Microsoft at Sundance Film Festival

Darek Mazzone , our one and only crossfader Chief Editor went to Park City, Sundance 2008.

This post is "From the Editor" ...his blog at Crossfader.com ...enjoy reading ....

Sundance 2008 started with a very bumpy flight from Anaheim to Salt Lake City that took my breath away. Utah in winter is a sight to behold, and the temperature change from Cali to SLC was insane. 65 to 7 degrees is tough. The airport in SLC was abuzz with all the film folks trying to find their ride to Park City. The onslaught of Hollywood in the snow starts as soon as you get to baggage check. Why is it that people who work in the glamorous field of cinema seem to never smile?
I got in my rental and headed toward Park City, about 45 min with no traffic. The mountains were gorgeous in the snow and falling light. I was DJ-ing the Seattle Sundance Party so my soundtrack for the drive consisted of new music I was testing out before playing it on the dance floor. I must admit it’s a little incongruous listening to Brazilian Drum and Bass while driving through rural Utah.
Coming into Park City, there was a huge traffic jam. When you consider that Sundance takes over a sleepy ski village and turns it into the biggest US film festival for a couple of weeks, the strain on services must be nuts.
I found an overpriced parking garage and headed for the club. We were doing our party at the Star bar.

The show was made up of various Sub Pop bands such as The Helio Sequence, Kelley Stoltz and Daniel Martin Moore, me, and the vibe of the festival. It was all good.
I knew many of my friends were going to be there for DJ gigs or showing their films or both, as was the case with Paul Miller (DJ Spooky). I texted him to find out what was going on. Then things got interesting. Behind most store windows and doors on the main streets were curtain-covered areas which served as “Gifting Stations”. These act as a way-station to get product into the hands of celebrities and various tastemakers. The number of these stations at Sundance is amazing. It feels like everyone is there trying to get their product shown.

So, as I said before, the amount of strain all this must put on the city is crazy, and lo and behold, mid way into my set...lights out! Half of main street, Park City goes black. Power outage! This made for some fun conversations and a real sense of camaraderie with people who are often dealing with others through a veil of indifference. It really made for a memorable time. The lights came back on in about an hour and Helio Sequence killed it.
I bounced to DJ Spooky’s party at the International Directors Tent and danced to some crazy dancehall while the Stella Artois (sponsor) flowed free. Sundance is a blast.