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Crssd, new underground dance music festival, debuts in San Diego

Pete Tong is among the acts playing CRSSD, a new dance music festival in San Diego.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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The roster of dance music festivals in SoCal got a little deeper with this week’s announcement of a new two-day event presented by Goldenvoice and Fngrs Crssd, a dance music promotion firm that splits its focus on L.A. and San Diego club shows.

Crssd is the name of the new festival that debuts in March in San Diego. The inaugural lineup hews closer to underground sounds than many of its Southland predecessors — the synth-funk duo Chromeo and the prog-disco outfit Empire of the Sun top the bill, but acts like Pete Tong, DJ Harvey, Seth Troxler, Maceo Plex, Tensnake and Jamie Jones make this a promising new entry into an admittedly very crowded field.

The firm Fngrs Crssd has become the weirder, noisy little brother of its San Diego and Goldenvoice-affiliated peers in LED, and has had a successful run producing shows at the Hollywood nightclub Sound.

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While established veterans like Hard and Insomniac have already carved deep niches in this field, the less-commercial angle could give Crssd a distinct reputation early on. And for L.A. commuters, it’s within walking distance of the downtown San Diego Amtrak stop.

The fest takes place at San Diego’s Waterfront Park on March 14 and 15, with tickets on sale Jan. 2. Two-day passes are $85, a more affordable entry point than many SoCal dance fests, which can run into the hundreds of dollars. Even though the summer rave-fest season now stretches from March into November, this is a new one worth following.

Follow @AugustBrown for breaking music news.

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