Summer's starting and I'm super excited for festival season this year! You might have already seen a few of our posts detailing the upcoming TomorrowLand (see below), but here are a couple other picks worth checking out for those looking to beat the heat with some beats.
TomorrowLand
Those of you following along may have heard a thing or two about my excitement for the upcoming TomorrowLand festival in Belgium. I've been insanely fortunate to be able to attend the last three festivals from 2012 to 2014—and 2015 is shaping up to be even better! TomorrowLand is more than just a festival; it is a very special annual event with the absolute best DJs from the world of electronic dance music coming together to play something for everyone. This year, the party goes down from July 24-26 and boasts an incredible line-up that boasts big room dance heroes like John Digweed and Carl Cox, top techno from Monica Kruse and Richie Hawtin and relative newcomers on the scene like Dillon Francis. TomorrowLand never fails to impress and those who have followed my advice and are lucky enough to be going are in for
a treat. Make sure you start saving now though if you haven't already as The Guardian lists the festival was one of the most expensive out there.
TomorrowWorld
Atlanta is getting hot this September as TomorrowLand's American sister festival, TomorrowWorld, will be heating up the Peach state with some of best acts in dance music you'll ever get the chance to see stateside. This year is basically bringing it back to the turn of the millennium with some of the biggest names in big-room trance. According to the AP, Epic EDM auteurs like Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Paul van Dyk and Ferry Corsten will share the stage in something that feels more like Ultra in 1998 as opposed to the latest Coachella. Frankly, I couldn't be more excited and they've barely even started announcing all the acts! Those names are just a few of the headliners so who knows who else is going to get behind the decks. If B.T. or Oakenfold get on stage I'm going to lose my mind. It all goes down Sept. 25-27.
Wireless Festival
This summer those making a trip across the pond and looking to party should hit up Wireless Festival in London this July. British Airways reports that top DJs like David Guetta and Aviicii will be joined by hip-hop superstars Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Nicki Minaj in a magical marriage of rap and rave for the ultimate beat extravaganza happening on the British Isles. This year is kind of a big deal as Drake returns to the main stage after having to cancel his performance last year due to what The Independent reported as just an “illness” and Bruno Mars subbed in. This year's festival takes place July 3-5 at London's lovely Finsbury Park.
Dekmantel Festival
Here's one for the true electronic connoisseurs out there. Dekmantel in Amsterdam brings some of the coolest underground electronic artists together one what has become one of the best kept secrets of the festival scene. Those lucky enough to make their way to the Dutch capital will be treated to techno legends like Carl Craig, Model 500 (aka Juan Atkins, one of the godfathers of Detroit techno), minimal techno icon Ricardo Villalobos and many more. The festival is held July 30 to Aug. 2 and is a music maven's dream come true. Rightfully so, Beatport has called the this year's line-up “astounding.” One of the highlights has to be a special performance by Manuel Gottsching (former guitarist of Krautrockers Ash Ra Tempel) playing his classic album “E2-E4” in its entirety.
