What We Learned From SAMF 2013, And How It Affects You!

For each and every Chicago youth (residing in the Chicagoland area for the past three years), there exists a unique and memorable summer experience like no other. To all of our parental dismay, we are overjoyed in presenting to you, our fans, Spring Awakening Music Festival 2014.

Returning once again to the gusty shores of Lake Michigan, SAMF represents the most anticipated annual EDM festival Chicago has to offer. With artists from all over the globe descending upon one of Illinois’ most famous architectural endeavors (Soldier Field) for three days of nonstop euphoria, how could one pass up on such an opportunity?

If you need help paying up for that oh-so-expensive three day pass or are under the age of 21, no need to fret. The only three day passes left up for grabs are for VIP only, meaning if you can’t drink you can’t buy a ticket. But, alas! All hail the single day passes, our bread and butter over here at Rager HQ. We would provide a link, but we think you can handle it.

Much like everything else in this world, a great thing cannot last forever; and sometimes, us festival-goers are forced to make a life-changing decision.

What kind of decision you ask?

I progress:

Due to some minor scheduling issues, there was a discrepancy between the time slots given for Zomboy‘s set (when comparing the handed-out, paper copy with the cell phone application). As the day progressed, we eventually teased out the true set time from a couple of the SAMF staff members. What a great crew!

However, it could not have come at a worse time.

Unfortunately, Joshua Jenkin (aka Zomboy) happened to be playing at the same time as another one of my favorite artists, the Bingo Players.

If you’ve ever been to a electronic music festival with a group of friends, you have probably experienced similar issues when attempting to coerce others to stray from the original “plan.” In the case of SAMF 2013, all of my friends wanted to see the Bingo Players and not my main man, Zomboy.

You can already guess where this is going…

The Bingo Players sucked live. End of story. It was an awful set.

I have regretted that decision with the strongest of convictions even to this day. It was a travesty, nothing less. However, I write of these shortcomings because I want you, the reader, to learn from my mistakes. That is why for the next two weeks leading up to the big day, we will be featuring one particular artist that YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO SEE.

And remember, never ever presume so you don’t make the same mistake I did. You heard it here first, this is J Grizzle signing off.

Until next time, fellow Ragers.

 

 

5 Things To Know About Spring Awakening Music Festival 2014

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1. Spring Awakening Music Festival announced its breathtaking lineup earlier today, featuring some of the biggest names in EDM performing on four separate stages.

2. The three day fest will take place on the weekend of June 13th-15th at the ever-famous Soldier Field.

3. Whose headlining? Friday night starts off with a bang, thanks to Tiesto and Knife Party. Saturday places two of the biggest names in electronic music on the main stage in the form of Pretty Lights and Diplo. And finally, Sunday night wraps up with live performances from Big Gigantic and Chicago’s own Kaskade.

4. But that’s not all! Ever heard of Flux Pavilion, Dillon Francis, Eric Prydz, Feed Me, Bingo Players or Pete Tong? Yea, they’ll all be there too. Along with about 30 other of the finest producers/DJs EDM has to offer.

5. Tickets are on sale now, so pick yours up here.

Spring-Awakening-Music-Festival-2014-Full-Lineup

Chicago’s Very Own EDM Festival: Porter Robinson [SAMF Artist Spotlight]

Born: July 15, 1992 (Wow, we feel old)
From: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Genres: Electro and Progressive House, Dubstep, Complextro
Labels: Anjunabeats/Ministry of Sound, Big Beat Records, Big Fish Recordings
Upcoming Shows:  BonnarooCreamfieldsMysterylandElectric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas, NYC, and London), Wireless FestivalGlobal GatheringTomorrowWorld, and Fuji Rock Festival.
Spring Awakening Music Festival Info: Sunday (June 16), 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM on Da Main Stage 1.

Porter RobinsonPorter Robinson landed at #40 on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs List for 2012. Robinson is currently working on his new album, with the release date yet to be determined.

He began producing at the age of 13, using Sony ACID Pro and creating songs based on different video game sounds inspired by games like Dance Dance Revolution. Nowadays, his DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) of choice is FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops) as well as plugins like Sylenth1, Massive, 3xOsc, and Sytrus. For those readers out there that have no idea what any of the previous sentence means, a DAW is an electronic system designed to record, edit, and play back digital audio through a software program running on a computer using an audio interface hardware.

Producers choose their systems for many different reasons based on past experience, artistic creativity, touring feasibility, and general preference based on what kind of music each artist is trying to produce.

It takes years for an artist to craft an identifiable sound of their own. It’s the breaking point for anyone trying to produce music, and it’s virtually the only way to make it in such a demanding and expanding career. So take it from Porter: if your music is good, people will listen, and only want more.

And if they don’t, maybe it’s time to head back to the drawing board. If you need proof, check out this 20 minute documentary profiling Porter, Mat Zo, and The M Machine on their latest North American tour. If this doesn’t inspire you, then maybe you’re not in the right field after all.

Or maybe you should’ve just stuck to becoming an astronaut.