By Jorge Perezchica

After a dozen years of covering Splash House, I’ve watched the festival evolve from a poolside gathering into something that feels increasingly like its own destination. Weekend 1 of this year’s edition may have been the most polished version I’ve experienced yet — a festival with a clearer sense of how all of its moving parts could work together, from the hotel pools and shuttle system to the increasingly immersive After Hours experience at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

That evolution was especially noticeable against the backdrop of a weekend when temperatures climbed past 110 degrees. The afternoons were relentless, but once the sun went down, the desert became considerably more forgiving — just in time for headline sets and the late-night migration to the Air Museum. Along the way, Splash House continued to find ways to make the heat more manageable, from complimentary electrolyte drinks at shuttle stops to NÜTRL popsicles and ice cream cups mixed with Bailey’s at the Renaissance.

The festival also leaned into something increasingly important to the modern festival experience: giving people a chance to step away from the music and recharge. Daytime wellness programming offered another rhythm to the weekend, with indoor morning yoga, sound baths, desert ice dips and mat Pilates giving festivalgoers ways to reset before heading back into the heat. In a weekend built around movement, dancing and late nights, those moments of stillness felt less like an add-on and more like part of the experience.

Even the logistics felt smoother. The newer shuttle fleet made the ride between hotels noticeably more comfortable, while lines moved quickly enough that getting from one property to another rarely felt like an obstacle. On Friday, festivalgoers were already lining up to pick up wristbands and browse merchandise, with T-shirts, caps and bandannas becoming part of the weekend uniform before the music had really begun.

But the biggest evolution was after dark.

This year’s After Hours at the Palm Springs Air Museum felt less like an extension of the festival and more like an experience of its own. Beyond the main stage was a second, smaller DJ deck that created a more intimate environment, surrounded by seating areas and installation art. A hidden speakeasy offered another place to disappear for a while, while the PLUGPLAY installation invited festivalgoers to cover its black walls with colorful drawings and messages that came alive under the lights.

Instead of funneling everyone toward a single stage, the space encouraged people to wander, explore, socialize or simply find somewhere to slow down.

There was a little of the Coachella experience in that — not necessarily in scale, but in the idea that the festival could become a collection of different worlds rather than one continuous performance.

The weekend wasn’t without its omissions. The Riviera Hotel, which was undergoing upgrades, was replaced this year by the Hilton, and its absence was noticeable. The Riviera’s pool and DJ deck had traditionally been one of the weekend’s higher-energy gathering points, and the new setup didn’t quite replicate that particular character.

Still, those were relatively minor exceptions to what felt like a remarkably smooth weekend. The music lineup itself moved comfortably between house, techno, bass and indie-dance, with sets from ALLEYCVT, Josh Baker, Kenny Beats, Kettama, Layton Giordani, Fcukers, Foster the People, Mall Grab, Łaszewo and others giving the weekend plenty of range. The Chainsmokers delivered the standout set on Saturday night, but some of the most interesting stories from Weekend 1 came from closer to home — from the local DJs who found themselves stepping onto the Splash House stage.

Playing Splash House wasn’t simply another date on the calendar, it was a chance to become part of an event they had experienced from the other side of the pool. I sat down with two local artists who played Weekend 1 to hear what Splash House meant to them as fans, what it was like seeing their names on the lineup, and what they took away from finally being part of the festival from behind the decks.

DTOMP – Splash House weekend 1

From the Crowd to the Decks

Playing Splash House carried a significance for DTOMP that went beyond another festival booking. The Coachella Valley producer and DJ had spent the previous nine years attending the festival, watching artists he admired take over the hotel pools and stages. This year, he found himself on the other side of the decks.

“To be able to play the music that I made on the stages I’ve gone to every year is phenomenal,” he said.

Opening the weekend gave him a full-circle moment — the chance to help set the tone for a festival he had experienced as a fan for nearly a decade.

DTOMP’s path to that stage has been a long one. He started out playing guitar in rock bands before discovering electronic music as a teenager, eventually diving into DJing and production. It took more than a decade of experimenting before he felt he had truly found his sound, which he describes as bass-heavy, fresh and slightly futuristic. While he explored other styles along the way, including producing hip-hop during the pandemic, he ultimately returned to electronic music and doubled down on developing his identity as an artist.

“I just try to have fun with it and make what I like,” he said.

That evolution has happened alongside the growth of the local electronic scene. In addition to performing, DTOMP organizes events and regularly gives other DJs opportunities to play, putting more emphasis on talent than social-media numbers.

“If you send me a good mix and it’s proper, then we could get you somewhere where you would want to play,” he said.

Giving someone their first opportunity, he added, can be just as rewarding as performing himself. He sees the Coachella Valley’s electronic community as increasingly active, with local artists and collectives continuing to build their own momentum.

After a breakthrough year that also included performances at Coachella and other major stages, DTOMP is already looking ahead. More releases, more festivals and more shows outside the Valley are on the horizon, but his ambitions remain straightforward: keep making music, keep performing and see where the momentum takes him.

“Hopefully within the next year, make a song that changed my life,” he said.

Andrew Gonzalez – Clubhouse DJ for Splash House weekend 1 & 2

Andrew Gonzalez: A Second Act Behind the Decks

For Andrew Gonzalez, who performs as Olos — “solo” backwards — Splash House represented another full-circle moment in a musical journey that began more than a decade ago.

Gonzalez first made his mark as the lead singer of Alchemy, a Coachella Valley psychedelic rock band that performed at Coachella when he was just 18. After the band dissolved, he eventually found his way into DJing, a path he began pursuing seriously about three years ago.

Now, playing both weekends of Splash House, he found himself once again stepping onto a major festival platform.

“This is a dream come true,” Gonzalez said. “Splash House to me was huge. T...

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