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Photos by Ali Alavi,Juliana Bernstein, and Aaron Glassman.

This past weekend marked the sophomore edition of Woogie Weekend, the newest project from Los Angeles-based production authority and Coachella mainstay DoLab. Fresh off a highly successful Lightning in a Bottle Festival—known for being the home base of the iconic and hugely popular Woogie Stage—DoLab continued its winning streak this festival season, importing an impressive lineup of top-level selectors to Silverado, CA (roughly 1.5 hours by car from Downtown Los Angeles).

Despite being a newer and smaller member of California’s rapidly expanding transformative festival scene, Woogie Weekend easily landed on the radar of house and techno lovers this summer, luring attendees with its modest size, convenient location, DoLab’s unique production touches, and, most importantly, a superb roster of international and local artists set to play the festival’s two stages. With the Woogie stage being the clear and obvious highlight at LiB this year, XLR8R was enthusiastic about checking out DoLab’s newest underground-oriented event, especially with scheduled performances from the likes of Extrawelt, Roman Flügel, DoubtingThomas, Damian Lazarus, and more—and the festival certainly did not disappoint.

Taking place at the beautiful Oak Canyon Park next to Irvine Lake, the venue’s plentiful trees and shade, centrally located lily pond, ample grassy space, and manageable size fostered a sense of community and natural connection not always found at these newer boutique festivals. This, when coupled with the colorful and whimsical production aesthetic DoLab is so well known for, created a delightfully relaxed vibe and a party atmosphere that remained exciting but not overwhelming throughout the entirety of the weekend.

Musically, the event was fantastic, pairing the kingpins of the Los Angeles underground with some of the most innovative house and techno luminaries from around the world. At the prismatic and pipe-imbued Kaleidoscope Stage, highlights included an exquisitely melodic yet tribal set from Diynamic contributor Thyladomid on Friday night, the chilled-out deep house sounds of Tâches and FDVM on Saturday afternoon, and a blazing and trippy live set from Sebastian Mullaert on Sunday evening. Woogie Weekend’s musical climax came on Sunday night when Cobblestone Jazz member Mathew Jonson—known affectionally as “the Mozart of techno”—took over to close out the weekend, exerting a mastery of live electronic music that left the entire crowd speechless and begging for more.

Just a short walk across the grounds of the venue was the festival’s second stage, and with groove-inducing performances from Visionquest and California legend Mark Farina, the rough, industrial techno of Heiko Laux and Oliver Huntemann, and an upbeat live set from French production wizard Rodriguez Jr., The Hive proved to be equally as awe-inspiring as its kaleidoscopic counterpart. The presence of female artists at Woogie Weekend was also noteworthy, as dreamy sets from Berlin-based Oona Dahl and Defected’s Eli & Fur made the favorite list of many attendees.

All in all, the event was sonically ideal and flawlessly organized, attracting a mature, in-the-know crowd that was a refreshing break from the growing presence of narcissism and musical ignorance at larger electronic festivals. With Woogie Weekend, DoLab once again proved itself as a unique and reliable experience-creator, positioning itself at the forefront of house and techno’s bright future in Southern California.