The first day was extraordinary as fans marched to the distant venue dressed in their best summer gear. A giant rubber duck greeted attendees upon entry. This enormous figure was not only adorable to take photos with, but used as a beacon to locate friends when groups split up. There was also a series of breathtaking trailers decked out by talented local artists.

After exploring the food options and scoping out the merchandise stands, people swarmed the Rising Stage to see DanceLoud. The Chicago-based duo, DJ Kristen Sanchez and drummer Desereé Fawn, was a unique standout showcase. The ladies first met attending Columbia College where they learned that Sanchez’s hip-hop scratches blended well with Fawn’s jazzy percussion style. After their set, DanceLoud was nice enough to give Quip a tour of their renovated traveling van and let us sample their sour ales drink in collaboration with local restaurant Estrella Negra.

Luna Stage is where many stayed planted to watch a slew of big-name artists back to back. Eazybaked [image above] got the crowd popping with their gritty, dirty bass tunes. As the name suggested, their tunes bring the wubbs out making it completely stoner-friendly. Eazybaked played mixes from their Intertwined album keeping things mellow for the relaxed fans.

LSDream came on next which really amped things up. His psychedelic style took us to outer space with his alien-themed. He got the crowd rowdy with his remix of Genuwine’s “Pony”. LSDream ended the set with a positive message: “This is all about love. Being present. Put your feet to the ground and breathe. We’re all one”  he said to the crowd before wrapping things up with “High Vibrations”.

Fans had the hardest decision when choosing how to end their first night: Kx5 [images above] or GRiZ. Both are heavy hitters and well-respected in the EDM scene. The legendary producers Deadmau5 and Kaskade were also something you didn’t want to miss. Kx5 is riding high with the release of their debut album and their club-centric turns definitely got the ravers going wild all through the night. If you’re more into the heavier bass and jazzy tunes then GRiZ was the place to be. Bouncing back and forth from DJing to saxophone and rap solos, GRiZ’s set had a bit of everything. Of course, if you did miss either set you could hit up one of their after-parties but it getting in would have been a miracle.

Day two, however, was a complete 180. The weather drastically dropped from 85º to 55º. The sun went away and in its place were dark gray clouds leading to persistent rainfall throughout the day. Being next to Lake Michigan didn’t help matters either and winds chills kept blowing by. Yet the fans marched forward in the freezing winds hoping Heatwave’s lineup could warm them up. Fortunately, Elephante was there ready for the task.

Elephante immediately lit up the crowd with “Plans”. The track had a guitar solo during the breakdown of the song, a great showcase of his versatility. He continued to perform tracks off his debut album I Am theElephante and Glass Mansion with songs like “Dynasty,” “Starbright,” and “Otherside” keeping the crowd engaged in their soggy hoodies.

For many attendees, the reason for this quest was of course Tiësto. Honestly, no other DJ could close out the event or make folks forget their troubles quite like Tiësto. The legendary producer had everybody moving along to “The Business” before reviving things up into the next gear with “Lay Low”. He continued to shake things up with his tracks “Red Lights” transitioning into “Chasing Cars” keeping the energy at a high pace. Tiësto did give us a moment to breathe with “I’ll Take You High”. But the excitement couldn’t be contained with pyro, fireworks, and elaborate light show beaming from the Nova Stage.

Overall Auris Presents team did a terrific job with Heatwave. It was no easy task to follow the event that was beloved last year yet they managed to pull it off. The change of scenery was a nice touch as it took over a space that other organizers rarely use.

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Vidal Granados: How are you enjoying your Beyond Wonderland weekend? You’ve done the event before now you’re performing second to last on Day 1, what does it mean to you?

Elephante: I’m having a blast. I’ve been laying low for a little bit, so I’ve really enjoyed getting back out there, feeling the energy from the crowds, and catching up with my artist friends backstage.

Honestly, it’s pretty crazy – I remember playing here super early, and it was one of my first big festivals ever, so to be back with a crazy set time feels surreal. At the end of the day though, it doesn’t matter what time I’m up there – I’m just putting everything I have into the performance and trying to engage with the crowd, big or small.

 VG: With spring now here, the season of change, what are some things you are trying to change or improve about yourself?

E: Ever since the pandemic, I’ve been working on my mental health. Being an artist can be a really weird life, and I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression so it’s been a constant effort to build better habits. Trying to limit the self-loathing and impostor syndrome, doom-scrolling, and just generally feel better about myself.

Of course, I’m always trying to improve on my craft – singing, producing, and playing guitar. And on a more practical level, I just bought a house so I’ve been trying to fix the leaks in my basement… it’s been flooding every time it rains, so there have been many trips to Home Depot.

VG: I want to say congratulations on the success of Heavy Glow. Songs like “Dopamine” and “Holy Ghosts” are a vibe, but I really connected with “Tired of Being Tired”. What do you tell yourself or others when it comes to moments of depression or needing to expand and branch out of their comfort zone?

E: I think the biggest thing for me has been accepting that it’s okay to feel shitty. I’ve found a lot of the emotional pain comes from the cycle of feeling bad about feeling bad – for me, it’s a lot of “you are incredibly lucky and living your dreams, what do you have to complain about? Stop being a baby” etc. But by letting go and just acknowledging how you feel can break the chain reaction. It’s not really something you can think your way out of, and sometimes you just gotta let go of the wheel for a bit.

VG: Loved listening to your collaboration with HALIENE on the track “Hollow”. She’s a very powerful vocalist, what was the process like of working with her? What’s your mindset when picking who to work with?

E: She’s amazing and someone I’ve always wanted to work with.  Her voice just communicates something profound every time you hear her. And Hollow was a song I instantly connected with – sometimes you just hear a demo and you automatically see the Matrix, and know exactly what you want to do with it. And she’s super chill – the biggest thing for me when working with artists is catching a vibe, and feeling comfortable with the push and pull of working together because the song is bigger than just one person.

VG: What artists or albums influenced you growing up? Artists or albums you can play when need moments to unwind. Any upcoming events or projects you’re excited about?

E: I was a singer songwriter growing up, and my idol was John Mayer – he was the reason why I taught myself to play guitar and write songs. Then I heard Skrillex when I was a little older, and my head exploded – he was the reason why I started producing electronic music. And of course, artists like Avicii, Kaskade, and Porter Robinson influenced what my sound turned into. Nowadays I’m really inspired by Odesza, Rufus, and Lane 8.

I’ve got a lot of new music coming! I have a song called “No Explanations” with Stephanie Poetri and Zhang Yanqi coming out on 3/31, and a new single every few weeks for the rest of the year. I’m stoked to get all this new music out and play a bunch of festivals this summer… it’s Elephante SZN

VG: I read when you were learning piano you loved Chopin. (I also love Chopin and currently trying to learn piano) You also got into DJ after going to Harvard which is quite a leap. Any advice you have for people thinking about jumping in and perusing their dreams?

E: Chopin is the goat. My advice to everyone who’s thinking about a creative life is to not wait for permission to start. There’s no single path anyone takes – you kind of have to just figure it out for yourself, and there’s no roadmap. So just get going and start creating, and don’t worry if you’re bad, which you will be because everyone is bad when they first start. The difference between artists who make it are the ones that are able to grind through being bad and have that irrational belief in themselves that they can get there one day.

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