Ten artists not to be missed at Summerfestival 2014
10 Artists Not To Be Missed at Summerfestival 2014
While Belgium has often been hailed for hosting one particularly high profile dance festival, Summerfestival comes with a six year track record of delivering the cream of the global dance crop on a yearly basis. Back for a sixth installment at its regular home of Southern Antwerp, key industry players and budding European prospects alike join the trail of a rapidly expanding festival continuously delivering one of the nation’s most solid and music-facing experiences of the early summer run. With talents ranging from Martin Garrix, Afrojack, DVVBS and Nicky Romero to the likes of Yellow Claw, Hard Rock Sofa and Amine Edge & D.A.N.C.E, its 2014 edition boasts some 16 stages of talent scoped from various sounds, brands and movements in electronic dance music. Ahead of what looks to be a landmark run for the triumphant Benelux festival, Dancing Astronaut counts down ten artists not to be missed at Summerfestival this weekend.
Double Pleasure
Belgian duo Double Pleasure have fast ascended the industry ladder from their spot as the nation’s best kept big room secret. As one of the region’s fastest rising contenders, their ability to balance conventional festival energy with immediately credible house undertones makes them a rare and wonderful bridge between two supposedly opposing sides of the industry coin. Support duties for Avicii and Miley Cyrus alike have shown their sound to more than fit the stadium crowds, making opening duties for the two-day event a more than befitting advance for Marijn Heylen and Sam Bombeeck. Baring an array of new material and the promise of a far more familiar crowd than that of Cyrus’s teenage fan base, Summerfestival is the perfect opportunity to see a budding national treasure on top form this weekend.
Oliver Heldens
For Dutch newcomer turned crossover king Oliver Heldens, 2014 has offered up a vast and exciting industrious playing field. In the journey from Musical Freedom debut “Gecko” to A-list vocal cut “Overdrive,” his overnight maneuvers have come with an unprecedented global spread for the young producer and his proven crossover capacity. Don’t be fooled by his young age and radio friendly ambitions, for Helden’s has already proven a proficient commander of groovy and gracefully unpredictable house sets, all whilst matching a relevant guise over the industry’s current hits. With new material alongside Sander Van Doorn supposedly enroute and the promise of a digression into the world of techno, the heavyweight continues to prove a rare and wonderful specimen of young DJ talent, making him a ‘must see’ escape for house lovers and new spangled fans alike.
Yellow Claw
When they aren’t making controversial music videos, Yellow Claw represents one of the most exciting trap hybrids to have emerged from the Dutch market. Testing the boundaries of the genre with unapologetic force, a plethora of early hits and unofficial remixes sealed their names as rare European titans of a sound gaining more and more traction by the month. The inauguration of their Barong Family imprint upped the ante here in 2014, with Mightyfools collaboration “Lick That” paving the way for a new wave of party-primed anthems under the trio’s new Spinnin-offshoot. Yellow Claw’s sets are fun, fast paced and often unpredictable, making their stage hosting duties an unmissable event among the diverse lineup at Summerfestival this year.
Franky Rizardo
It takes a lot of muscle to ascend the Dutch circuit to the same avail as Franky Rizardo, but the young house heavyweight has more than held his corner to date. An early Defected favorite with label credits across the board, his most recent EP for OFF saw the fast ascending talent turn persuasively into the underground sound scope, all in a manner accustomed to that groovy live demeanor that has made him an essential club commander right the way from Amsterdam to Ibiza and this year, headline duties on the festival’s FLOW stage. Franky’s sets are big, percussive and melodically refined from start to finish, giving Antwerp the honor of witnessing a true Dutch housemaster amid a genuine peak in stamina here in 2014.
Pierce Fulton
The quirky big room tendencies of Pierce Fulton have made for one of North America’s more imaginatively creative upstarts of the past couple of years. Garnering a solid run of EP releases and more recently landing remix duties for Above & Beyond, 2014 has seen the New York-based phenom gain more solid traction on the live circuit. Summerfestival marks Fulton’s European festival debut, making Belgium the first nation to witness the fruition of his experimental sound scope in the festival environment. Promising a wave of new material and remix duties alike, the next steps of this US talent industry are to be watched very closely.
Leftwing & Kody
In just two years, London-based Leftwing & Kody have made more positive accession than any comparable asset to breach the British club circuit. Label hopping ventures and credible house maneuvers aligned, a run of accomplished cuts for Glasgow Underground, Anjunadeep and OFF Recordings have seen the duo take the high end of underground house with flying colors. As they prepare to drop their latest EP for Suara and bask in the reign of a highly popular remix of Oliver Helden’s “Overdrive,” their calling has become that of one of the industry’s coolest and most credible underground outfits in rotation right now. If you haven’t witnessed the duo’s deep and diligent turntable aptitude first hand, this Summerfestival debut is a no-brainer for anyone craving low-end favoring house music of the highest caliber.
NEW_ID
Entering 2014 with a brand new alias and an arsenal of new material, NEW_ID have seldom rested on the laurels of being a favorite to Axwell and his beloved imprint. If the jury was out as to whether the Dutch duo would survive such a long departure from the spotlight, early remix releases for “Feel The Pressure,” “How We Gonna Stop The Time” and Junior Jack’s “Thrill Me” have assured that their groovy big room etiquette has never been more welcome on the industry spectrum. With original material still to surface and a collaboration alongside Prok & Fitch set for release on Toolroom Records, the biggest of their studio moments are still to come, making Summerfestival an ideal opportunity to get in on the act where the shape of things to come are concerned for the versatile Axtone favorites.
ETC!ETC!
When Jose Guerrero made his now beloved ETC!ETC! moniker, he set in motion one of the most testing takes on the bass-favoring sub sects that the industry could have prayed for. The avid support of Diplo and his Mad Decent stronghold has said it all, offering up the perfect playground for the LA-upstart to fuse the sounds of trap and moombahton into his own unique calling card on dace floors across the continents. Fresh off the trail of EDC Vegas and a run of meticulous studio offerings, expect off-the-cuff remixes, merciless low-end tendencies and unparalleled energy from the king of bass music’s creative upward spiral.
Kill The Buzz
Adithya Nanuru has fast become one of the hottest young prospects to join Revealed Recording’s young Dutch flotilla. Balancing compilation duties and the highly successful “Life Is Calling” alongside JoeySuki with original material for Armada Music, his tough yet melodically charged sound remains as highly evolved for the festival crowds as it is telling of the his potential for outright domination. Celebrated for bouncy yet big room-orientated sets of the highest form, Summerfestival is yet further evidence of the accelerated global presence that has made Kill The Buzz an essential newcomer worth looking out for in 2014.
Audien
Melodic maestro Nate Rathbun has long been the talk of the global dance circuit courtesy of that consistent and concentrated stand on the progressive sound. Whilst latest single “Serotonin” alongside Matthew Koma saw the North American talent test the radio friendly waters with considerable force, his track record for meticulously detailed and upliftingly tailored productions has made high-profile festival exposure and major label remix duties for the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Bruno Mars and Bastile an aural testament to how much weight Audien carries on the modern market. Bringing the beat to Europe this weekend, fans and newcomers alike can sample the sound and energy behind the unstoppable talent first hand amid Summerfestival’s burgeoning line-up, adding yet another high profile young blood to its ranks for its 2014 edition.