Ever since I started DJing almost ten years ago, it’s been a dream of mine to DJ at a music festival, a place where music lovers from all walks of life converge. So when I had the opportunity to play Coachella, the biggest country festival of all festivals, I was over the moon.
This was my second time playing Coachella Festa in My Living Room, a house party concert series founded by Inglewood native Yannick “Thurz” Koffi in 2015. The activation, designed to resemble a real living room with couches and artwork, was a collaboration with GV Nero, a group that promotes “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) must-sees at the festival.” For the past four years, Koffi has invited DJs and musicians (Ty Dolla Sign, P-Lo, Kamaiyah, and Isaiah Rashad, to name a few) to perform at the pop-up, which has quickly become a popular side quest for festival-goers. So when Koffi asked me to be part of the lineup for the first weekend, I was honored.
-
Share via
After weeks of preparing my set, it was finally time to shoot on Sunday afternoon. I soaked up the entire weekend experience: from the celebrity-filled artist complex to the exclusive pop-ups (Redbull Mirage and the Soho House hideaway) and the free meals. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look from an artist’s perspective and what I learned about DJing at the festival.
Kailyn Hype played house, hip-hop, jersey club, baile funk and more during her energetic DJ set at Coachella.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
1. Shooting at a desert festival during the day is very different than shooting in a bar.
I was tasked with kicking off the activation on the last day of Coachella Weekend 1, which is an underrated job because it means you get to set the tone for the day.
If I were playing at a bar, club, or flea market, I’d probably ease into my set with more chilled-out songs before diving into the big bangers. But this was a festival, and the crowd was ready to party, so I didn’t waste a single minute of my 45-minute set. (My set was originally scheduled for an hour, but was cut short due to a delay in soundcheck.) However, I did let the other DJs play the big hip-hop tracks, which is a common DJ courtesy.
With songs like “Tonight” by Pink Pantheress, “Am I Wrong” by Anderson .Paak, “Brighter Days” by Cajmere, “Nissan Altima” by Doechii, and several high-energy remixes I found on Bandcamp, my set was everything I hoped for: fun, joyful, and liberating. The crowd and I were jumping up and down, raising our hands, singing along, and dancing. And even if they didn’t know the words to a particular track, they were still open to everything, which is one of the best feelings you can have as a DJ.
2. The artist’s bracelet was my golden ticket: to a glorious buffet
Con così tanti deliziosi venditori di cibo come Villa’s Tacos, Prince Street Pizza, Happy Ice ed El Moro, sapevo che avrei mangiato bene al Coachella. Quello che non mi aspettavo è che ci fosse un catering gratuito per le persone con braccialetti d’artista, come me. Dopo aver attraversato il complesso degli artisti, superato i golf cart che trasportavano artisti e celebrità (ho notato Teyana Taylor e Damson Idris) e lungo un sentiero pieno di piante, sono arrivato all’elaborata sala da pranzo. All’interno della stanza, che era drappeggiata con tende colorate su cui erano attaccate delle chitarre, mi sentivo come un bambino al buffet. C’erano poke bowl, una stazione per panini, pizza, bistecche, gelato e persino una “stazione per avvolgere”, così potevi portare il tuo cibo da asporto.
“Da quando ho iniziato a fare il DJ, quasi dieci anni fa, è stato un mio sogno fare il DJ a un festival musicale”, afferma Kailyn Brown.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
3. Ma anche se hai un braccialetto da artista, le lunghe file sono inevitabili
In qualsiasi evento importante, che si tratti di un festival musicale o di una partita sportiva, sono prevedibili code. Ma mentirei se non ammettessi che mi aspettavo che le file per il bagno nel complesso degli artisti – un’area dietro le quinte esclusiva per gli artisti e le loro troupe – fossero più brevi. Mi sono reso conto subito che le file erano inevitabili e se avevo davvero bisogno di andare, di solito era più veloce andare ai vasini nell’ingresso generale o nelle aree VIP.
4. Ho trovato sollievo in lounge esclusivi
Dopo aver corso per ore in giro per il festival, è stato bello potersi prendere una pausa dal caldo in aree eleganti ed esclusive come il Red Bull Mirage e il nascondiglio di Soho House.
La Red Bull mi ha invitato a dare un’occhiata al loro centro sociale a tre piani e destinazione di ospitalità al Coachella, che includeva una cena Nobu omakase all’ultimo piano. Affacciato sul palco del Quasar, offriva il luogo perfetto per sorseggiare i cocktail esclusivi dell’azienda di bevande energetiche (il Paloma era il mio preferito) e guardare energici DJ set di artisti come David Guetta, Fatboy Slim e Pawsa. È anche il luogo in cui Olandria, favorito della settima stagione di “Love Island USA”, serviva cocktail Red Bull – e guarda – da dietro il bancone.
Mentre il Red Bull Mirage trasmetteva l’atmosfera di un day club, l’energia nel nascondiglio di Soho House era un po’ più rilassata. Situato all’interno di una lussuosa tenda con aria condizionata vicino al palco principale del Coachella, gli ospiti invitati e i membri della Soho House con pass VIP potevano ordinare dal bar su misura, prendere un boccone (ad esempio hamburger, patatine fritte e panini maki) e godersi la musica di un DJ dal vivo.
Fondata da Yannick “Thurz” Koffi, originario di Inglewood, nel 2015, Party in My Living Room è una serie di concerti per feste in casa.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
With an artist pass in tow, Kailyn Brown explored the artist lounge, dining room, and other exclusive areas of the music festival.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
5. Music festivals may be many, but there’s a reason we keep coming back.
After I finished my set, several people came over to thank me, including a man, a Mexican artist named Memo Wright, who drew a live sketch of me filming, which brightened my day. Even some of my colleagues at the Times took a break from reporting to stop by and say hello.
As I drove home from the desert the next morning, I reflected on why I love music festivals so much and have been attending them since I was 16. While events like Coachella get a bad rap for being expensive, crowded, and uncomfortable (yes, it’s hot and dusty), this experience reminded me why people keep coming back: for the love of music and the opportunity to connect with others who are just as obsessed with it as you are.
