Denver’s Lane 8 (from his Facebook page)
Last year, deep house producer and DJ Lane 8 (real name: Daniel Goldstein) started a movement that sent shockwaves across the musical landscape — he stopped letting fans record his shows on their phones. As attendees trickled into the San Francisco venue hosting his newly conceived concept last summer, staff members placed opaque bands around the camera lens of every phone in an attempt to pull everyone’s attention away from their screens and onto the stage and the like-minded people around them. The anti-camera theme was called “This Never Happened.”
It was a risky move in a time when most concert-goers are used to having their views blocked by a phone recording a grainy video that’ll likely be posted to Snapchat and never accessed again. But This Never Happened resonated with Lane 8’s audience. The idea that was initially supposed to last for one show was extended to every concert he’s headlined since, spanning from North America to Australia and India.
That being said, many will be pleased to know phones will be allowed at CRSSD festival, where Lane 8 is billed as a headliner for the first time alongside iconic performers like Hot Since 82 and The Magician — who in fact aided the rise of Lane 8 in 2013 when he played one of his first tracks on his radio show.
The Denver-based producer talked with AOL ahead of CRSSD (Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at San Diego’s Waterfront Park) about the festival, his thoughts on the underground electronic scene and the reasoning behind his no-phones policy.
AOL: You’ve performed at CRSSD a couple times, and now you’re back as a headliner. What has your experiences with CRSSD been like, and have you been able to perceive any inflection points that have helped you rise to headlining status here?
L8: I think it’s a really special festival. It’s a pretty unique setting, and I think it translates really well to the whole festival experience. A lot of festivals I play are primarily focused on more mainstream media and have the deeper stage, whereas CRSSD is really just about deeper, underground music. It’s not like you’re on some tiny stage and everyone is off seeing Tiesto. It’s more focused on the type of music that I’m really into, so it’s a perfect fit.
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This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Read the full article at the link below:
By William Laws | AOL.com