San Francisco music fans are in the middle of the best time of the year: festival season. At this point, Outside Lands is still a great summer memory, and the anticipation is building with new acts for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, but next up on deck between Sept. 26 and 27 is Portola, the hotbed of electronic music that takes over Pier 80. Now in its fifth year, it’s earned a reputation for ear drum-battering bass that has been heard as far away as Alameda.
SFGATE’s festival squad will be traversing the grounds, and here are the acts we suggest you don’t miss.
Robyn
Saturday, Pier Stage, 7:10 p.m.
Call your girlfriend, and come 7:10 p.m. on Saturday. She’ll probably be at the Pier Stage for Robyn. The Swedish icon behind hits like “Call Your Girlfriend” and “Dancing On My Own” is the biggest star in the lineup by a mile, and she’s particularly beloved by the LGBTQ community. Her glossy electro-pop bridges the gap between wedding dance floor bangers and critically acclaimed hits, all buoyed by her singular voice. – Dan Gentile, senior culture editor
A speaker stack at Despacio at San Francisco’s Portola Music Festival in 2025. (Dan Gentile/SFGATE)
Despacio
All weekend long
LCD Soundsystem isn’t on the lineup this year, but James Murphy will still be lurking behind the decks of Despacio, the audiophile dance club experience he designed along with the 2ManyDJs. The club serves as something of an oasis from the bombast of the main stages, with slower, disco-leaning tracks mixed on one of the most phenomenal sound systems in the world. See you under the disco ball. – DG
Clearcast
Sunday, Pier Stage, 1:30 p.m.
San Francisco’s underground DJ scene has tendrils that reach through every corner of electronic music, and this year, Portola has done a fantastic job of pulling from the home team, with artists ranging from Program Audio’s Erika and Sfcowboy to the deep dubstep of Felly Fell. One of the acts not to miss is Clearcast, a resident of the notorious Vitamin1000 parties, whose mix of U.K. genres like garage and bass is a great excuse to arrive at the festival early. – DG
Tricky
Saturday, Crane Stage, 3:20 p.m.
The most controversial scheduling move for this year may have been putting Tricky on in the daytime. At 58 years old, the trip-hop elder statesman who gave Massive Attack’s legendary “Blue Lines” its hip-hop backbone was one of the first international breakouts in the world of British rap. Tricky walked so Dizzee Rascal could run and so Stormzy could fly, and he’s a bucket list act that should be on every Portola attendee’s itinerary. – DG
Fcukers
Saturday, Pier Stage, 4:40 p.m.
It took less than a year after releasing their first track for NYC indie-sleaze revivalists Fcukers to catch the ear of LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, with whom they collaborated for a remix of “Los Angeles.” Fcukers, as you might guess from the name, don’t have any radio ambitions. Their sole goal is to move the crowd with electroclash-influenced tunes with huge basslines, frenetic drum machines and the siren vocals of Shanny Wise. – DG
DJ Shadow
Saturday, Pier Stage, 5:30 p.m.
There may not be a more influential artist on the schedule than DJ Shadow. Hailing from San Jose, the DJ and producer almost single-handedly changed the course of hip-hop and electronic music in 1996 with “Endtroducing…..,” a brooding masterpiece of obscure samples that’s the perfect accompaniment for a late-night walk through a city. He’s since released plenty of other records – including an underrated hyphy album – but his live re-creation of “Endtroducing…..” should be required listening for younger attendees. – DG
HorsegiirL
Sunday, Crane Stage, 8:10 p.m.
Her barn, her rules. Prepare for campy Y2K nostalgia and pull out your best pair of pink cowboy boots because the enigmatic Boiler Room DJ is saddling up for a high-femme, hourlong set on the Crane Stage. Known for her bold visuals, keen sense of fashion and trademark equestrian mask, HorsegiirL has racked up millions of views on YouTube for her unapologetic stage presence and musical talent, so saddle up. – Ariana Bindman, news features reporter
Dog Blood
Saturday, Pier Stage, 9 p.m.
Returning from the nostalgic abyss of the early 2010s, Skrillex is reuniting with Boys Noize to perform a rare live set with mind-melting beats. With EPs and tracks with over-the-top titles like “Middle Finger” and “Shred or Die,” it’s not one to miss if you’re a fan of early electroclash and used to listen to indie-sleaze bangers like Sebastian and Justice on your iPod Shuffle. – AB
Soulwax
Saturday, Crane Stage, 9:55 p.m.
Another major act of the 2010s, Soulwax is perhaps now best known for remixing Canadian-French artist Marie Davidson’s “Work It” and Tame Impala’s “Let It Happen,” collectively earning about 70 million streams on Spotify alone. “Krack,” a sparse, steady wave of sound, is just one of many of the boundary-pushing tracks that Soulwax has released over the course of a 30-year career. A perfect choice for fans of Simian Mobile Disco, Fcukers and LCD Soundsystem. – AB
VTSS
Sunday, Warehouse, 4:30 p.m.
Polish producer and DJ VTSS is an unstoppable force, bringing hard-hitting beats and big diva energy to American and European club circuits. Performing anything from high-octane Boiler Room sets to taking the stage at EDC Las Vegas, prepare to chase her high till your nose bleeds. – AB
Fatboy Slim
Saturday, Crane Stage, 7:55 p.m.
If you recall the famous music video of Christopher Walken defying gravity and the laws of physics in Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice,” you won’t want to miss the classic electronic artist’s set on Saturday. With a career spanning about four decades, the English DJ and producer helped popularize the Big Beat genre of the ’90s, ushering in a new wave of club culture. If you’re not familiar with it, the music video for the Shamen’s “Comin’ On” – which features an oiled-up Jason Statham pre-“Transporter” – is a great place to start. – AB
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This article originally published at Portola, San Francisco’s loudest music festival, returns for its 5th year.