complaint that compromised headliner, Flosstradamus’ set that eventually led to an early end to the evening, the first-time event was otherwise a success.
The largest tent, sponsored by Fuze, offered a respite from the heat. Partygoers were granted access by checking in on Foursquare, an effective tactic to attract the plugged-in attendees.
Despite the length of the show, exhaustion didn’t seem to be an issue; if anything nightfall and a few rain showers energized the throng into frenzy. Save for the too-cool crowd on the VIP deck and a sprinkle of bros and biddies, most spent the day dancing to moombahton, singing along and collectively enjoying an event that felt like it was created personally and specifically for them. According to Modi, it was.
“There were lots of people who told us we couldn’t pull it off, or who said “no” when we reached out for help or advice or insight. I just hope they see what we did,” he said. “When nobody wanted to help us, we just built it ourselves. Literally everything we did was done by some kids, nobody older than 25, and we made it work.”
As someone who left sweaty, happy and ears ringing, it’s safe to say they did more than make it work. Modi also confirmed the return of Trillectro next year and tipped us off to future plans to expand overseas and land their dream act, DIPLO. So I’ve only got one question left.
When do tickets go on sale for Trillectro 2013? #Trill
Written by guest contributor, Brittney Dunkins.