Thousands gathered in Palm Springs for the eleventh installation of Splash House's multi-venue desert festival. The festival spanned across a total of three days, running from August 10-12, taking over a total of four venues that brought its attenders a plethora of music choices. From the After Hours held on Friday and Saturday night, to the main events held each day, Splash House delivered back to back stacked lineups that kept people dancing nonstop through the weekend.

The party started early for those who arrived in Palm Springs on Friday. Awaiting everyone at the Palm Springs Air Museum was the likes of Goddollars & Paradise, Jordan V, Monsieur Frazier, and the Black Madonna. The music was hosted on one stage for After Hours, allowing all those in attendance to see every set without worrying about running back and forth between stages. The Air Museum was very unique from any other venue I had ever experienced. Upon entry, I was greeted by a number of different helicopters and planes being utilized as decoration throughout the venue, which really added to the production of this event. The artists on Friday showed us what can happen when funk, disco, and techno come together in perfect unity. The Black Madonna most notably took the crowd on a journey through a two-hour set ranging from jungle and tropical beats to a disco vibe that left everyone feeling groovy and ready for what the rest of the weekend would hold.

Day one brought a lineup of heavy hitters that were just as hot as the 90+ degree weather. In the mood for some groovy House, I began my first day at the Saguaro. This was my first time at this hotel but I was immediately captured by the vibrant colors offered by the rooms that surrounded the stage and pool area. I was welcomed by the funky basslines of Dateless who time and time again is able to gain the attention of listeners with his infectious stage presence. Following Dateless' set was Eli Brown whose skillset and high energy continuously demonstrate how he has been able to capture audiences for 10+ years. After one more set at Saguaro by Hannah Wants, I hopped on the free shuttle offered by Splash House and took a ride to the Renaissance, one of the other venues hosting this event. I entered the Renaissance just in time to see Walker & Royce showing the crowd who their leader is. I have had the opportunity to see Walker & Royce multiple times and this duo never ceases to amaze me. These two work flawlessly together and create a set that any electronic music lover does not want to miss (and did you all catch that new song Walker & Royce dropped with Dances With White Girls?). Closing out the stage at The Renaissance was Louis The Child whose feel good music left everyone on high energy and ready to head into that night's After Hours.

On Saturday when the music ended at the Renaissance, Saguaro, and Riviera, it began again at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Although this event may be called After Hours it is definitely not an afterthought. The music on Saturday's lineup offered a fun and eclectic variation of artists that I would not expect to see together. I could tell as soon as I stepped foot into the venue that everyone's energy was even higher this night than it had been during After Hours on Friday. BANTER, Troy Kurtz, and Noizu all brought top notch performances and I thoroughly enjoyed my first time seeing all of them. As soon as Noizu pulled up his last track, Mija walked up to the decks and it was evident that the crowd was ecstatic to see her. What the fans seem to love most about Mija, aside from her quirky and cute stage presence, is the unpredictability of what her sets will hold. The fluidity in genres that she provides keeps all of us on our toes, and her performance at After Hours was no different. Mija had the crowd anticipating each song, and curious as to what she would throw at them next. Following her performance and closing out the night was Fisher, dance music's undeniable force to be reckoned with. Seeing Fisher is always fun because he is a true performer. Not only does he give his viewers something to dance to but he always puts on a show. He is by far one of the most charismatic DJs that I have seen on stage and his interaction with the crowd makes Fisher feel like everyone's best friend. He threw in some of his top hits such as Crowd Control, Stop It, and his newest release Losing It, which had myself and everyone else doing just that. Overall, After Hours did not disappoint and is definitely worth attending, either in addition to Splash House or singularly.

The realization that reality is just around the corner when the last day of a festival has arrived is always shocking and a little sad. With only one day left, however, it is important to make the most of it. Once again I started out the day at Saguaro in order to catch some fun House beats. The most notable performance I watched was the set by J. Worra. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to catch a set by her, I urge you to start including her in your schedules. She has been gracing the stages of many huge festivals including Beyond Wonderland, Kaskade's Sun Soaked, and Elements Music and Arts Festival in New York. She had an undeniable force behind her at Splash House that got the people to move and groove, regardless of the scorching heat. There is no doubt in my mind that J. Worra's dedication to her craft and her hard work will continue to impact the music industry, both with her music as well as her down to earth personality. After J. Worra's set I took the shuttle and headed over to the Renaissance in order to see Latmun b2b Detlef followed by Camelphat and then closed it out with Gorgon City.

Overall, I have to say that Splash House is an event not to miss. The event was well organized and brought together first-rate headliners as well as an environment that provided all of the attenders with a relaxing weekend filled with amazing music. If you have never been to a Splash House event I highly recommend checking one out. I guarantee it will be a great time.