The Trillectro music festival, which took place Saturday, August 11th in Washington, DC, may be the best new music festival to hit the east coast. Featuring a combination of electronic and hip hop artists, the day-long event aimed to bring together artists and listeners with different sounds and interests focused around a common love of music. Performers included Flosstradamus, Schoolboy Q, Casey Veggies, Body Language, Brenmar, Oddissee, Brenton Duvall, and Tabi Bonney. According to their website, Trillectro would look like “a group of cool kids, nerds, jocks, weirdos, freaks, geeks, artisans, hipsters, hippies, yuppies, youngins, YG’s, OG’s and maybe even a couple triple OG’s... Old friends and new friends. Locals and transplants... Tank tops and tankinis. Short shorts. Worn-in sneakers and flats. Snapbacks. Pins. Stickers. Glowsticks. Gold teeth... Enough space for hip-hop and EDM heads alike to spin around, dance, and rock out as you please.” Their attempts were successful and, though potentially polarizing, the result was a friendly, outgoing community where every person became someone interesting you just hadn’t met yet.

Consensus among artists and fans was that the day was both extremely awesome and the beginning of a new type of festival, especially in the DC area. Food was provided by various food trucks, and two moon bounces were a source of Red-Bull-and-vodka-inspired diversion. Additionally, street artists from the DC area were invited to design their own canvas, incorporating the diverse creativity of the area’s art scene. The musicians I talked to were all impressed with the choices on the lineup, which featured a range of musicians with different sounds both local and from afar, and each was passionate about their involvement with music. For self-absorbed artists who disrespect the style or efforts of others, don’t look to Trillectro. The common excitement felt among those in attendance may be best summed up by Philadelphia-based rapper Grande Marshall’s statement about his love for music; “The cool thing about music,” he said, “is that even though you can’t hold onto it, you can’t grab it, it sure as shit can grab onto you, you know?”

The event, the work of production company DC to BC, sold well, and the official after party featuring DC group Nouveau Riche at U Street Music Hall was packed with artists, managers, staff, and fans getting down after the day’s success. The idea for the event was born when the DC to BC trio traveled to Coachella last year and decided that DC needed an event with a similar vibe, wanting to create an event that pushed the boundaries of live musical expectations in DC. Co-founder Quinn Coleman told me pre-event that they hoped, if it proved successful, to have Trillectro become an annual event, and said that they’d even seen a Tweet asking when Trillectro would travel to Philadelphia. Here’s hoping this is the first of many to come.

For more photos from the event, head here.

Special thanks to Quinn Coleman, Modele Oyewole, and the rest of the DC to BC team, as well as Meriel Stein and Gavin Holland.