Organic Music Festival
 | |
 | |
| Type | Festivals |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Philip Blaine |
| Products | Concerts, Festivals, Live Entertainment |
Organic '96 (officially known as the Organic '96 Music Festival, or Organic) was an electronic dance music festival. Recognized as the first major festival for dance in the LA area, it was held on June 22, 1996 at the Snow Valley ski resort in Running Springs, California within the San Bernardino National Forest.[1]
History and production
The festival was produced by Philip Blaine. Due to a production window of approximately four weeks, Blaine collaborated with other Southern California promoters, including Pasquale Rotella of Insomniac for marketing, Paul Tollett from Goldenvoice for logistical and financial backing, and agent Gerry Gerard for talent support.[2]
The timing of the festival was influenced by the Glastonbury Festival's decision to take a "fallow year" in 1996. This scheduling gap made several high-profile British electronic acts available for booking in the United States.[2] Organic '96 was held at a mountainous ski resort with full audio and video production.[3]
As a single-day event, Organic '96 drew an estimated 6,300 attendees, with ticket prices ranging from $25 to $30.[4] Its success demonstrated the potential of outdoor raves for promoters including Goldenvoice's Tollet, who co-founded Coachella.[5] The festival also introduced Tollet to dance music, influencing Coachella's booking.[6]
The event featured a state-of-the-art Turbosound Soundsystem similar to the setup used by Pink Floyd during their The Division Bell tour in America.[7] Organic '96 was broadcast live on the alternative rock station KROQ-FM.[4]
Lineup
Main stage
The Organic '96 festival featured a "Main Stage" dedicated to live electronic acts—many associated with the "big beat" and techno genres—alongside side stages featuring local and international DJs. The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Orbital, The Orb, Meat Beat Manifesto, and Loop Guru.[8]
Sub-headliners and Supporting DJs
In addition to the live acts, eighteen DJs performed on side stages or between main stage sets. Several were representative of the 1990s West Coast dance music scene at that time. The DJs included Eli Star, Alien Tom, Steve Pagan, Brian, John Kelley, Ron D. Core, Fester, R.A.W., Thee-O, Mojo, Josh Swissman, Heretic, Raymond Roker, Curious, Michael Dog, Jason Bentley, DJ Trance, and Daniel.[9]
Organic '97
A second event, Organic '97, was held on September 20, 1997, at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino. It was moved from its original location shortly before it began due to weather and access issues related to a recent nearby fire. The lineup included Aphex Twin, Sneaker Pimps, The Crystal Method, and Faithless; Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers withdrew their expected appearance at the festival. Fewer than 3000 tickets were sold.[10]
See also
References
- ↑ Gage, Jeff (2021-07-22). "A Look Back on the 1990s Rave Riots in Los Angeles". SPIN. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
- 1 2 Lamb, Simon Rust (2019-06-20). "How Organic Made History As Southern California's First Legitimate Dance Fest". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ↑ Gehr, R. (1996, Jul 09). Powder pop. The Village Voice Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/powder-pop/docview/232168949/se-2
- 1 2 "Organic '96 Offers Fresh Alternative". Los Angeles Times. 1996-06-24. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
- ↑ Seabrook, John (2017-04-10). "The Mastermind Behind Coachella". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
- ↑ Fessier, B. (2004, Apr 30). Coachella 2004. The Desert Sun Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/coachella-2004/docview/439665665/se-2
- ↑ "Behind Pink Floyd". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Line-up for Organic '96 at Snow Valley Ski Resort (None) on 22 Jun 1996". Last.fm. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "File:Organic '96 Music Festival Event Flyer with Full Lineup.jpg - Wikipedia". commons.wikimedia.org. 2026-02-05. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Hochman, Steve (1997-09-22). "Organic Festival Not Exactly a Rave Revue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
