All photos credited to Splash House. Interview with Dom Dolla coming soon.
What. A. Weekend.
If there’s one thing I confirmed at Splash House it’s Goldenvoice knows how to throw parties in the desert. Whether we’re talking about global juggernaut Coachella or the more boutique you-don’t-know-unless-you-know Splash House, the Goldenvoice team surely knows what they’re doing.
I went into my first Splash House pretty cold but once I arrived to the 100-degree heat of Palm Springs it quickly heated up. The festival is not your standard one, as it takes place spread across three hotels, each one about a mile or two from the next. You bounce from hotel to hotel via free shuttle or your preferred ride share app – or you just stay put at your accommodations and never leave like some of my friends did all weekend.
The vibe reminded me a lot of Holy Ship. It’s a 21+ event with very few rules beyond no outside drinks in the actual party. People are free to roam about the hotels, stop by their friends rooms (or a strangers), and party with them as many of the extracurriculars and “renegades” were happening upstairs.
I was advised not to go in the pools based on previous experiences of my friends, but plenty of people were getting wet and wild as the temps remained in the high 90s and low 100s all weekend.
At night it cools down and many people head to the Palm Springs Air Museum for the after hours and that was in my opinion one of the coolest parts of the whole experience. The air museum is pretty massive, with a few hangars and that featured VIP lounges, bars, and some old planes that you could check out from a far. The actual stage was setup outside the hangars but everything (food, drink, bathrooms) was a pretty quick walk away.
When it comes to the music, that’s always my number one reason for attending a festival or event, and Splash House did not disappoint. My Splash House started Friday night at the Air Museum with Kidnap playing followed by Dusky to close it out. I was impressed by the layout and the visual components at the museum, but I was left wanting more when it came to the sound quality Friday – it was too quiet. I was able to carry on conversations at normal volume and there was a lack of proper speaker stacks for the back of the crowds. I guess even the mixing and mastering works weren’t done correctly so much so that some pieces felt out of place. Regardless, Kidnap and Dusky both did their things in a way that only they know how.
Saturday started off scorching for me when friend of the blog DJ Susan opened things up at the Renaissance Hotel. For anyone who hasn’t been to the Renaissance, it’s probably the bougiest of the hotels and in my opinion acts as the main stage. The sound and production is the best at the Renny and Susie’s set was incredibly high energy to get people going.
I went to the Saguaro, which turned into my home away from home for the weekend, to catch Offaiah and meet some of my crew that had set up their own renegades inside their rooms. I was informed leading up to Splash House that Offaiah was actually Michael Woods, whom I had been listening to for years as I was a huge big room house fan back in the day. Offaiah’s set did not disappoint as it brought perfect daytime vibes to the smaller, more casual yet funky Saguaro (or “the Sag” as it’s known to regulars).
After Offaiah it was back to the Renny for Pete Tong and the epic closers Justice. Tong was playing a very high-energy Tech-House set which was certainly curated for the pool party and not a late night club set. And then as the sun started to set legendary veterans Justice took the stage for one of the best sets of the weekend. They teased “Welcome to the Jungle” before dropping into some epic Bass House that I didn’t recognize and then the crowd favorite “Safe and Sound”. Throughout the set Justice bounced between crowd pleasures and wedding DJ-style selections (Dr. Dre, The Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited”, The Village People’s “YMCA”) and their own originals that have had fans clamoring for years. While many of my friends were at Troyboi I knew I couldn’t miss this Justice set and I was glad I went.
Later that night I had the privilege of interviewing Dom Dolla, who’s one of the nicest guys in the world, and one of the best producers in the House game, wedged between local favorite Lee Wells and heavy hitter Shiba San. Both Dom’s set and Lee’s set were killer, but let’s talk about Shiba San. Every time I see Shiba’s name on a lineup I sort of write him off, as he’s constantly touring and on everyone’s radar and “OKAY” may be one of the most played out songs of our generation (but still dirty). But you know what? Shiba may have had the set of the weekend. The filth he was dropping quite literally made my face twist up into that quintessential bass face and had our whole squad mobbin’. Probably helped that the volume was much louder on Saturday night, but check out the picture below and see how many people came out for this one. It was a PARTY – and Shiba only dropped two songs we knew all night.
Sunday was truly a funday. I spent the majority of my day at the Saguaro for Weiss, Low Steppa and AC Slater. All three killed it. Low Steppa and AC Slater, next to Justice and Shiba San, may have rounded out my top-4 sets of the weekend. Low Steppa played day party Tech-House vibes complete with his UK Garage stylings and a lot of soul.
AC Slater needs no introduction as he absolutely slayed the Nightbass sound – heavy bass House that was perfectly administered.
I personally had a fun and hilarious weekend at Splash House. It was the perfect combination of music, goofiness, and sex appeal. I met very few douchebags, made new friends, and everyone was there to have a good time. If you haven’t been to Splash House before, make an effort to go. And if you have, you already know – and I’ll see you at the next one.
Thanks AS ALWAYS to Infamous PR and Goldenvoice for having us out. You both have a great thing going and can’t wait to see what you do next!
Cheers,
Jon
