Spring Awakening: Festival Stages Announced
There are some parts of the country that are better known for their festival and concert scene. California, New York and Miami all have reputations. But if you haven’t familiarized yourself with the Chicago spring and summer music circuit you need to add this to your things to do list of 2015. Not only is there an incredible mixture of all types of talent but also the production quality is amazing. One event in particular, React Presents Spring Awakening, #SAMF, is a definitely a must see. And just to give you a peek of the greatness that will be happening this June, they released the lineup of the Beatport, Bass Kitchen & Trance Arena stages.
Bassheads are hardcore fans and if its one thing they stress about the most, is that making sure the bass is heavy and can be felt vibrating all throughout their bodies. SAMF didn’t disappoint with the Bass Kitchen stage this year. The floors will be vibrating with acts such as Zomboy, who has an amazing and unique dubstep sound that you should familiarize yourself with. The heavy trap and hip hop vibes of Bro Safari and Brillz will be sure to keep you dancing non-stop. Figure is also known for his crazy bass filled sounds and will keep your ears constantly popping at the new types of noises you hear coming out of the speakers. Grandtheft puts on an incredible live show and if for some reason you haven’t heard his remixes of "Sweet Nothing" or "Tuna Melt", you should stop reading this article for a second and download them now. He has worked with Diplo and has released remixes on labels such as Mad Decent and Fool’s Gold which tells you right there what type of talent he has. Be sure to check out the Bass Kitchen this year at SAMF and be ready to feel those heavy bass filled drops all day long.
Beatport has a fantastic reputation to keep up and they didn’t disappoint us with the arrival of who will be headlining the Beatport stage. Jamie Jones the creator of the label Hot Creations will be taking over this stage. If for some reason you haven’t heard his remix of Azari & III’s "Hungry for Power", once again stop reading and go download that track and get ready to make sure you put seeing Jamie into your schedule. Marc Kinchen, also known as just MK, will also be at the Beatport stage.
With his amazing remixes, such as Storm Queen’s "Look Right Through" it’s no wonder he was added to this incredible lineup. Not only does Chicago have some great festivals, they also have given us some amazing talent such as Cajmere. Not familiar with him? Think back to that song you couldn’t get out of your head while growing up "It’s Time for the Percolator". You can thank Cajmere for that and you should make sure to go check him out at the Beatport stage to pay some homage to someone who helped start the influence of house music. Started from the underground and now playing big stages, Justin Martin has had crazy success as a producer and DJ. I’m not even going to list all of his tracks but my favorite is his remix of "Stay" by Henry Krinkle. Add that to your late night playlist and you will be set! There is also one more surprise headliner to be announced for the Beatport stage that I am sure will add along to this amazing list of talent.
My fellow trance fans should be very pleased with the Trance Arena this year. While we dream of the day where we can head to the Netherlands to attend A State of Trance show, we can rejoice in the fact that SAMF will host some incredible trance talent. All of us trance fans know who Paul van Dyk is and you have heard his remixes and original songs multiple times in the trance world. It’s no wonder that he is going to be headlining this stage and will give us a great show nonetheless. The super talented duo of Cosmic Gate will also be there and I cannot wait to hear them drop "Not Enough Time" live for me, as it seems to move me every single time! Their music is incredible and seeing one of their sets live will guarantee you become an instant fan. Andrew Rayel will also be in the trance arena and he has been coined a modern-day Mozart, a reason why you should take a look at his show.
Trance lovers know all about Myon & Shane 54 so having them at SAMF is only a true trance blessing. Their shows are a guarantee of endless dancing and you will find yourself in a constant state of trance while staring up at the stage. Ilan Bluestone is someone you need you become familiar with as last year he blew up into the talented act we cannot wait to see today. His recent releases "Namaste" and "Capetown" have blown up so much and that’s for a great reason!
With all of the incredible talent at these stages, plus the headliners and ANOTHER surprise headliner going to be announced later on, SAMF is definitely going to be a great event this year!
AUTHOR CREDIT: SHANNON BALMES