festivals

San Diego’s CRSSD Festival will feature a cavalcade of artists at its spring 2025 edition, with the event announcing a lineup featuring French titans Justice, a DJ set from Jungle, elusive French maestro Kavinsky, Australian behemoth Fisher, masked producer Claptone, legends Sasha and Digweed, a b2b from Nicole Moudaber and Anfisa Letyago and a variety of other big and rising names in the global house and techno scene.
The lineup also includes SG Lewis, LP Giobbi, Busy P b2b Braxe & Falcon, Flight Facilities, Ben UFO, Monolink, Hayden James, Kita Alexander, Poolside, Joy (Anoymous), Cassius and more. See the complete lineup below.

General tickets for CRSSD Spring 2025 go on sale Nov. 20, after a pair of preceding presales open to longstanding attendees of the festival and fans who opt in through this link. The festival is a 21 and over event.

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The biannual festival, which also hosts a fall edition each year, will happen March 1-2, 2025, at its longstanding home in San Diego’s Waterfront Park. 2025 marks the 10-year anniversary of CRSSD, which launched amid the EDM boom as a boutique destination for house and techno fans in Southern Callifornia, a market then dominated by dance megafestivals like EDC and HARD. The festival is produced by FNGRS CRSSD.

In addition to the festival, the event’s CRSSD After Dark afterparty series will take place across clubs, venues, and converted spaces throughout San Diego. These events will feature artists from the lineup, in addition to other acts, with lineups for the party series to be announced in the coming months.

CRSSD Festival

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Decentralized Music Festival is returning next month, with the virtual event focusing entirely on electronic music for the first time in its four year history.
Happening Nov. 20-23, the lineup for the free event features future bass star San Holo, experimental artist Mat Zo, Canadian bass producer Whipped Cream and fellow bass mainstay Nghtmre along with a flurry of rising producers, including many from the global Decentralized community. See the complete 2024 lineup below.

Decentralized Music Festival is a product of Decentralized, an immersive digital world built using blockchain technology and owned and operated by its users through crypto technology, which differentiates it from corporate metaverses like Fortnite.

Decentralized launched its music festival in 2021 amid the pandemic. Originally called Metaverse Music Festival, in its first three years the event hosted artists including Deadmau5, 3LAU, RAC, Alison Wonderland, Ozzy Osbourne, Dillon Francis and Soulja Boy. A representative for the event says that the event drew roughly 50,000 unique attendees in 2021 and 2022. (In 2023, a smaller version of the event focusing on Decentraland community-based artists took place while the platform was being revamped.)

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“Our theme this year, ‘space traveler,’ speaks to this sense of discovery and exploration,” head producer at Decentralized and Decentralized Music Festival Bay Backner tells Billboard. “We also see Decentraland as a “third space” for music experience. It bridges the community fans find at live EDM festivals, like Tomorrowland and Ultra, with the accessibility and immediacy of streaming music at home. It is as easy to enter from your computer, but you’re simultaneously sharing an important, creative, transient experience with others from around the world. And importantly, Decentraland Music Festival is free and open to all.”

Decentralized has users in 159 countries, who, in addition to the music, can check out Decentralized Music Festival offerings like live talks on AI, the future of electronic music and “label round tables” hosted by dance imprints including Monstercat, Coop Records, Hospital Records and more.

“During the pandemic, I started a virtual events company where we were fortunate enough to put on shows with a relatively high degree of production value, and miraculously we were able to provide fees to the artists and staff involved,” Mat Zo tells Billboard. “After the pandemic ended, that fizzled out and I thought virtual events were a thing of the past. So when I was asked to perform at a virtual event this year, I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.  I’m glad someone managed to take the concept further and make it work in a post pandemic context. I have a deep appreciation for the amount of work that goes into these events, and I’m extremely grateful to be a part of one.”

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Nestled amid the stark beauty of the Sonoran Desert lies Arcosanti, an experimental urban utopia designed by visionary architect Paolo Soleri.
Located roughy an hour north of Phoenix, Ariz., the remote futuristic eco-city drew roughly 2,500 attendees to the long-awaited return of FORM. First launched in 2014, the three-day music event became immediately beloved for transcending the typical festival experience. As modern festivals continue to compete in a grueling live events industry fighting to stay relevant while competing to be credited for the best-synchronized drone show or which dance stage had more LED screens, FORM rebels against the status quo by cultivating the meaningful connection between musicians and fans. And when it comes time for the music, there are no VIP sections or even artist backstage tents — just musicians walking amongst fans, equally admiring the architectural marvel of the property. And when it’s time to perform, the small stone amphitheater sets the stage for a community of present-minded individuals to sharing a cohesive moment, no frills, just music.

After a five-year hiatus, the festival returned even stronger this past weekend (Oct. 4-6) with a genre-blending lineup of killer acts — including Jamie xx, St. Vincent, Bonobo, Skrillex, Thundercat, James Blake and more. 

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Walking into Arcosanti is like stepping onto a movie set from a dystopian sci-fi flick. Brutalist concrete structures, bathed and baked in the Arizona sun, create a visually arresting contrast from the typical major music festival experience. But even after tickets for this year’s FORM sold out in less than 24 hours after the announcement of its return, the boutique festival never lost sight of the key elements that made it so beloved in the first place.

