Dirtybird is arguably the beacon electronic dance music label of 2017. Its artists have garnered a tremendous, family following with the cookouts, BBQs, and now festival experience emanting a vibe unique to its own standard. Starting from renegade BBQ parties in the early 2000s, to a record label, and now its own flagship festival, Campout, Dirtybird’s achievements are an absolute dream come true. Dirtybird’s third annual Campout took place in a brand-new venue located just on the other side of the Do Lab’s Lightning in a Bottle massive venue location. Campout took on a much larger scale of operations by expanding the number of attendees, set times, and a massive list of activities. After attending, you could definitely say that the ‘dirtybird’ vibe has become stronger and larger than ever before. Here are a few tidbits we took from 2017’s Dirtybird Campout!

  1. The Dirtybird family is bigger than ever: Around 9,000 confirmed campers attended Campout this year, making it the largest gathering Campout has seen so far. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise as longtime residents and founders such as Claude VonStroke and Justin Martin have headlined countless of national and international festivals blasting their tongue-and-cheek productions on main stage speakers.
  2. There’s a lot of love for the up & comers: If there is one aspect to love about Dirtybird, it’s their biblical following. Dirtybird fans from all around the world are the definition of a loyal music fan. While some festivals see major lulls during an openers’ set, up & coming Dirtybird residents rarely experience this at Campout. Notable acts that saw scores of fan running to their stage included Fisher (1/2 Despite the lack of lyrics in a good percentage of dance music productions, there is never a dull moment when a popular banger with an actual line drops in a Dirtybird set. (cue ‘Take Me To Your Leader’, ‘Don’t Go’, ‘Make A Cake’, you know the tunes).
  3. No matter how famous the artist get, they still make time for the fans: The OG Dirtybird gang Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, J. Phlip, Ardalan, Christian Martin, Worthy, and so on have gotten massively popular since their humble renegade BBQ parties. Now, they’re some of the most coveted dance music icons in the industry today, and yet still remember that they would hold the status and titles that they do without the fans. And so, Campout’s most unique experience is found in the campsite, where you’ll find Claude VonStroke hosting a ‘Barrump’ dance contest. Or at the infamous Wheel of Pizza hosted by Justin Martin, where you’ll try your luck at free pizza, ice parties, and other trivial tasks. Want to go head-to-head with your favorite artist at a kickball game or some good ol’ tug-of-war? Trust, Campout is one of the only festivals in the world, where you’ll get the chance to connect one-on-one with your favorite artist, and maybe through some friendly competitions.
  4. Logistical hiccups happen when you take on a new venue: Campout’s venue this year proved to be trying task to solidify a new home for the festival. The label and organizers took on a much larger festival and were able to host a larger group of attendees. Long lines were expected arriving and exiting the festival, but seemed to fair a lot better this year than the two previous years when Campout took place at Live Oak Canyon. With a larger venue, certain amenities seemed to be lacking such as a more efficient shuttle services and restroom facilities inside the festival grounds and in the campsites. On the flip, we as attendees need to remember the symbiotic relationship we share with the organizers and staff, i.e. pick up your damn trash, your attending the best possible ‘summer camp’ of your lives. If you wish to comment and help improve the festival for future years to come. Take their survey

Guess what? Dirtybird Campout is expanding to the East Coast.

Need some more Dirtybird? Check out Walker & Royce’s new music video for Rub Anotha Dub

Rub Anotha Dub by Walker & Royce & Green Velvet on VEVO.

Cover photo by Jamie Wolfe

Photo by Jamie WolfePhoto by Katie LaskowskaPhoto by Jamie WolfePhoto by Jamie Wolfe


Photo by Watchara

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