TuneLab
CRSSD Festival takeover with JASON BENTLEY and LEE K in the Mixmag Lab LA
Of course we're here, frantically typing 'CRSSD Festival takeover with JASON BENTLEY and LEE K Mixmag Lab LA tracklist' into a search bar at 3pm, trying to recapture that specific blend of coastal sunshine and warehouse-grade bass. This isn't just a studio session; it's a condensed version of the festival's ethos, where melodic optimism meets a subterranean thump. The Lab LA setup feels appropriately clinical, a blank canvas for the warm, driving sounds that fill it.
Technically, this is a masterclass in harmonic, rolling house music, anchored in a steady 125 BPM pocket and predominantly orbiting the warm, open tonality of 12A. The energy profile is telling—with the low-end averaging a dominant 0.598, this set is built on a foundation of groove, using the mid-range for melodic color and saving the highs for precise, punctuation-like accents. The arc is a steady climb, a journey designed for sustained dancing rather than chaotic peaks.
Our crate-digging instincts are rewarded with several weapons: the hypnotic, percussive drive of Christian Smith's 'Traction' (Paride Saraceni Remix), the dark, rolling synth work of Festiva's 'Cerberus', the atmospheric tension of Synchronism's 'Dystopia', and the peak-time punch of Elio Riso & Lucio Spain's 'Breaking Minds'. It's a set that respects lineage while pushing forward, evidenced by the inclusion of Carlos A's driving 'Soma'. The journey is perfectly bookended: it begins with the accessible, vocal-led pulse of Seeb's 'Breathe', builds through a series of rolling, percussive workouts, and lands with the timeless, piano-house euphoria of The Shapeshifters' 'Lola's Theme'—a closing track that feels both like a reward and a reminder of house music's eternal soul.