Team Remix in Los Angeles for Jay Z's Made in America Festival

Words by Tim Phin. I’ve just returned from a trip to the United States, I was up there promoting our latest US edition and shooting a big celebrity for the next issue of Remix. I didn’t get much downtime, but fortunately I was in Los Angeles the same time as the Made In America Festival, presented by Budweiser. Having returned to Philadelphia for a few years now, this was the first year the festival touched down in Los Angeles and it was an absolute feast for music lovers, with superstars from every genre of music. So if you don’t already know about it, Made in America Festival is the brainchild of Jay Z. Yeah… so it was bound to be awesome! It was held over a weekend in downtown LA at the end of August, with people like Kanye West, Rita Ora, Kendrick Lamar, Iggy Azalea, Imagine Dragons, Steve Aoki and Afrojack among many many others. I went along with the Sweet Mix Kids, who were in LA shooting their next music video and we had an epic night in the three-block zone cordoned off for the festival. It was open to all ages, so there were families down there too enjoying the music. We could drink in special Budweiser zones. The music was incredible obviously. Highlights included Rita Ora’s surprise performance during Iggy Azalea’s set to sing ‘Black Widow’, an appearance from hip hop legends Cypress Hill and of course a mental set from Steve Aoki, during which he encouraged the crowd to get together for a mammoth selfie! Then in the afternoon of day two I went along to the main stage with what seemed like everyone else to check out Kanye West. He played heaps of the newer stuff, like ‘Black Skinhead’. ‘New Slaves’, ‘Clique’ and ‘Power’, as well as a few of the old favourites. Thrown in there was the now-expected rants and speeches from West, preaching about politics, religion and the media. It had a super positive vibe though and the crowd really got into it. C’mon, it’s Kanye! But perhaps the best thing about the whole festival was the vibe. Set downtown underneath the Los Angeles Major’s Office, the entire festival had a real street party feel to it. People were literally partying in the streets and soaking up the music, surrounded by the downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers. No doubt Made In America Festival, presented by Budweiser, will be back next year and if you’re planning a trip to Los Angeles, then plan it at the same time! Click here for more information on the festival and here for more information on Budweiser.