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Props to Santigold and her crew, literally. From parasols to hammers, to dancing guests on stage, Santi and her crew rocked the Fader with impeccable mirrored choreography. The opening tracks “Lights out” and “L.E.S. Artistes” set the precipice of excitement to overload, defining an energetic mood and theme for the entirety of the performance. Handpicking several lucky attendees to join her on stage, the levels of energy exploded and flowed throughout the crowd. The set finished off with two of Santi’s newest songs from the latest album Master of My Make-Believe’s “Disparate Youth” and “Big Mouth” drawing massive favor from the crowd.

Fleeing the chaotic madness of “The Fort,” I found myself at The Brixton, a refugee camp for locals – where I quietly enjoyed a cape cod with Tito’s, before falling upon an Official SXSW Bounce Showcase across the street featuring musicians from New Orleans. The excitement in the air boiled when rumors of an appearance by Juvenile swirled about.

After back to back bouncing for almost 2 hours, I made my way to the ND for the Windish Agency Showcase which offered a lineup consisting of notable #buzzbands Milagres, Lower Dens, and Crystal Fighters. Most impressive was Lower Dens who hail from Baltimore, MD. Consisting of keyboardist and front woman Jana Hunter, guitarist William Adams and bassist Geoffrey Graham are joined by new members Nate Nelson on drums and Carter Tanton on keyboards – the quartet engineer a haunting and experimental sound through a swath of synths and droning guitar layered in repetition.