RECAP: Shaun White’s Air + Style Festival Makes Its Triumphant Return To Exposition Park – Day 1

By | March 7, 2018 at 8:43 pm | No comments | Featured Post, MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY, Recaps | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

0010

On a surprisingly windy and frigid Saturday in Los Angeles, the 4th annual Air + Style Festival put on a unique blend of music, snowboarding, and skating culture.

Curated by Shaun White – fresh off his incredible gold medal run at the Winter Olympics in South Korea– the festival returned to Los Angeles’ Exposition Park ready to dazzle thousands of attendees. Fusing cultures is something White knows a lot about, and his festival was no different. Boasting an eclectic musical lineup including superstar DJ Zedd, Grammy-nominated rapper D.R.A.M., and rising newcomer A. CHAL, the musical acts consistently impressed and elated their respective crowds.

0001

“Let’s address the elephant in the room,” stated A. CHAL midway through his set. “It’s a weird day, right? It’s cold and I thought they were going to cancel this whole thing.” Fighting through a bought of the flu that robbed him of his singing ability, A. CHAL fed from the crowd’s energy and was still able to deliver a fun experience filled with audience interaction.

Other highlights included Cashmere Cat’s genre-bending DJ set and D.R.A.M.’s message of self-love and acceptance. Closing headliner Zedd tantalized the crowd by bouncing back and forth from his original production to crowd pleasers like Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” and The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”

0032

However, the most impressive set of the night belonged to 21-year-old electronic producer Mura Masa. Aided by female vocalists covering the words of collaborators A$AP Rocky, Charli XCX, and Desiigner, Mura Masa put on a live show bolstered by his drums, piano, and guitar playing. A multi-hyphenate rising act in the electronic world, DJ-producer-songwriter-instrumentalist Mura Masa is poised to take the next leap in stardom following the release of his self-titled debut last July.

Though the musical acts were the main draw, the festival also presented large crowds with street snowboarding and skating competitions. Darcy Sharpe took home first place in the first ever street style snowboarding Air + Style event.

Words by Paul Castillo. Photos by Ty Levey.

0037

0024

0005

0017

0041

0014

0023

0033

0022

0026

0011

0027

0015

0028

0029

© 2011 ILLSOCIETY Media Group LLC. All rights reserved.