Something Wicked This Way Comes, Tomorrow

Not positive if it’s just me or what, but it sure feels like Houston’s been the recipient of a whole lot of excellent, high-flying electronic/dance/EDM/whatever the kids call it these days music lately.

The now-happily-recurring Identity Festival aside, I’d guess it has a lot to do with the NightCulture crew, who’ve been putting on a lot of this stuff, including Benny Benassi, Datsik, and this old man’s perennial favorite, The Crystal Method.

And tomorrow — Saturday, October 27th, to be exact — they’ll be unleashing the first-ever Something Wicked festival out at Sam Houston Race Park. And it’s looking like it’s going to be pretty damn badass.

I can’t claim to know all the people playing — my electronic music tastes are somewhat dated, these days, with me clinging fervently to my Bentley Rhythm Ace, Snooze, and Chemical Brothers CDs — but I know (and like) several of ’em.

Le Castle Vania, for one, who was here back in late August with the Identity Fest, surprised the hell out of me, making me a fan pretty much overnight. I mean, c’mon, I literally can’t dislike a DJ that’ll take a fucking Refused song and turn it into a dancefloor stomper, right? Plus, he seems like a genuinely nice, down-to-earth guy — check out Karen Hebert‘s interview with him over here.

Then there’s Nero, who I’m liking from what I’ve heard so far — the Miami Vice theme of their “Reaching Out” video is damn entertaining. And Kaskade, the festival headliner after Tiesto had to unexpectedly cancel, is awesomely stratospheric, the kind of music that makes me want to hop up and down like an idiot in my living room, hands in the air.

There’re some cool acts further down the bill, too, like local DJs {GRRRL PARTS}, {Surain}, Tager N Funk, & the awesomely-named FilThPUSHA. All in all, it’s a great pile of music, running all day — the pricetag’s not cheap ($65 for a General Admission pass, I believe), but I’m thinking it’s worth it.