Caroline Chang
Stepping into Same Same But Different Music Festival feels less like arriving at a concert and more like returning home — sun on the water, music drifting through the breeze, and smiling faces waiting to greet you like a lifelong friend. There’s a familiar sense of lakeside ease that reminds me of summertime in the Midwest where I grew up, a feeling that can be hard to come by within just an hour or two of Los Angeles.
This past weekend, September 26-28, Same Same But Different Music Festival returned to the shores of Lake Perris for its annual three-day celebration of connection and creativity. This year’s edition boasts a bass-forward dance lineup with headliners Dr. Fresch, LSZEE (CloZee and LSDREAM’s collaborative project), and Zeds Dead, but there is so much more underneath the surface of SSBD.
The day-to-day experience of SSBD feels like sleepaway summer camp. Every morning, festival-goers migrate down from camp to the lake, large flamingo floaties and paddleboards in tow, to wade in the water and dance barefoot by the beachside Coconut Grove stage. The daytime music lineup is complemented by a variety of choices for attendees to craft their own experience: wellness workshops, art projects and carefree activities like tubing around the lake on an inflatable banana boat.
Same Same But Different Festival (Caroline Chang @carochangcreative)
“It feels very organic and like everybody seems to be here for the right reasons,” bass music powerhouse ALLEYCVT shared with LA Weekly while reflecting on her first impressions of the festival.
One of the most radiant sun-soaked performances of the weekend came from twin sister duo Coco & Breezy. “It melts my heart when I see people just, like, dancing and hugging while we’re performing,” Coco said ahead of their Saturday afternoon set. “I hope people walk away [from our set] feeling inspired, feeling loved, feeling fulfilled, feeling joy.”
“And I hope people leave feeling sweaty and hot because they’re dancing so much,” Breezy added.
Coco & Breezy (Caroline Chang @carochangcreative)
Coco & Breezy have carved out a space in electronic music where their pulsing house rhythms meet unapologetic self-expression. Having risen to prominence through their self-titled eyewear brand, the duo embodies interdisciplinary creativity. They shared an intention to refocus their presence in the fashion world to cater more towards their musical audience, using their identity and individuality as the common thread that weaves all their creative outputs together into the vibrant tapestry that is Coco & Breezy.
“It’s one thing to sell a product, but it’s not as fulfilling to try to get people to buy something,” Coco explained on their creative evolution, “But when you can speak through music and share music frequencies and connect with people in that way, it’s so fulfilling.”
The duo hinted that we should keep an eye out for their first EP release early next year — a record that will speak to both their creative chops and spiritual side, infusing healing instruments and spoken affirmations to take the tracks one step deeper.
After recharging in the sunlight all day, the Same Same But Different family reunites on the dancefloor, as what feels like your friends’ parents’ lakehouse retreat turns to an eclectic rave scene at night. Illuminated by vibrant LED screens projecting psychedelic visuals over the open field, attendees danced all three nights until the early hours of the morning. With a noticeable absence of recording phones and not a stagnant soul in sight, every night at SSBD felt like partying with your best friends.
“Everyone seems to be in a very happy, lovey mood and just wants to support artists here — which is always great, because you know that you’re going to feed off that energy when you’re up there [on stage],” Kiki from electronic indie-pop trio Łaszewo expressed about the SSBD community ahead of their Sunday night set. “It feels like real music lovers, like people are really here for the music,” her bandmate Justin added.
Łaszewo (Caroline Chang @carochangcreative)
Łaszewo, the trio consisting of Matt Ehrlich, Justin De La Fuente, and vocalist Kiki Bouley, is one of the most unique rising regulars of the dance music festival circuit. In the crowded electronic landscape, Łaszewo stand out for their ability to merge masterful lyrical storytelling with euphoric drops in a way that is irresistibly dancey yet emotional, vulnerable yet weightless. Their music reminds me of sitting in the passenger seat of my older sister’s Honda while she drove me to school in the morning, bragging about some cool new indie artist she found. And that’s exactly the feeling the trio hopes to evoke in their sets — nostalgia.
“I think we’re always trying to channel the music that made us fall in love with music when we were growing up” Matt tells us about their inspiration. “It’s creating that world that people can escape to. While they’re at Łaszewo show, nothing else matters,” Kiki added.
Łaszewo delivered one of the most high-energy sets of the weekend, stacked with singalong anthems and bright bass drops. The group shared their plans to take the little world they’re creating and expand it globally, announcing their first European tour yesterday, which is coming up this December.
As the weekend’s momentum heightened Sunday night, ALLEYCVT took the stage, delivering an unforgettable performance showcasing why she’s become one of bass music’s most talked-about names.
“This set tonight is going to be an hour and 30 minutes, which I usually never get at festivals because there’s so many artists that they have to fit in. But I’m super happy about it because I feel like I can fit in my heavy dubstep and super bass music that I like to listen to, some house music sprinkled lightly, and just play out my songs,” ALLEYCVT said ahead of her set. “I want [the audience] to feel like they went on a journey through different genres in dubstep with me … and come out of it like ‘woah, that was eclectic!’”
ALLEYCVT (Caroline Chang @carochangcreative)
In just a few short years, ALLEYCVT has gone from buzzed-about rising star to festival fixture, known for bringing explosive dubstep drops with a deeply personal touch. Through the use of her own vocals and the raw intensity of heavy bass, ALLEYCVT paints a portrait of the place of life she’s in with her sound, one that has resonated deeply with her devoted fan base.
“I’ve been going to festivals and raves all my life growing up, so when I started making electronic music, I was like, ‘Oh, duh!’ It just made so much sense, more than anything I’ve ever done. It feels so authentic to me. And to be able to play it in front of people who get it and appreciate it, and are also living that same life that I was growing up, going to festivals — It just feels like I’m right at home,” she said.
ALLEYCVT’s set felt just like her music sounds, equal parts chaotic and cathartic, and fully captivating the crowd from start to finish, keeping the audience headbanging from front to back. Her SSBD performance comes in hot on the heels of her new EP 9 LIVES, which dropped last week.
“It’s my first body of work, so I was overthinking, but I’m really just glad it’s out into the world now. I’m really proud of it.” ALLEYCVT reflected. “Right now, where I’m at, I feel like I am just really happy, and a lot of the songs on the EP are also really happy, so I feel like it represents where I’m at in my life well now.”
Good Life Glamping tent (Caroline Chang @carochangcreative)
As the weekend drew to a close Sunday night, we all slinked back up to our campsites. I felt exhausted but still somehow radiant, with a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of a long summer’s day at the pool with my siblings growing up. Extra thankful for the lush glamping set-ups at SSBD catered by Good Life Glamping, I unzipped my yurt, crawled into my bed, and dozed off with a soft smile.
Remember when we were kids and you could walk up to anyone on the playground, compliment their T-shirt, and just like that have a new best friend? That is exactly how Same Same But Different felt all weekend long — an experience characterized by openness, community, and simple joys. While SSBD’s world-class dance music lineup may look the same as some other popular festivals on the outside, what truly makes this festival a gem of the SoCal music scene is all that atmospheric magic hidden on the inside, waiting for you to take the trip out to Lake Perris yourself to uncover it.
SoDown (Caroline Chang @carochangcreative)