Nobody could believe the collection of talent that Goldenvoice …

…had assembled for its new electronic music festival when the roster for the first Portola Music Festival in San Francisco was released in May. From top to bottom, it was one of the most extensive rosters of the year; for any type of music event. This list appeared to encompass every buzzy artist spanning a large swath of electronic music and then some, and fans throughout the country were envious of what was coming to the Bay Area in September, but for me, I was there to specifically to catch the Chemical Brothers.

This event took place in San Francisco’s largest cargo terminal at Pier 80 as you were greeted into a 400,000 square foot Warehouse stage that featured Duke Dumont, Ben Bohmer and Lane 8 but for me, the highlight of the night was the Chemical Brothers which closed the Pier Stage with a memorable and nothing short from spectacular. But first, I must say that walking into this warehouse just gave me goosebumps as it reminded me of the old 90’s raving days at the Homebase warehouse in Oakland.

Oh my goodness. The Chemical Brothers left the audience in awe after their Sunday Pier Stage set, as they opened with their 1997 classic Block Rockin Beats and capturing all of us into a magical of eclectic sound of why this group has been atop in electronic music as a whole. This was a heavy, ravey, aggressive, celestial, and psychedelic, with perfect visuals that captivated and provided an artful eye candy to soundtrack songs like “Eve Of Destruction,” “Hey Boy Hey,” and “Hey Boy Hey.”

Overall as we immerse and navigate through today’s technological world, this event had some semblance and vibe of the yesteryear of the 90’s San Francisco raving hay days and though this event didn’t go without a hitch, I am curious to see what next year Goldenvoice have in store.

-Jawn Gee