Dancing Astronaut Does Tampa SMF: 5 Acts Not to Miss
Dancing Astronaut Does SMF Tampa: 5 Acts Not to Miss at Sunset Music Festival
Within the wide spread of Memorial Day Weekend festivals, those who find themselves in the west coast of Florida this three-day weekend are guaranteed to be heading to Sunset Music Festival. Disco Donnie invites dance music fans to the Raymond James Stadium lot to escape – or rather – fully enjoy the Florida heat with an entire experience including food, installations, and most notably, a diverse roster of artists. Beyond the festival’s obvious standout headliners – Hardwell, Zedd, Krewella, and Benny Benassi – Tampa is set out to prove its standing as a city with a dynamic taste for electronic music. The two day event offers three stages to host 60 acts, of which we have chosen 5 that you can’t afford to miss.
Cover photo courtesy of Alex Perez
Yellow Claw
Dutch artists are no stranger to the dance music realm, but trap is often left untouched by friends of The Netherlands. Amsterdam collective Yellow Claw proves that the Dutch still have more to offer electronic music, standing their ground as a trio of rising trap stars to watch and more recently, even introducing their own imprint alongside Spinnin’ Records, the Barong Family. Formed only in 2010, the Yellow Claw triplet will bring a hurricane of diversity without foregoing an explosion of energy: expect to hear anything from their glitch hip, moobah and trap inspired inaugural Barong Family record, “Lick Dat,” to their grinding trap rendition of Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.”
The Chainsmokers
The word of the century is selfie, and The Chainsmokers have ensured that you’ll quote the New York pair’s explosive hit whenever you turn your iPhone camera towards your own face. Don’t be thrown off by the sarcastic drip of “#Selfie” and controversial feedback following their American Idol appearance – The Chainsmokers’ recent fame has overshadowed the duo’s serious ability to bring a flair of self-deemed ‘indie progressive’ house touches to a varying range of originals. From Chromeo to The Killers and Mikky Ekko to Bastille, Alex and Drew have established a subtle, but intricately balanced touch of house to a multitude of pop hits. Put down your iPhone, hit pause on Instagram, and take a moment in your weekend to soak in the two’s unique progressive house style.
Zomboy
Those who thirst for a dose of something heavier should keep Zomboy in mind as one of the closing sets for Sunday evening of the festival. The UK talent arrives at SMF in the midst of his own headlining Outbreak Tour, a North American round leading up to his Outbreak album to land later this summer. Consider it a special treat to catch Joshua Mellody at the peak of his album teaser tour, armed with a set guaranteed to include forthcoming tracks from his unreleased bass artillery. His lead single from the album “WTF!?” defies all boundaries for bass music, erupting into a teaser for the British producer’s bigger experimental sound.
Solidisco
There’s hardly a doubt that a new chapter of nu wave, disco-inspired dance music quickly found its calling in 2014. At the forefront of the movement is New York duo, Solidisco. The pair have proved their knack for grabbing on to out-of-the-box artists – anywhere from Mystery Skulls to Kanye West – and delivering their own impossibly catchy disco touches. However, it’s their take on originals that truly mark them as a group on the rise. In just a matter of a few months, Solidisco have evolved from the electronica undertones of the infectious “Top of the World” in combination with disco funk band Skyy, and then moved on to utilize jazzy selects for their rendition of “Feeling Good,” and you better believe there’s plenty in between. If anything, the two are guaranteed to provide a perfect set to soak up the sunshine to; don’t miss them this weekend at SMF.
Tchami
French import Tchami has managed to sweep fans off their feet in the matter of a year because of his distinctly different, yet vivaciously hard-hitting style. Despite the Parisian producer’s relatively newcomer status, Tchami demonstrates his potential by incorporating strokes of fidget house, a subgenre of electro that plays with heavy basslines with highlights of glitch and vocal cuts, while simultaneously reforming his tracks with influences of newer bass styles. His ability to transform Martin Garrix and Jay Hardaway’s “Wizard” into a brand new, nearly unrecognizable ‘future house’ rendition was just one of many reasons we invited him to host an episode of Dancing Astronaut’s Axis mixes. His appearance at Sunset will provide the cherry topper of a range of diverse talents over the two day weekend.