The best part about Lollapalooza is the slew of indie artists that get a bump to mainstream exposure. One indie band that needed to be seen live was Franc Moody. The duo, Ned Franc and Jon Moody, joined by a band, brought the funk to Chicago getting everyone in the audience to grove along with them. Tracks like “I’m In A Funk” and “Dopamine” brought a sensation of euphoria that made it fun to dance in the sweltering heat.

Another band I was excited to see was Ekkstacy. With solid tunes like “I Gave You Everything” it’s easy to see why Ekkstacy has made their way up to this stage so fast. Other tracks like “Then I Met Her” are great in their simplicity and struck a chord with the crowd before he finished with my favorite Ekkstacy song, “I Walk This Earth All By Myself”.

An indie artist who stole the hearts of many, however, was Beabadoobee. Having seen the young singer when she was an opening act years ago to now gather a gigantic crowd at one of the largest festivals in the states was beautiful to witness. Adoring fans screamed as she came on the scene and sang along to “Talk” and “Coffee”. It was truly inspiring to see how far the singer has come.

Looking at the lineup this year of Lollapalooza one couldn’t help but get giddy at the site of how many well-known DJs were listed. Producers like AfroJack and Diplo were holding down the Perry Stage giving the ravers a blast from yesteryear. Subtronics and especially Svdden Death filled the stage with a heavily bass vibe that made the vibration shake the ground and fans’ headbang. Sofi Tukker had an elaborate stage display with arches and columns. Tukker stepped in first with a drum pad saying, “Who came to Lollapalooza with their best friend? I did!” and then introduced Sofi as she came out in a fur dress with a guitar.

Alan Walker came out with hits like “The Spectre” and “Alone” before ending with his all-time classic “Faded”. Other DJs often brought guests with them. Odesza, for example, put a spotlight on Izzy Bizu during “Forgive Me” while Dom Dolla had Nelly Furtado come out to perform their newest collaboration “Eat Your Man”.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal aka Diesel has been living his best life this summer touring the festivals. If he’s around your area doing a DJ set, do yourself a favor and go! Shaq always has an interesting blend of 80’s rock like “Welcome to the Jungle” meeting Kanye West’s “Power” blending into modern bass. “Y’all ain’t tired get yo hands up!” he yelled out, riling the crowd up.

The selling point for Lollapalooza, however, is the number of mainstream artists you can see over the weekend. Kendrick Lamar was the biggest hip-hop rapper the festival had this year. A massive crowd formed for hours waiting in anticipation. Later Jessie Reyez joked, “If your homie brought you to see me, Hello”. Funny enough this was true for me. Then there was Karol G looking stunning in a Rolling Stones beaded top owning the stage with tracks like “Tus Grafitas”. Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to Lollapalooza once again to be greeted by a sea of fans. They opened up with the classic “Can’t Stop” and “Scar Tissue” ending with an encore “Give It Away”.

However, for my money, Thee Sacred Souls had the best performance. Arriving early to catch their set meant getting rained on but after nervously talking to the trio briefly backstage, I rushed to the main stage to catch their performance. Hiding under trees in the distance before admitting defeat to the weather, I marched with muddy shoes and a soaked shirt to join the crowd of soggy fans. The bandmates were also getting rained on but it didn’t seem to be a bother, “Nothing wrong with a little rain,” pointed out Josh Lane with a smile. As their name suggests, their soulful tunes are smooth and reminiscent of Motown tracks. Songs like “Trade of Hearts” and “Will I See You Again?” are messages of pure love and heartbreak that many can relate to. The band also performed a sold-out aftershow at Sleeping Village. The smaller venue made for an intimate setting perfect for the lovebirds in attendance.

In spite of the weather, Lollapalooza delivered a phenomenal lineup of performances yet again. The crowd was buzzing with excitement the entire weekend and will likely continue to do so in reflection of this epic weekend for a few more days.

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People thought it would get canceled, I’m kind of surprised it didn’t. All were on board to brave the rain and mud amidst greyscale skies. Perhaps the cold energized our constituency. Everyone’s attire was hardly updated to reflect the harsh weather. Day one was brutal – half of the grounds were closed until 3 hours in, resulting in Layla Benitez playing the longest set possibly of the entire weekend. Her 150-minute show kept people occupied and gave folks a reason to bundle up with each other. Good practice for her upcoming Lighting in a Bottle set in May. There was warmth deep within the crowds. The bounce was the answer: just keep moving.

