By: Gracie Roberts

It was clear that there was something different about this year’s Sasquatch! Music Festival, from the start. With all the talk about the festival’s 10th anniversary, concertgoers arrived with sky-high expectations, and it’s fair to say that those expectations were met. Sasquatch extended its events an extra day this year for a total of four days packed with camping, dancing, and some of the hippest sounds around.

Friday, May 27, kicked off the nonstop party that was Sasquatch. Friday’s bill featured bands predominantly from the worlds of alternative rock and post-grunge, with big names like Foo Fighters, Bob Mould, and Against Me! Crowds piled into The Gorge Amphitheater, a gorgeous venue located in picturesque George, Washington (hah!) for a low-impact introduction for the long weekend.

After the rock was over, Sasquatch treated its attendees with a little electronic gem: DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, this duo lit up the stage of the Banana Shack with their unusual sound. Anjali and The Kid are most known for introducing the South Asian sounds of Bhangra and Bollywood to the dance floors of Portland. DJ Anjali, who fell in love with music and DJing at a young age, kept the crowd guessing by mixing popular hits with Bhangra and Panjabi background music. She even included some hip-hop and drum and bass in her set, intensifying the crowd’s interest in this up-and-coming artist.

The Portland duo have presided over two of the city’s longest running and most successful dance parties, ANDAZ and ATLAS, which started in 2002 and 2003, respectively. True Anjali fans can also tune into her weekly radio show on KBOO 90.7 FM, Tuesday evenings from 10 p.m. to midnight PST.

What really made DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid special were their multiple performances during Sasquatch! Festival. The pair was happy to announce on Monday that they performed a total of five times throughout the weekend. Each show kept the crowd at the Banana Shack shaking their hips, clapping their hands, and asking for more. Anjali’s strengths lied in drawing the crowd into the music, teaching them traditional Bhangra dance moves from the stage. To help the crowd to see, Anjali was projected onto the four LCD screens surrounding the Banana Shack’s stage. She and The Kid never ceased to entertain the mass of people that were stuffed into the undersized venue.

DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid kicked off the electronic side of the decade-old festival with some Eastern spice. Although the pair has not produced any full-length albums yet, there is a good chance their sound will break out of the Pacific Northwest. With colorful energy and excitement, the duo has the experience behind them to take their unique flavor and sprinkle it across some new terrain.

DJ Anjali - KBOO (April 6, 2010)