To the festival who's name we can't say in front of our grandma, we salute your ever so diverse lineup. Year after year you bring on familiar and soon to be familiar artists that are united by their sole case of individualism and artistry. Unbound by genres and dependent of overpriced poppy poop headliners, you are the true grit behind what we love about music festivals.
This will be my 5th year in attendance and after exploring different festivals across California I can still say my excitement for this weekend is beyond belief. For now I'd like to share my top picks from FYF's lineup that you might not be familiar with. Check them out and let us know who you are most excited to see!
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5. Melody’s Echo Chamber
Melody Prochet is fairly new to the festival circuit. Her debut self-titled record was released in 2012 with production credits to Tame Impala's Kevin Parker. The project has been somewhat of a mystery with anticipation growing towards Melody's next move as an artist. The neo-psychedelic flavor of her music is layered with sweet feminine vocals adding to a Phil Spector-esque vibe that is unique to her and Kevin's combination.
4. Joy Orbison
This London based producer is well known by all of your favorite DJs. His jungle rhythms and garage-house bass lines have made him an essential artist for underground parties world-wide. He holds true to techno's hypnotic structure but always showcases a tasteful collection of vinyl flips and samples throughout his sets. I've personally been a fan of his work since his Coachella set in 2011 and I'm stoked to see how far he's come since then.
3. Battles
This one came as a big surprise to anyone who witnessed the fanatic response to their last album Gloss Drop. The trio easily claimed their spot as the strangest most aggressive instrumental act of 2011 yet they remained absent from many festivals following the record's success. Whether or not we might see them on more lineups remains a mystery but sure enough we're thankful to have them here at FYF.
2. BADBADNOTGOOD
Personally I have a bone to pick with BBNG. They easily killed 2012 with their phenomenal sophomore record and took the hype further with small tours across the U.S. I was ready to throw money at them for a Los Angeles show and they never really came around. Since then my frustration dissipated as they eventually came to perform at various L.A. venues by 2014, following their last BBNG3 record. The combination of eclectic jazz, hip hop, and bass music has kept fans and critiques amazed by their work both in the studio and on stage. From what I've heard, jazz music + mosh pits are best way to describe what's going down at their set.
1. Nicolas Jaar
My best memory from last year's FYF was the uplifting performance by Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington's Darkside project. Their combination of ambient guitar licks and minimal house music easily destroyed my perception of sound, creating a beautiful projection of noise, bass frequencies, and scattered light . Now Mr. Jaar is back with what we're expecting to be a set equally as entertaining as Darkside.
Videos of his live performances point towards an interesting vibe that showcases his taste in underground house music as well as his knack for synth experimentalism. Being that his latest EPs Nymphs II and III both take a stranger cut of ambience, I'm most curious to see how he fits this into his performance. Knowing the guy he will easily put to rest all DJs and producers when he takes the stage at this year's fest.
Check back in with us after FYF Fest to take a look at our festival review which will definitely include these performers as well as Flume, Frank Ocean, and Morrissey.
