Outside Lands 2023: A Chat With San Diego's Own ISOxo

ISOxo descended upon Outside Lands 2023 with a loud, energetic set at Lands End, one of the main stages at the festival. The San Diego native’s brand of danceable bangers was perfect for a day three festival crowd that was ready to end the weekend off with a bang. For the young artist, the festival marks another experience that further enshrines how far he’s come. With collaborations with landmark acts in the genre like RL Grime and Skrillex, ISOxo has stood among giants and his own star didn’t fade in their shadow.

Coming off his day three set, ISOxo took some time to chat with California.com about his music, love for Bay Area crowds, and what the San Diego EDM scene looks like nowadays.

How has your festival experience been?

I actually just flew in super early and came straight to Outside Lands. It’s my first time attending this festival. It was cool and I’m super proud. The Bay Area is cool and legit one of my favorites. The energy is wild. I started pretty early and a lot of people pulled up, it was incredible.

Coming from San Diego and being super well traveled. How do you look at your time coming up in that scene?

There was not really an electronic scene. Maybe I was just unaware because I was really young. I started producing music when I was 13. The first time I heard EDM was this Skrillex song and that changed a lot for me. Every time I go and perform, I always have to say, like, Yo, my name is ISO. So I represent San Diego, California. I'm trying to put San Diego on the map because there's a lot going on. There has been a growing scene out there. It's really cool. There's a really sick, underground scene.

I definitely want to grow the scene in SD. It’s a bit small. I don’t really think of myself as the biggest from there. I feel like I’m just a kid from San Diego doing what he loves. This music stuff is all about having fun. That’s the core essence of why I started making music.

Does playing at a festival affect the way you perform in any way? The crowds can be different. You’ll have people there to see you, while others are just popping in seeing you for the first time.

To a certain extent, but at the end of the day, I always try to give the crowd a show; no matter how many people are in the crowd. At a multigenre festival like Outside Lands, it’s cool to represent EDM here on the main stage. I’m aware there are people that don’t know who I am, and that’s why I give my best performance every time.

You mentioned you love playing in the Bay Area, why is that? How are Bay Area crowds unique?

Bay Area crowds are loud. They sing songs back. It’s the most rewarding feeling every. The Bay Area is up there as the best crowds for me. I gotta’ say good things about San Diego and L.A, but it’s always good to be in The Bay. They’re loud and I love it.

You can check out ISOxo and learn more at his website.