With Euphoria Music Festival around the corner, the F4L team is here for your preview of what is anticipated as one of the best festivals in the Austin area. For the 6th year, Euphoria is bringing the heat with acts including Young Thug, Alesso, Chromeo, Moby, Pretty Lights, Wiz Khalifa, and many more. Our only hope is that they can keep the heat and avoid the rain from prior years.
With SXSW clean-up just about done, everyone is looking forward to this one of a kind festival which offers a remarkable mix of Hip-Hop and EDM at the Carson Creek Ranch in Austin, Texas. There is a good amount to look forward to, but we highlighted a few of the dope acts below:
Young Thug’s “Jeffery” was at the top of the album charts for most of 2016, so this is easily the most anticipated act of the fest for Hip-Hop heads. Performing on Saturday, you can expect tons of bangers and a large crowd. This one cannot be missed.
Two SoundCloud studs, Russ & Post Malone, are performing on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both had concerts at Emo’s in 2016 and gave the crowd exactly what they wanted. Post Malone recently released his album “Stoney” with bangers like “Congratulations” featuring Quavo and “Déjà vu” featuring Justin Bieber. Absolutely check him out if its fits in your festival schedule. In regards to Russ, he’s been producing and writing all his music since he got started, and it’s impressive. He put on one of my favorite shows at Emo’s in 2016 and you can catch us front row jamming out to hits like “Pull the Trigger” and “Losin Control”.
Two artists immediately jump out at me for personal reasons: Alesso and Moby. My first electronic music festival was Electric Zoo in 2011, both were on the lineup, and I witnessed both shows. They were spectacular and I expect them to be a great time.
Alesso: The protégé of Sebastian Ingrosso AKA one of the trio from Swedish House Mafia who completely dominated the global EDM scene and were one of the biggest influencers to bringing EDM to America’s shores. Now, Alesso owns the reigns as one of the largest stars in the game. Expect euphoric and progressive sounds with lots of energy. He most likely will be headlining the largest stage Saturday night.
Moby: He’s a veteran of the electronic scene long before it was mainstream in America. Most people know him by his remixes of his own track ‘Extreme Ways’ for all the Jason Bourne movies. His live shows as impressive as his studio productions. If he’s on the main stage, expect hard hitting electro house bass lines. However, I’m curious whether he gets placed on the smaller stage by the riverside. That could be a beautifully intimate set. Either way, I’m not missing it for anything Sunday night.
Aside from the bigger names, here a few up and comers in the scene who got a ton of attention in 2016 and delivered. They are on track for a great 2017, and if you find you’re wondering where to go to next mid-day here are my recommendations:
MIJA: If you’re wondering what the future of Skrillex’s dubstep label OWLSA will sounds like, it’s this girl. If you need to get amped up, Mija will do you good. Hip hop influences in there too. She plays Friday.
Yotto: Want to hear what Above and Beyond’s latest young star from their deep house label Anjunadeep sounds like? This guy is opening for A&B and Eric Prydz in Miami for good reason during the Winter Music Conference. Great progressive vibes with an uplifting yet deep sound. He plays Sunday.
Grum: Also coming from Above and Beyond’s label Anjunabeats, Grum is the label’s latest young star. Uplifting and progressive, he will not disappoint. He plays Sunday.
Alan Walker: Looking for a party and good jams? Alan is your guy. He tore up SXSW and returns just 2 weeks later for Euphoria. He plays Saturday.
Can’t forget to give a shout out to some of our favorite local Austin artists. Make sure you guys check out Magna Carda and Blunt Force.
Magna Carda is coming off a crazy 2 weeks of SXSW with non-stop performances. They are the best way to start your festival. Called “Austin’s answer to The Roots” it’s pretty apparent that they have mad talent with a fun group that kills it with their live performances. Give them a listen, you won’t regret.
Blunt Force, made up of the live electronic music duo of Brian Gustafason and Deniz Baykal, always put on a great show. They’re going on a long April tour out of Texas, so this might be your last shot to catch them before the summer.
General Admission passes are available now for $169, plus fees for a 3-Day festival pass and $269 for a 3-day festival pass with camping. 3-Day “Fly Life” VIP packages with preferred viewing areas, private bars, VIP restrooms and showers, concierge service, luggage drop off, and express entrance are available starting at $289 (without camping) and $439 with camping. Single day passes are now available for $59, plus fees per day for general admission and $99, plus fees per day for “Fly Life” VIP. The Early Entry pass, which allows Wednesday access for up to 2,500 fans is available for $30. Euphoria will be continuing its partnership with Affirm, offering clear, simple financing to split Eventbrite orders into 3 or 6 monthly payments. This offers patrons the most flexible option yet for affording festival passes. Tickets are available online at www.euphoriafest.com. Euphoria is an ages 18 and over event. See you there!
