Silversun Pickups and Paul van Dyk to Headline Sun God

    Other artists for the annual party’s main stage include Chiddy Bang, Ra Ra Riot, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Dia Frampton, Murs and Battle of the Bands winner Alier and the Band, while the dance stage lineup includes Tommy Trash, Tokimonsta, Clockwork, Oliver, Yacek and DJ battle winner Break North.

    “I think it’s easy to tell that we have a greater emphasis on the dance stage this year and that’s just reflective of current trends among students,” Associate Vice President of Concerts & Events Oliver Zhang said.

    According to Zhang, ASCE has been trying to book Silversun Pickups for years, and the booking of Paul van Dyk — who festival coordinator Eric Babajanian referred to as a “trance god” — was the result of the office “seizing an opportunity.”

    “In general, we just wanted to provide a pretty diverse range of acts,” Zhang said. “I think this is noticeable on both stages. With the dance stage there are acts like Oliver, who’s more nu-disco and indie dance. Then there’s Tokimonsta, which is more Low End Theory, beat scene-esque. Tommy Trash is electro house. Clockwork is also electro. For [main stage acts] Chiddy Bang, Macklemore and Murs we were just getting different types of hip hop — Chiddy Bang being a more poppy option, Murs being a more legitimate, hip hop fan’s artist and Macklemore bridging those different gaps.”

    Zhang said that the lineup selection this year placed a stronger emphasis on the live experience.

    “Each and every one of these artists will put on a great show and deliver a great experience for students on the day of,” Zhang said.

    ASCE will sell 3,000 guest tickets for $60 each (the ticket itself is $54, plus a $1 box office fee and $5 online transaction fee) through the UCSD Box Office website (http://ucsdboxoffice.com/) beginning at 10 a.m. on April 23. The Alumni Association has purchased 500 of those tickets to be sold through the alumni website. Guest tickets must be purchased by a UCSD student or employee, with a limit of one ticket per person. Student wristbands will be available for pick-up beginning the Thursday before the event. 

    The total ASCE allocation in the 2011-12 A.S. Executive Budget is $773,459, with $500,000 allocated toward Sun God Festival — however, Zhang noted that the total Sun God budget is supplemented through other revenue streams, such as guest tickets, vendor fees, festival merchandise and sponsorships. 

    Expenses can continue to fluctuate leading up to the festival and throughout the day of the show, but Zhang estimated that $200,000 will be spent on talent, $63,000 on facility expenses, $355,000 on production expenses, $115,000 on health and safety expenses and $6,500 on marketing expenses.

    The D’lush lounge, which debuted last year to serve mixed drinks and provide couches for students to relax and watch the concert streaming live, will return this year, and there will be a greater emphasis on art around the festival grounds.

    “In past years, we’ve always had a part of the festival dedicated to art work,” festival coordinator Henry Lu said. “This year we found that it’s kind of a forgotten part of the festival, so we’re taking a new approach to how we handle art…and that ended up becoming an art and décor committee these past two quarters.” 

    Lu revealed that one of the results of this committee is the inclusion of performance art in the form of giant, light-up jellyfish.

    “We call it a music and arts festival, but the art part has been kind of downplayed in past years and this is our first year, our first initial step in that direction,” Zhang said.

    As part of the “Sun God For a Cause” initiative, A.S. Council will work with 94.9’s It’s About the Music Foundation to sell a special T-shirt to raise money for music education.

    ASCE publicly announced the lineup on their website on Monday.

    Behind the Music

    Silversun Pickups
    Began performing: 2005
    From: L.A.’s Silver Lake, also home of Rilo Kiley and the inspiration for the band’s name
    Biggest hit: “Lazy Eye”
    Sounds like: If your favorite dream pop band toned down the reverb and aimed for alt-rock superstardom, brooding like a post-grunge era Smashing Pumpkins

    Paul van Dyk
    Began performing: 1988
    From: Berlin, Germany
    Biggest hit: “For An Angel”
    Sounds like: Every movement that’s hit the German electronic dance music scene, from early Berlin techno and house to progressive trance 

    Chiddy Bang
    Began performing: 2010
    From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Biggest hit: “Mind Your Manners”
    Sounds like: This alt-hip-hop duo, composed of rapper Chidera “Proto” Anamege and Xaphoon Jones on production, meshes unconventional samples (Tom Waits, MGMT) with witty rhymes

    Ra Ra Riot
    Began performing: 2006
    From: Syracuse, New York
    Biggest hit: “Can You Tell”
    Sounds like: If you swapped vampire weekend’s globetrotting Paul Simon influences for more earnest and orchestral chamber pop

    Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
    Began performing: 2000
    From: Seattle, Washington
    Biggest hit: “Wings”
    Sounds like: Confessional lyrics via emcee Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) and emotive instrumentation via producer Ryan Lewis make for heart-wrenching yet accessible hip-hop

    Dia Frampton
    Began performing: Made her solo debut on NBC vocal competition “The Voice” in 2011, after performing with her sister in the band “Meg and Dia” for several years 
    From: Draper, Utah
    Biggest hit: Her cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” as featured on “The Voice”
    Sounds like: The reflective singer-songwriter we need to fit the Michelle Branch slot this year

    Murs
    Began performing: First began as a solo artist in 2003, after nearly a decade of working with various groups in the underground
    From: L.A.’s Mid-City district, as frequently mentioned in many of his songs
    Biggest hit: “Everything”
    Sounds like: California-style hip hop to a T, with everyman rhymes about Asian girls and cigarette addiction layered over sun-kissed beats

    Tommy Trash
    Began performing: 2008
    From: Sydney, Australia 
    Biggest hit: “Cascade”
    Sounds like: A fist-pumping frat party

    Tokimonsta
    Began performing: 2008
    From: South Bay area of Los Angeles
    Biggest hit: “Sweet Day”
    Sounds like: Skittering, psychedelic hip hop beats that fit the mold of Flying Lotus’ label/collective Brainfeeder 

    Clockwork
    Began performing: 2010
    From: Milan, Italy
    Biggest hit: “Things You Have”
    Sounds like: Dark disco and funky, throwback techno for the SoundCloud generation

    Oliver
    Began performing: 2011
    From: Los Angeles, California
    Biggest hit: “Dirty Talk”
    Sounds like: This nu-disco dance duo will be a welcome refresher for those deafened by the trance/house boom of the rest of the day

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