Sunday was the perfect day for a beach party. The windy coastline was a bit overwhelming at first, but once the crowd started to pack in, we appreciated the wind blowing away the usual fog, leaving us with a beautiful sunny afternoon. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the Janky Barge Art Car, a two-story bus reinforced to look like a tank, fully equipped with a rooftop DJ stage and a live band performing on the side.
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The artists overlooked the ocean and a crowd of seemingly crazy ragers who were rocking out to total silence. No beats were audible to the average passer-by, and you could tell by their looks that our unprovoked dance moves caught them off guard, but those getting down in the sand knew what was up. Music was blaring in our heads, projected through headphones wirelessly connected to the Barge. For the majority of the party, two separate musicians laid down their sets simultaneously on different wireless channels, giving the audience a choice of what to groove to. A simple flick of a button on the headset devices transitioned the listener between the artists on stage.
After acquiring our ear boomboxes we tuned into the M.O.M. DJs, a group of SF residents who have a serious thirst for motown. Their funky rhythms were just the right combination of 1960’s flavor and contemporary tempos that set a pleasant, booty shaking mood straight from the get go. Feel good soul sistas and brothas like the Supremes and Marvin Gaye were reincarnated on the beach, forcing our tapping toes to get a little sandy before exploring the second station.
On the other line, Motion Potion spun a similar funk theme, but added a dab of disco-house and breakbeats to the mix. His familiarity with party jams provided him with an arsenal of feel good songs to choose from, giving the crowd no reason to sit down. Next up came Digital Rust, who added a taste of jumpy glitchstep and bass-whomps to the funk driven beats. Though we were able to get down, we found ourselves often switching channels to feel the soulful grooves of Sunday afternoon. The deep sand began to prevent our happy feet from bouncing, and we made our way up to the boardwalk concrete in front of the Janky Barge to properly get down.
As soon as Pumpkin began we were entranced by his seemingly effortless selection of remixed sentimental classics. His uplifting set began with a remix of Noah and the Whale’s “5 Years Time.” Within seconds, it seemed that everyone switched to the Pumpkin channel and had simultaneous gleaming smiles and bopping heads. A four-person dance party on the wall separating the beach and the boardwalk quickly turned into a wall-dancing chain reaction.
Another local duo known as Skins and Needles manned the live stage during Pumpkin’s set, rivaling my attention for the delicious remixes Pumpkin is known best for. The uptempo, hip-hop drumming alone was enough to get me asking who this group was and why I hadn’t picked up on their music before. The live drums, mixed with turntables, provided a welcoming headphone switch from the electronic-dominant soiree.
As the sun dipped down behind the sea, the sky exploded in color and the beach erupted in hoots and hollers from a seriously content crowd. The music faded with the light, ending a successful Sunday Funday in the always magical San Francisco Bay.
We love any excuse to dance with our beautiful friends to our favorite artists…thank you Sunset Promotions!
