The evening’s activities begun with River Tiber, real name Tommy Paxton-Beesley, who took the stage for a DJ set. Having seen Paxton-Beesley perform his original broody tracks with a band more than once this upbeat DJ set came as a bit of a surprise. Tiber toured across a couple decades, remixing and sampling 90s top hits and newer hip hop tracks. In between the various melodic lesser known tracks the crowd pleasers came out: Drake’s “The Language,”  A$AP Ferg’s “Shabba” followed by a throwback with Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey “Baby If You Give It To Me” and “That Shit Cray.” For nearly an hour River Tiber teased the crowd, packing them in closer to the stage and continually surprising them.

After a very brief break and uncommonly on time J.I.D’s DJ begun to warm up the crowd with the likes of Kendrick Lamar “King Kunta” and other urban favourites, the floor was vibrating and every track had the crowd singing along. Now that we’re all warmed up let’s meet J.I.D, a rapper from East Atlanta signed to J-Cole’s Dreamville Records. Since releasing his debut album, The Never Story in March J.I.D has been gaining attention. His lyrics are clean and sharp, often politically and racially charged, that power of the language was particularly felt during quiet rhyme, or as the guy standing behind me called it “poetry,” though admittedly not everyone in the audience was down with the significantly more serous vibes, at this point quite a few members of the crowd were well liquored up.

At 11 sharp the screens around the room lit up as Goldlink came out on stage and for the rest of the night screened A Big Dog Productions film in the background. For the next hour Goldlink went back and forth between his recent album At What Cost and And After That, We Didn’t Talk though the crowd didn’t seem to favour one over the other, everyone was dancing and singing along with so much ferociousness that very few phones were up in the air, this show was an experience IRL. From “Dark Skin Women” to “Some Girl,” “Crew” and “Meditation”, which originally featured Jazmine Sullivan and KAYTRANADA, followed by a brief break sampling Pharrell and Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U” and back to “Herside Story” from At What Cost and “Dance on Me” from AATWDT.

“Can you all count to four?” he asked “Can you all count to four!” oh I know where this is going, and so did the rest of the room – “Late Night” or 3, or 4. Goldlink didn’t really talk much between tracks and his rhymes were breathlessly smooth and sharp, as always. For many people this show wrapped up the year and with those good vibes many people dabbed is as the best show of the year while storming out into the cold night.

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This past weekend, the newly revamped venue Velvet Underground hosted Virginia rapper/singer GoldLink. With a new album out And After That, We Didn’t Talk that has gained recognition from artists and fans around the world, this was a show not to miss. Said to “bridge the gap between hip hop and dance,” GoldLink tests traditional boundaries of music and brings a fresh new sound to the stage. There is also something to be said about his fan base, who set the expectation for the night, which was surpassed and raised.

Opening the show were DJ’s Gravez and McCallaman. Although there were some minor issues with the sound, the energy in the venue never wavered and both artists were able to hype the crowd and prepare them for an unforgettable night. The sound paralleled the vibe perfectly, playing hits from the newly released Kendrick mixtape, Rihanna, and of course our hometown hero Drake. Both DJ’s were on point with their mixes and it was a seemingly flawless transition into GoldLink’s set.

The most refreshing part of the evening was witnessing upcoming talent having such a strong following. GoldLink knows the importance of his audience and the connection between him and his fans was undeniable. The vibe was so organic; it was almost like the crowd was letting everyone in on their secret. Similar to when The Weeknd first started and you knew how great he was going to be, but you didn’t want anyone else to know. The minute GoldLink took the stage, the energy increased and the show started. Opening with his hit “Bedtime Story,” GoldLink went on to mix old hits like J Lo’s “Get Right,” notes from Kanye’s new The Life of Pablo album and of course newer tracks like “Spectrum,” “When I Die” and “Dance On Me.” His energy could be mistaken for hype, but his clean sound and fresh beats matched his enthusiasm perfectly.

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With the breadth and depth of lyrics that spit from GoldLink’s mouth, it’s hard to believe that the DC artist is a mere 22 years old. “Tell me what you really wanna say?” he whispers to the listener on the track “Polarized” from his forthcoming LP And After That, We Didn’t Talk. Listening to the album, it’s evident that he’s an artist who isn’t afraid to speak his mind.

Citing influences that include Edgar Allan Poe, Grimes and Pink Floyd, GoldLink’s self-described future bounce sound is singular in hip-hop: his music carries a heavy, palpability that isn’t easy to categorize.

Born D’Anthony Carlos, he was a relatively elusive figure up until recently, adding to the intrigue of his music. He’s been slowly making his way into the public eye the last two years, and his slick, fast paced rhymes alongside his pristinely produced beats have gained him praise and notoriety. GoldLink’s first LP The God Complex was self-released last year, and this past summer he headlined his first North American tour.

