The small town of Rothbury, Michigan lit up brilliantly this past Thursday through Sunday. The town hosts the annual Electric Forest Festival that attracted over 40,000 attendees this year; people come from around the globe to experience four days of eclectic music, camping, inspiring art, old friends and new, delicious food and an overall break from life's fast pace spinning. I was fortunate to attend alongside some of my best friends, and with this being my third year, I can honestly say it was the best one to date. I'd like to review some of my personal favorite performers, stages, and vendors I partook in while there so any curious readers can get a taste of what to expect!
Top Picks for Performers: Party Favor, Adventure Club and Flosstradamus.
Notable Performers: Framewerks, NGHTMRE, Greensky Bluegrass, Bauuer, Bro Safari, Paper Diamond and YAMN
Party Favor is a producer from LA that I have been dying to see for quite some time. He did not disappoint and was the first act I caught and had planned to see. The energy he brought to Tripolee Stage earlier in the night set the tone for the rest of the lineup. It was a hard act to follow, as Party Favor's set was so varied in electronic music it was hard to catch my breath. He was great at reading his audience, seeming to know when the crowd had gotten tired of a particular genre, he would switch to another. From trap, to house and drum and bass, Party Favor pulled out all of his tricks. And yes, he did play Bust 'Em.
I have to say Adventure Club surprised me, not for the fact they were good, I knew they would be, but I'm not a huge fan of their music in general. I knew they were excellent producers, but their style isn't one I usually groove to. Their live set changed my mind around completely. They were master crowd readers; I can honestly say it was one of two shows I danced for the entire time. The lights were perfectly in sync with their set, and I found myself admiring how in sync the duo were with each other. They played one of the most diverse sets in my opinion, blending upbeat lilting melodies with grimy bass lines to perfection.
Flosstradamus was my favorite. Mind you, I'm biased. The Chicago based duo were the first ones to make me fall in love with electronic music. The swagger and back breaking intensity that's present in every one of their songs was so obvious in their live performance. That's a hard thing to do, it's easy to sit stone-faced at your controller and just play your set. They don't take the easy route, the show was hyped up perfectly throughout by Josh's prompting, but wasn't as over the top as Major Lazer's set was. These guys have fun with it, getting just as much into their music as the crowd does. When you're the last people to play at 2 AM, it can be hard to revitalize a crowd, but Floss did it with practiced ease.
Best Stage Overall: The Ranch
Why: It has the best overall sound system. The Ranch sits at probably the most ideal location in Electric Forest, right at the beginning to Sheerwood Forest and not too far away from the venue entrance. It has vendors and bathrooms extremely close by and has the largest crowd holding capacity. The stage itself is huge and artistically beautiful, with stunning light shows and during-show side acts. It also hosts the largest variety of music, including: bluegrass, dubstep, house, trap, rock and rap.
Best Nighttime Stage: Tripolee
Why: Tripolee is the first stage you hit when entering the venue, so its easy access to the campgrounds is great after a long night of dancing. The sound system is phenomenal and usually hosts harder electronic gigs which is perfect for you late night bass heads.
Best Daytime Stage: Jubilee
Why: Jubilee is protected from the sun by a huge canopy that provides much needed relief from the relentless heat. It's also in close proximity to a shopping area, restrooms, water-refill stations and a small hammocking zone. Jubilee has a great speaker set up and hosts groovy electro-rock bands, chillstep artists and wide-range of other acts. Perfect spot for a picnic or jam sesh.
Best Stages for Discovering New Artists: The Hangar or Observatory
Why: The Hangar is one of Electric Forest's only truly indoor stages. It's smaller, but you wouldn't guess that by the sound. The place has great acoustics and hosts a wide variety of smaller to mid-level performers. The Hangar is great for the fact it has a barber shop, bar, pin-up store and other neat little shops. The Observatory is a bouncy out door stage set up right in the middle of Sheerwood Forest, accompanied by a substantial bar. While its sound can sometimes conflict with the nearby Forest Stage, I often find it's a great spot to stop and vibe at while exploring the forest late at night.
Favorite Vendors: Any of the food vendors and Phil Lewis
Okay, if there are two foods you try while bouncing through the forest it has to be the spicy pies or paninis. Yes, they're over-priced. Don't get more than one a day. The spicy pie is a delectable pizza that comes with a nice ranch dipping sauce, if you get it with lemonade, I promise you will be more than satisfied.
Phil Lewis is an artist based out of Boulder, Colorado that has set up his tent every year I've gone. He does great work on prints, posters, frisbees and the like. He's great for those that like trippy artwork, but don't want to go overboard and give the impression that, "Hey! I do acid on Tuesday nights!" I got my mother a print of a retriever puppy dreaming about rabbits and tennis balls and she absolutely loved it. When your mom likes trippy art, you know it has to be decent.
