Five acts you won't want to miss at Elements Music and Arts Festival
In one of the most American and defining pieces of cinema, Easy Rider, a stranger tells Peter Fonda’s character, “You know, this could be the right place. The time’s running out.” To which he replies, “Yeah, I’m hip about time… but I gotta go.” This film gave voice to a generation, and though that generation is passing the reins it’s still imperative to stay hip to time, especially, when freedom is at one’s feet.
On that note, Elements is drawing near, and so is the time to choose who of its plethora of top tier acts to watch throughout the weekend. EDM All Day is here to help; here are five of the festival’s unmissable acts, and why everyone’s “gotta go.”
Disclosure – DJ set
It goes without saying that these English brothers are at the top of the EDM world. They’ve collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry, including The Weeknd, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, London Grammar, Lord, Al Green, and more, many more. Despite only having two full albums (both highly acclaimed) they have released many singles cultivating consistent discography over the past five years—over the past year, they released 6 singles each unque and groovier than the last. Just last week Disclosure sold out the Brooklyn Mirage for two nights in a row. They’re not easy to see and Elements is a surefire way to see them in an element all its own.
Damian Lazarus
If one is unfamiliar with what’s good with the contemporary house and techno scene they’d need not look further than Damian Lazarus. He is a master storyteller through his sets and creates magic not only in the club (he was a resident at DC10 in Ibiza for nearly a decade,) but also in the wild. He cultivated MMW’s most exotic party Get Lost, played in the Nevada Desert, and Mayan ruins. He’ll be bringing that magic to Elements, no doubt. Additionally, Damian Lazarus found some of the scenes best-known names through his label Crosstown Rebels; Art Department, Maceo Plex, Jamie Jones and more all had their careers launched by his sorcery. Lazarus’ sets are focused at unleashing the untapped positivity in all who are lucky enough to hear his sound.
Shiba San
Named best House DJ by DJ Mag France, this Dirtybird is not one to miss Saturday. In fact, anyone in the Dirtybird sphere is sure to throw it down. If you want to have a good ol’ time and get properly loose, check out anyone rocking the cracked egg. Steve Darko, Fisher, Justin Martin, and more will be out and about tossing that family love and tracks inspired by brothers and sisters in fun.
Big Gigantic
Big Gigantic launched and then established an entire scene. The combination of jam, jazz, and dub would never have reached its heights without them. Big G is known for a sound so huge that only outdoor settings can contain their volume, which explains Big G’s success at festivals. They’ve played at Bonnaroo, Electric Forrest, Austin City limits, Ultra, Lolla, Gov Ball, and sold out every performance at Red Rocks since 2012. Their stage design and production are meant for a full audio-sensory experience and they deliver. Not to be missed.
Random Rab
A sunrise set to close out a festival with Random Rab is a blessing. The soul wrenching, grounding sound, is perfect for self-reflection. He holds an innate ability to softly bring festival-goers back down to earth. These sunrise sets can be scoped out on SoundCloud, but there is truly nothing like watching the day reveal the faces of all the beautiful people after a full night to the sounds of Random Rab. He leaves starlight in his listener’s eyes and sets them off back into the world… ready.
This is going to be fun. Be with the rhythm, stay safe, have fun, and show that love.