And After That, We Didn’t Talk opens with a crash – literally. Initially disorienting, the first track “After You Left” slowly slips into a shimmering synth and mellow beat as GoldLink begins telling his story. His lyrics wax poetic social and cultural injustices: sometimes he’s so quick it’s hard to catch how well crafted the narrative is.

The album’s forth track “Spectrum” takes influence from classic house, it’s melody bumps along with a sultry feminine lyricist. “Late Night” is brutally honest: “You’re not the only woman in my phone,” he lets an unknown admirer know. These harsh lyrics are cross cut with rolling trap drums and a female voice confessing her obsession with the artist – but really, who can blame her? GoldLink knows how to make a person crush. “Palm Trees” is soft, sweet and reassuring. Polyrhythms, classical strings and standard hip-hop beats take the listener to the beach: “Listen to the waves, I can be your fantasy” – definitely.

GoldLink’s sound is a fantasy for the music obsessed. His album flawlessly fluctuates between genres; all of his vast influences are able to find their place. Afro-Caribbean drum patterns cradle gospel vocals; hometown funk influences seep in, intertwining with his distinct, tight-lipped voice. Everything is neatly tied together: And After That, We Didn’t Talk is really an ethereal, yet candid, dream.

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Twas the night before Halloween and despite the unpredictable Chicago weather, the annual Freaky Deaky music festival scared up few tricks, but also had an abundance of treats in the form of hip-hop, EDM, and electro-pop. Clad in their best Halloween costumes, festivalgoers spent Halloween weekend with the likes of 2 Chainz, Pretty Lights, Key N Krates, and Porn and Chicken. Since its inception seven years ago, Freaky Deaky has traditionally taken place within the confines of an indoor music venue; this year, the festival was expanded to three days and took place outdoors, at Toyota Park, home of the Chicago Fire soccer team. 

One of the many things that make Freaky Deaky aberrant from other music festivals is the timing; while most festivals take place during the summer months, Freaky Deaky takes place Halloween weekend. Because Freaky Deaky is a scaled-down version of larger outdoor festivals, it allows for a more intimate experience between the festivalgoers and performers, as well as longer performance sets. Each stage and spectator viewing area were under a massive tent, with the exception of The Crypt stage, which was designed to make one feel as if they are inside an underground tomb.

Between the festival’s Halloween horror theme, the temperamental weather, and the costumes (of both attendees and performers), Freaky Deaky was not just a music festival – it was an adventure. Here are some of the more notable performances from Freaky Deaky 2015.

Joey Bada$$ Riding the success of his mixtapes, 1999 and Summer Knights, Joey Bada$$ released his debut album, B4.Da.$$, earlier this year and has been touring non-stop since. On a cold and rainy Halloween night, restless fans chanted “Joey, Joey,” until the Brooklyn-born MC finally took the stage, fifteen minutes after his scheduled start time. Despite some minute technical problems at the start of his set, the Joey Bada$$ didn’t miss a beat. Accompanied by DJ Statik Selektah, he opened his set with the standout track, “Paper Trail$” followed by the gritty “Big Dusty.” Wanting to remind fans as to why they love his music, Joey Bada$$ took an enthusiastic trip down memory lane that included a medley of music from his critically-acclaimed mixtapes (including “95 Til Infinity,” “World Domination,” “Hardknock,” and “FromdaTomb$”). He continued the nostalgia by performing “Waves,” from his 1999 mixtape, in its entirety, as well as his feature on Kendrick Lamar’s  “1 Train.”

The second half of Joey’s set featured music from B4.Da.$$, including, “Hazeus View,” “No. 99,” “Christ Conscious,” as well as new music (“Lose Control” a collaboration with Glass Animals). Joey Bada$$ handpicked eager female fans from the audience to join him onstage while he performed a snippet of the upbeat track “Teach Me.” Winding down his set, Joey paid tribute to his mom with the endearing “Curry Chicken,” followed by the penultimate song, “Survival Tactics.” Many artists choose to close out their show with their biggest hit, however, Joey Bada$$ closed his set with “My Young N*ggaz,” an unreleased track originally penned for his B4.Da.$$ album.

While Joey’s set included a copacetic balance of his older and newer music, it also reminded true hip-hop heads of what the genre used to be and gave new fans a further appreciation. His music and lyrical style creates a longing for the hip-hop days of old.