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Here are the top 10 takeaways from the weekend.

1. Stage Dive Into Sustainability

Arcosanti’s eco-conscious philosophy and commitment to sustainability permeated every aspect of the festival. Locally sourced food trucks like Tamale Shoppe and the Phoenix Culinary Collective offered up delicious and eco-friendly sustenance, while readily available water refill stations and a robust composting system minimized waste. The full event execution demonstrated a step in the right direction for the industry and was a tangible reminder that eco-consciousness and a great time can go hand-in-hand.

FORM Arcosanti 2024

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2. The Arcology Awakens

The festival stages weren’t just platforms for musical performances; the permanent structures are architectural marvels seamlessly integrated into the landscape and the festival fabric. The Amphitheater, which was topped by a parachute that allowed peeks of desert stars above, captured the intimate essence of St. Vincent, whose Saturday night set was a last minute addition to the lineup. She strummed away on her guitar, sharing moments of bliss with the mesmerized fans seated only a few feet away. Meanwhile, the grand archways of the Vaults stage pulsated with raw energy that enveloped fans in a vortex of bass-thumping sounds.

3. A Starry-Eyed Symphony

The Sonoran Desert transformed into a celestial canvas at night. With minimal light pollution in the remote area, the Phoenix Astronomical Society hosted evening stargazing sessions on the rooftop overlooking the main Amphitheater. On Saturday night, attendees were able to peek into a cosmic light show through high-resolution telescopes as Angel Olsen played in the background, for an experience that was pure magic. The experience was a poignant reminder of our place in the grand scheme of the universe, a feeling that resonated throughout the weekend, even when the music ended.

Beck

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4. Beck’s Back in the Desert

Beck, one of the festival’s late addition headliners, delivered a set dripping with nostalgia, tongue-in-cheek stage banter and sonic experimentation. From classics like “Loser” to cuts from his 2019 album Hyperspace, he masterfully navigated his performance, keeping the crowd energized and engaged. It was altogether a testament to his enduring influence and ability to capture the hearts of fans year after year.

5. Jamie xx’s Curated Chaos

Coming off the release of his latest album In Waves, Jamie xx took to the Vaults stage with a cigarette in one hand and beer in the other, clearly prepared to deliver. (Minutes before he went onstage, the British producer was seen still on his laptop, excitedly working on his set.) When the show started, the Grammy-nominated artist flexed his prowess, delivering a masterclass in weaving opposite genres into tunes that left the crowd pulsating with a sense of euphoria.

Overall, his performance was a testament to the beauty of FORM, in how it creates a sonic sanctuary for artists to comfortably experiment, an ambience that helped make it possible for Jamie to dance and smile onstage as he traversed bold transition, like going from trance mix of Ghetto 25’s “Don’t Stop” to a guitar-laden build-up to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” 

6. Kim Gordon, Forever a Sonic Siren

Sonic Youth legend Kim Gordon brought a dose of raw energy to the Arcosanti Amphitheater. Backed by a killer band, she revisited iconic hits like Sonic Youth’s 1990 song “Kool Thing” and showcased newer material that pulsed with an undeniable urgency. Her voice, a potent mix of vulnerability and strength, resonated throughout a crowd illuminated with moody lighting, reminding us of her enduring influence.

7. Bonobo Unhinged

Bonobo, largely known for his downtempo electronic and ambient soundscapes, delivered a bass-thumping, chest-pounding Saturday night set that invigorated a perhaps unsuspecting audience. With thumping house and high-energy techno mixes, he turned up the temperature and set the audience ablaze, a difficult task in the desert heat, but one he pulled off with style.

James Blake

Rocco Avallone

8. James Blake, Bathed in Sunlight

The U.K. multi-hyphenate’s recent crusade against the live event and ticketing industry saw him filling up independent music venues and cathedrals across North America over the past months, making FORM an idea setting for his emotional sonic landscapes. His stripped-down Sunday afternoon set, which included “Retrograde,” “Say What You Will” and “Godspeed,” was full of intricate nuances and delicate compositions, creating a sing-along that allowed the whole crowd to let their inhibitions go. 

9. Community & Self-Reliance

This year’s event was troubled by a record heatwave that brought temperatures up to 100 degrees for campers. (All FORM attendees stay in adjacent camping and glamping areas.) Rather than cover themselves in Crisco and lay on a desert rock to accept their fates, a sense of community and cooperation washed over attendees. The FORM community rallied by sharing umbrellas with strangers, making space for newfound friends to sit closely side by side in air-conditioned listening room activations and offering patience and understanding for the hospitality staff, who worked tirelessly to pass out cold drinks and water throughout the festival grounds. 

10. Beyond the Music

FORM Arcosanti wasn’t just about the music, although of course it was definitely a major highlight. Workshops on sustainable living, art installations scattered throughout the arcology, a poolside dance party, ambient outdoor sound stages and hifi vinyl listening experiences offered loads to do beyond the music stages. It was, once again, a festival that encouraged a sense of exploration and childlike wonder. At its core, roaming directionless and absent of intent was sometimes the best way to discover the true beauty of FORM.