I think somewhere between Michael Bibi and Eli & Fur I got lost in thought about why every west coast electronic festival is destined to fall on the receiving end of the most frigid weather California has to offer. Albeit, subjectively cold – Canadians can laugh at me all they want I don’t care. Countdown Festival had to battle through the same tribulations. Why must 2023 throw us such curve snowballs, I whispered to myself while E&F played an actually very impressive mix at the West stage. This song, in particular, is where it’s at. Having only passed by them briefly last year, I’m happy to have them cohabitating in my playlists nowadays.

The journey there was notable as well. Crowds were packed to get to the West stage because its opening was delayed, resulting in a gaggle of noise heads basically just loitering for 2 hours. Waiting for that opportunity to get the front row in a completely new zone. And so it was. The sound was better on that side as well; the East side was not adequately shielded from the rain enough. I’m not sure if that made the bass sound muddy but it sure was less thorough. In that sense, the West stage was the main stage – bold, brash, and baritone.

Day Two cleared up a little, with even a bit of sun there to remind us we’re still in the solar system. Shiba San was possibly my favorite Sunday set – a friend of the mag Mau P made a vicarious appearance through the latter mix. “Drugs in Amsterdam” played in tandem with Alice Deejay’s timeless “Better Off Alone” was a hit and a half, really impressive mixing there. I covered Monsieur Frazier extensively in our Skyline preview article, he and the entire Understated Recordings are worth writing home about. Pure Los Angeles house crafted with loving ears and test-driven in quaint, seedy warehouses across the county. Was awesome to see Insomniac throw some love in that direction, even just a little.

Diplo closed the weekend with a rare, mostly pure, house set. He also apparently was watching The Last of Us at the same time as his mix, because if you’re at that level you can kind of just hang out and do whatever. It’s like seeing a Disclosure CDJ set in 2014 – regardless of how big your debut album was, it doesn’t mean you have to learn how to DJ. It’s like a free-money glitch.

But his set struck a balance between regular Diplo antics and honorable house cuts. I think I even heard that Skrillex/Missy Elliot collab in there somewhere. The man is a showman. He plays songs that garner reactions regardless of how indulgent or crass they may be. He’s like a wedding DJ on amphetamines, and if that’s a hot take then ask yourself who else would play a Crank That remixes outside of matrimony.   

Skyline Fest is worth your time because if we had to experience the most difficult version of it, a year with proper weather will go even harder. The best part is that Skyline is not just in one place: Chicago and Orlando share the experience as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Insomniac tailors this to even more pockets of the world. Keep in the loop at their website and Instagram, and maybe peruse Insomniacs’ 24/7 twitch channel in the meantime.

The post Skyline Festival perseveres through rain and mud appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Look Like You Love It is gritty and in the streets. “You wake up every morning in the fat man’s bed…You don’t understand,” the singer sings before letting out a whoop and launching into an impassioned critique of living life with disaffectedly merely “look[ing] like you love it.” Her voice is equally compelling, finding comfort in the space between M.I.A. and an ingeniously crafted reggae vibe and the seductively dangerous Lykke Li. “All Or Nothing”, featuring Bunji Garlin and Diplo, continues to explore the space of musician and activist,  a complement to the earlier critique.

The Look Like You Love It EP, more than anything, blends disparate elements of house music, electronica, and Riot Grrrl to produce a 7-track exploration of the soundtrack for the overthrowing of oppressive regimes. “Revolusion” showcases the singer’s range, moving from monotone pleas to angry shouts while a synth blends the sound underneath.

“Only Getting Younger”, a sentiment that seems to talk about counter-culture movements trickling down to younger and younger generations, is a collaboration with Skrillex. It again, shows Elliphant above a minimalist and haunting piano interlude before erupting into distorted exultations from both the vocals and the track.

Look Like You Love It requires multiple listens to unlock the narrative, whether it’s a running thread of getting up off your feet to protest injustice or getting up off your feet to dance and sweat.

The post New release from Elliphant: “Look Like You Love It” appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Right in the midst of the winter freeze, spreading musical mirth across an icy riverbank, you’ll find some of electronic music’s most talented heavy hitters sharing their beats with over 60,000 people decked out in outrageous one-piece snow suits.

For the mere price of $15 a head, the lineup is downright majestic. Just this past weekend, the party headlined with Max Cooper, Sébastien Léger and TIND. And if those names sound far from familiar, it’s time to do some exploration because the French sure as hell know how to drop a good beat.

Next week’s lineup is pretty close to ridiculous with Diplo and Green Velvet representing the US, so there is still time to exercise your dancing freedom the authentic Canadian way.

If this is your first time, take note: wear everything you own, show up early if you want to get in, and set your body free to the sounds of the underground.

For full lineup and tickets, visit Igloofest.ca

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