AlunaGeorge: British-based synthpop band, AlunaGeorge took the stage clad in their Halloween best and opened their set with a vocally flat version of “Attracting Flies” and “Supernatural.” Fortunately, the vocal aspect of the performance improved as the set progressed and much to the pleasure of the fans, the band sang each song in its entirety. With the help of festivalgoers, the band floated through their popular collaboration with Disclosure, “White Noise,” followed by the soothing, mid-tempo, “Best Be Believing” and “Kaleidoscope Love.” Alluding to the next track, Aluna Francis, the band’s front woman, told fans, “I think you’re going to know the next track, if you don’t I don’t know where you’ve had your head,” prompting one of the most unique covers of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It.”

When Francis wasn’t dancing mildly seductively with each song, she kept the fans engaged with witty banter in between. While the band performed a number of songs from their Body Music album, they also entertained with covers of Jack Ü’s (Skrillex and Diplo) “To Ü” and Baauer’s “One Touch” with Francis not only crooning but toying around on a synthesizer. 

With a little less than an hour to perform, the set flowed effortlessly and the band made the most of their 50-minute set – packing in as much music as possible, while still leaving the fans wanting more. AlunaGeorge was fun to watch and a welcomed alternative to the high-energy EDM and hip-hop that ruled the weekend’s festival.

Emancipator Ensemble: Emancipator (Douglas Appling) has been making music for nearly ten years and in that time he has made a conscious effort to produce a sound that is distinguishable from other artists of the electronic/trip-hop genre. As the sun began to set, Appling and his four-piece band (collectively known as Emancipator Ensemble) gave fans a hypnotic musical experience. Known for incorporating a mesmerizing light show into their performances, the band performed old favorites like “Wolf Drawn,” “Elephant Survival,” and “When I Go” as well as new music from their Seven Seas album, including the album’s title track, and the Molly Parti feature, “Land & Sea.” Appling has a knack for incorporating classic hip-hop songs into his shows, and for the Freaky Deaky crowd, it was a trip-hop version of Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.”

Ilya Goldberg, the band’s violinist, is comparable to icing on a cake or unwrapping a much-anticipated Christmas gift. His live violin solo increased the overwhelming enthusiasm that swept through the already enraptured crowd, which continued to swell as the set advanced.  As a solo artist, Appling bled with talent and creativity, and since adding Goldberg, as well as a drummer and a bassist to his live shows, Emancipator is reaching new heights with his music. The Emancipator Ensemble executed a flawless show as one of the highlights of Freaky Deaky 2015.

Vic Mensa: Despite starting his set twenty minutes late (due to reasons unknown), Chicago’s own Vic Mensa (along with his band) tore down the house with the little time that they had to perform, while donning peculiar, yet creative Halloween costumes. Backed by a DJ-guitar player and a bassist-keyboardist, Mensa took the stage on the final night of Freaky Deaky to a very eager crowd overflowing with loyal fans. Mensa fed off the overwhelming energy of the vast crowd and vice versa. Mensa kept the crowd dancing, jumping, and rapping along with him, through his entire set. Mensa glided through tracks from his 2013 INNANETAPE mixtape such as, “Feel That,” and “Holy Holy” before performing some of his more recent music, including the Skrillex-produced “No Chill.” Mensa momentarily slowed things down with a cover of Chance The Rapper’s mid-tempo “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” before performing the audibly powerful “Vertical” (a new song from his upcoming album Traffic).

Closing out his set, Mensa performed a cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to a crowd that was already overflowing with energy and excitement. His cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” took the enthusiasm to a new level, which gave way to a mesmerizing performance of the ever-popular, Kanye-produced “U Mad,” which came complete with Patron-pouring, water-throwing, and crowd surfing. Coupled with his talent, the energy that Mensa brought to his show was more than satisfying for the sizable crowd that had the opportunity to experience this musical journey.

Honorable mentions: Freaky Deaky’s honorable mentions go to Virginia-based MC, GoldLink, and Maryland native, Logic. Both MCs gave very surprisingly poignant performances to their loyal following of fans at this year’s Freaky Deaky music festival.

Having just gotten married a week earlier, and fighting a fever, Logic (née Sir Robert Bryson Hall II) gave all he had and more and his fans reciprocated. Reiterating the fact that he is about “peace, love, and positivity,” the 25-year-old performed most of his earlier music while promoting his upcoming studio album, The Incredible True Story.

GoldLink (née D’Anthony Carlos) not only impressed with his lyrical skills, but his turntable skills as well. The first half of his set consisted of music from his The God Complex mixtape, while the second half of his set saw him perform several hip-hop covers and spin for the final ten minutes.

Both are emerging from the underground hip-hop scene with lyrical styles and content reminiscent of some of the greatest talents in the industry. Hopefully, both will stay true to their styles as they continue to build their success.

photos by Adam Pascolini

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