Spring Awakening Music Festival: 5 Equinox Favorites

Originally published in The UWM Post by Madison Goldbeck

Nearly 100,000 EDM and House music fans gathered for three days in Chicago’s Little Italy on the weekend of June 8. From deep, raunchy beats to drum and bass, Spring Awakening, the windy city’s premiere electronic music festival, took over Addams/Medill Park. The festival had fans from the city to concert goers across the country flocking to Spring Awakening for its bass-heavy wubs. The three days included nothing less of dancing, DJ sets, rock, hip hop, and other genres.

The annual EDM-focused festival was said to have major upgrades from previous years. After major criticism for the lack of water last year, this year included 10 water stations with little to no line. In addition, the security lines consistently moved and was very organized. There were multiple food trucks and vedors so there was an option for everyone. Typical for a music festival, there was also a beautifully lit Ferris wheel and other carnival rides filled with screams and smiles.

Spring Awakening consisted of six scattered stages across the park. The Solstice and Equinox stages were the star of the festival with extremely enhanced production and visuals. In addition, there was a “Corona Electric Beach Dome” for those who needed a break from the sun and/or rain. The dome was decorated like a beach full of plants, sand, and of course, Corona. There was also a large space set aside for a silent disco.

The music festival was put on by React Presents, which happened to score one of the best locations in the city. The skyline acted as a beautiful backdrop, which looked even more impressive at night as fans wobbled to tunes. The music is what drew the community together. As is any festival, it is all about the community embracing love and happiness. Immediately, I was adopted into a “rave family” and spent my entire time with my new friends. It isn’t hard to make friends at a place like Spring Awakening. Everyone is full of light.

This years lineup brought big names to the city including Getter, Steve Aoki, Hardwell, Afrojack, and Zeds Dead. The Equinox seemed to house mostly dubstep, which is what I favor, therefor I present five Equinox favorites from Spring Awakening 2018. Important to note, there was no wait time between sets, except for Saturday’s final performer Big Gigantic, which was only fifteen minutes. All sets included impressive visuals across the giant LED screens on each side of the stage. There were breath-taking fireworks, fog effects, and fire-spitting machines.

Black Tiger Sex Machine (BTSM)

I was truly behind in the EDM department, because I never heard of Black Tiger Sex Machine (BTSM) until Spring Awakening. They easily stole my attention. It wasn’t just their impressive black tiger LED masks, but the fact that the three of them got the entire crowd MOVING. The crowd got immensely larger the moment they hit the stage. The Canadian electronic trio played hits from their albums “Destroy It”, “Numbers”, and “Madness”. They perform their dubstep live with a special light setup that, along with their masks, are in sync to their beats. Their show was unique in visuals, mostly because it reminded me of a hard rock band. They seemed to focus on a post-apocalyptic world. Needless to say, I will be looking out for their upcoming tour dates.

Ganja White Night

This was my second time seeing Ganja White Night in the windy city and they didn’t disappoint. The dance/electronic duo played classics like Samurai, Wobble Master, No Escape, and Wobble Buds. Ganja White Night has become one of my favorites from EDM, mainly because I can’t stop playing their latest album The Origins. Their sound is hypnotic and like a playful experiment. Their low end bass evolved through their set, easing the transitions from their signature wobbles to their new refined sound. They offer distant and surface sounds. In the distance, you hear ancient ethnocentric jingles, but on the surface you get fun bass, that mixes into an anthem you can’t help but wiggle to.

NGHTMRE

This was my first time seeing NGHTMRE live and being a fan, I was excited. Tyler Marenyi didn’t let me down. His music mixes trap, house, and bass into a trippy head banging dream. With only an hour show, he played hits like “GUD VIBRATIONS,” “Need You,” and “WARNING.” By the time NGHTMRE hit the stage, the growing crowd was packed. Too many times I turned to my new “rave family” and went “ohhhh” as he dropped the bass. You felt that sh!t. The trap heaven was close to madness. The crowd was jacked. Flux Pavilion had to of been backstage thanking Marenyi for getting us that fired up before he came on.

Flux Pavilion

Flux Pavilion knows how to put on a visual show while throwing down the hardest set the Equinox has had. He played fan favorites like “I Can’t Stop,” “Bass Cannon,” and “Gold Dust” – as well as newly released songs. The man behind the heavy bass drops is Joshua Steele and he’s been making waves as an EDM artist since 2008. Flux didn’t let up on us as his visuals darted constantly across the crowd. Dull moments were absent during his set. Every person in the crowd was either jumping, swaying, shouting, or head banging. His beats did not allow you to stand still. And oh yeah…it was loud.

Big Gigantic

Big Gigantic had the big finale, impressing the crowd with his bass and groovy tunes, leaving you fall helpless to swaying. Big G was able to deliver heavy beats while still showing emotion. The trippy visuals made it impossible to look away, constantly wanting to keep forward or not close your eyes. But, the minute you closed your eyes, Big G’s tunes were like a heated blanket on a cold night. I knew the duo was going to shake us to our core, but they exceeded my expectations. Big G has been called the black horse in the EDM scene. A lot of people shifted from the Equinox to see Hardwell during Big Gigantic’s performance. However, Big Gigantic knows how to incorporate live actual instruments and vocals into their electronic tunes. You’re truly watching a piece of art mesh together so perfectly. They also performed popular collaborated songs from Logic and Waka Flocka Flame. The energy from the saxophone and trumpets is a performance one cannot leave feeling unsatisfied.