Tensnake, Jacques Renault, Azari & III Have a Blast at Coachella 2011 Pool Party

Posted on Apr 17th 2011 7:56PM by Theo Bark
Comments

Theo Bark for AOL

This year's crop of Coachella weekend pool parties offered a wide variety of events to choose from, including Stones Throw's party with Madlib, Flying Lotus, Dam Funk and a rumored set by Erykah Badu, to the Fool's Gold party with Classixx, Treasure Fingers and Jokers of the Scene. However,the weekend's highlight was the Scion-sponsored pool party at the Ace Hotel, which boasted the weekend's best DJ lineup.

Calling on Los Angeles' favorite monthly club night, A Club Called Rhonda, to curate Saturday's (April 16) event, the Scion party featured Rhonda resident Goddollars, kicking off a dream lineup of poolside providers, including Brooklyn disco producer-DJ Jacques Renault, Hamburg, Germany's current disco house hero Tensnake, Toronto's '80s house duo Azari & III and Carl Craig's right hand man Monty Luke, who closed out the night.

The Ace Hotel's sprawling pool was littered with L.A. scenesters, fans and a majority of the city's DJ community, and the only time the party continued even when the bar temporarily stopped serving drinks.

"This is so much fun because it's my first time in doing anything like this in Palm Springs," said Jacques Renault. "I've done a pool party before, but nothing like this, on such a large scale. It's fun, right?"

Rocking the crowd from a tower above the pool, Tensnake performed an hour-long Ableton set of singles and remixes, dropping his pool-classic 'Coma Cat' and closing out with his old school house take on Johny Dynell's 'Jam Hot' and his C&C Music Factory-referencing Azari & III remix, making way for Azari's Dinamo Azari and Alixander III to take the decks. Performing as a quartet, Azari's fab frontmen Fritz and Cedric cooed their soft, soulful vocals as they descended the tower's steps, grinding with each other all over the pool.

The pool was packed with dudes making out, Europeans in Speedos and one lone raver, struggling to stay aboard an inflatable alligator, and though an ambulance was called at one point, otherwise the party was a blast.

"Things could not have been more perfect," Brooklyn DJ Cosmo Baker said with a grin. "We're in the middle of the desert, in the middle of thousands of friends with the greatest, most progressive lineup for an alternative party at Coachella."

On the way out the venue, the elusive Tensnake finally appeared, having the time of his life in the bar inside the hotel. "This is amazing!" he said of his experience at the event. "California girls everywhere, Azari & III, one of my favorites ever, doing a great show and just having a great time, getting f--ked up!"