Coachella 2014: Disclosure DJ poolside, Latin beats at Ace Hotel
The human party animal is a particularly curious breed at Coachella, where excessive heat, glaring sun, copious amounts of alcohol and ear-shattering beats spur a hormonal reaction that results in the obsessive shedding of clothing.
And so it was on Saturday at pool parties across the desert where no bikini was too tiny and no man could seem to keep his pants on (over his short-short swim trunks). This all despite the fact that most party-goers never deign to enter the pool.
The most egregious example of this near-nudist mischief could be found at the new Hard Rock Hotel in Palm Springs where dance music fans flocked to the LED Day Club to watch the English electronic music artists Disclosure. The duo DJed a sweat-fueled set a day in advance of their headlining gig at the Outdoor Theatre at Coachella.
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Orange towels littered the pool deck and black-and-white beach balls bounced around almost as much as the suntan oil-slicked bodies to the hypnotic beats. Cocktails were $12 a pop, but that didn’t stop anybody from getting their serious day-drink on.
Meanwhile, over at the hipper-than-thou Ace Hotel, the annual Desert Gold party churned on under an azure sky. This year the party is all about Latin American music, and Saturday saw performances by Fausto Bahia and ZutZut from Mexico.
The scene at the Ace, however, was significantly more calm than in former years when lines stretched into the parking lot and scoring a pool chair was an accomplishment worthy of praise.
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In a secondary pool on the far side of the Ace Hotel a different scene unfolded at the Iconoclast Special Official Happy Pool Party, where, as the name implies, things were very easy breezy.
It might have been the abundance of low-calorie berry drinks or perhaps the proliferation of flower headbands, but the revelers at this party were in the mood to chill. Not even a spacious dance floor or upbeat rhythms could entice them to leave their seats by the pool.
The highlight of the party was a MAC makeup table staffed by pros skilled at giving women that special “festival look,” which as far as I can tell is intentionally mussed and slightly sunburned.
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A number of people at these daytime Bacchanals could be recognized from Friday night’s biggest soiree, the Details party. Lasting until the wee hours of the morning, that party saw Selena Gomez and her posse reclining poolside while New York DJs (and paramours) Hannah Bronfman and Brendan Fallis kicked out the jams, spinning popular pop and rap music.
Patron shots flowed freely, even the Cool Haus truck onsite served up Patron-infused ice cream sandwiches.
If there is a playground for adults, it most certainly exists by the pool at Coachella.
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