Who Not To Miss When You're Looking To Get Down At Wavefront Music Festival
By Jake Guidry in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 29, 2012 3:00PM
As summer begins to take full, sweaty, heatstroke effect, we’ve now entered the thick of the festival season. The city has enjoyed a number of neighborhood-centric street festivals in recent weeks, but as we enter July and beyond, the bigger events start to take hold. This weekend the very first Wavefront Music Festival will take place, a two-day dance music affair right on the sandy shores of Montrose Beach. Headed up by the folks at Spy Bar—most notably owner/promoter Dino Gardiakos—the festival boasts a healthy bill of up-and-comers and mainstays representing the many different forms of dance music. Headliners Boys Noize, Duck Sauce, Sasha, and Eric Morillo are joined by a cast of DJs and producers representing everything from house to disco to techno to electro.
Over 70 names fill Wavefront’s bill, so if you’re looking for a little direction on where to spend your time over those two days, take a look at our picks.
Visionquest - North Stage on Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Visionquest is Seth Troxler, Lee Curtiss, Ryan Crosson and Shaun Reeves, and together they form an exciting faction of house and techno. The four men hail from Detroit, a city steeped in rich dance tradition, and yet they’ve managed to set themselves apart and emerge as some of the best talents today. Both separate and together, Visionquest craft incredible productions and DJ sets that explore the deep, soulful trenches that often the best dance music lends itself to. - Jake Guidry
MSTRKRFT - South Stage on Saturday, 6:45 p.m.
Everyone is talking about the “EDM” (that’s Electronic Dance Music to those of you who don’t care for trendy acronyms) craze these days, but there are people who easily forget that “EDM” was a thing even before it became a thing. MSTRKRFT’ s first LP, The Looks was released in 2006. The Looks is a collection of highly danceable tunes, and the album was a complete departure from all of the pop punk most kids were listening to back then. “The Looks” features straightforward and simple electro-house beats and it never really tries to pretend to be something else, and this is one quality MSTRKRFT has retained over the years. Although their second LP was a bit of a disappointment to fans and music critics, MSTRKRFT shrugged off the tepid reaction and released two singles last year, in anticipation of their upcoming third album. Whether you’re a huge fan or just beginning to get into electronic music, MSTRKRFT’s set will definitely promise a good time. - Tiffany Kwak
Boys Noize - North Stage on Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Many know Boys Noize from the same heyday that MSTRKRFT enjoyed in the mid-2000s. The German-born DJ/producer became one of the electro scene’s premier talents by crafting powerful original productions and remixes that much of the scene today still tries to draw from (often failing in the process). But instead of fading, Boys Noize continues to grind, managing his own label on top of producing his upcoming third LP, set to release in October of this year. If his trajectory is still on course, Boys Noize will surely enter new territory on his new album, and we can’t wait to hear bits of it this weekend. - Jake Guidry
Pat Mahoney/James Murphy - North Stage on Sunday, 12:00p.m. and 2:00p.m.
Sure, a lot of people were heartbroken when LCD Soundsystem broke up last year, but while the group is no longer together, the beat goes on (pun intended) for Pat Mahoney and James Murphy. What some of you may or may not know is that both Mahoney and Murphy are huge fans of disco, and they are not afraid to show their love for the genre and make you appreciate it as much as they do. James Murphy most recently DJed at The Mid back in March 2012, but this is Pat Mahoney’s first time DJing in Chicago since 2009. Although they are not listed as DJing together like they usually do, they are playing sets one hour apart from each other. Be sure to catch both of their sets for the full effect. - Tiffany Kwak
Sasha - North Stage on Sunday, 8:30p.m.
The 42-year-old Englishman has been around since the early ‘90s, but it doesn’t make him irrelevant. Sasha is known for incredible, euphoric sets that grab hold of the audience like a magnet, the goal of every DJ in the world. To this day Sasha possesses this talent, and it should be quite the experience on Sunday. - Jake Guidry
Duck Sauce - South Stage on Sunday, 9:00p.m.
The half-Canadian, half-American duo comprising of DJs Armand Van Helden and A-Trak is based in New York City and they have an impressive following that spans the globe. Recently returning to and performing in New York from playing shows in Australia and Belgium, Duck Sauce will be making their Chicago debut on Sunday of the festival. Their track, “Barbra Streisand” became a standout track of 2010, and was even featured in an episode of “Glee” last year. Following the success of “Barbra Streisand,” the duo released two additional singles and is getting massive attention from fans in Europe and North America. We expect Duck Sauce to churn out a very danceable and memorable set on Sunday featuring disco house beats. We honestly can’t think of a better duo to close out Wavefront Music Festival. - Tiffany Kwak
Wavefront Music Festival is June 30 - July 1 at Montrose Beach, tickets are $40-$239.99, all ages