SWEET HOME CHICAGO: Spring Awakening Homegrown Artist Preview

Are you heading to Spring Awakening Festival at Soldier Field this June? The lineup is pretty stacked with many of the national EDM acts you’d expect from the top notch crew at promoter React Presents… with an added element of an incredible lineup of some of the best artists that hail from Chicago. Be sure to check out the following, Chi-city… they will be sure to put on a great show for their hometown!

On Friday there are just a few Chicago artists – here are the ones you should not miss:

Louis The Child is a prodigy EDM duo at only 15 and 16 years old hailing from Winnetka, IL. These two teenagers are gaining momentum and being compared to another young EDM prodigy, Madeon. With a new EP to drop in the near future featuring some stunning female vocals, you can check out their music, including a great remix of Zedd’s Clarity, on their soundcloud page.

Milk N Cookies are identical twin brothers from Palatine, IL who have been musicians their entire lives but now focus on leading the Post-Bro House Movement in the electronic music scene. Their heavy whompy drops will get you jumping up and down. Check out their music on soundcloud here.

Digital Departure creates their own unique sound that they have dubbed Electotrance which combines influences from trance, progressive house and electo house. Their mission is to go above and beyond the typical EDM performance of just pressing buttons, but actually creating a musical experience that the audience can groove to and really feel the vibes that they are laying down. Check out their soundcloud.

Saturday has a few more Chicago-native artists, including some bigger names:

DotEXE is a 22 year old producer who was studying computer programming where he got the idea for his name by typing the command .exe. But he has come a long way from computer programming and is now a fast growing underground electronic producer. He’s even got a great remix of another Chicago group that is playing at Spring Awakening, Krewella’s One Minute. Check out his soundcloud page here.

Team Bayside High gets their name from Saved By The Bell and describe themselves as ‘two best friends who came together because they love to party.’ Signed by JFK of MSTRKRFT they combine heavy sub bass with complex melodies and a party rocking mentality. They bring a fresh perspective to electronic music with many instruments, be sure to check out their tunes on soundcloud.

Dakota is a 20 year old producer who has switched up his style from low-tempo hip hop rythyms to heavy bass, dirty synths, and face smashing drops. Be sure to check out his grimey sounds on soundcloud and also check him out at Spring Awakening.

Kings of Class are two of the classiest dudes from Chicago. Known separately as Tsunami & Bobby De Maria, they have been working together for almost 5 years. They have even created the international clothing and music brand ‘House Music Saved My Life’.

DJ SOLO is part punk-rocker, part bass-head currently making massive waves in the drumstep and bass music scene. Using turntablism and some flat-out ridiculous techniques, his performances are full of high energy rapid-fire mixes that, in our experience, are of guaranteed face-melting quality. Having trained at LA’s sacred “Lost Temple” with DJ MUGGS of the almighty Cypress Hill, DJ SOLO is a member of the LA based crew Soul Assassins… so you know he will bring the thunder. He is not one to miss at Spring Awakening, as his shows are always the life of the party. Listen to his dope sounds on soundcloud.

Felix Da Housecat gets his name from…you guessed it, Felix the Housecat, plays a genre of house music called electroclash. He has been around since the 90s as a member of the second wave of Chicago House, and has not stopped rocking since. His main goal is simply to get people dancing, and that is what he does best. His charismatic shows are not something to be missed at Spring Awakening.

Flosstradamus are two Djs, J2K and Autobot, who bring a whole new meaning to the trap genre. Mixing in the best hip hop and rap beats with some fast drums and heavy electro beats. If you like rap and you like to dance then these guys bring it to the next level. Playing all the best new and old songs of the rap game, you will find yourself singing along as well as bouncing along to each track that they play. Definitely not one to miss at the festival this year.

And on Sunday, there are even more Chicagoans playing, including everyone’s EDM favorite, Krewella:

LoBounce has shaped a new style of electronic bass music by combining sub bass and complex melodic elements and taking the instrumental dance music scene by storm. He fuses hip hop, funk, and downtempo electronic to create what he calls drippy bass. Be sure to check out his unique style on soundcloud.

Nathan Scott works five nights a week around the Chicago night club scene. He is a resident DJ on Sirius XM on Friday and Saturday nights helping BPM become the #1 dance station in the US. He currently holds a residency at the Las Vegas Ultra Pool Wet Republic at the MGM Grand Hotel. He is not one to miss if you love to dance.

Porn N Chicken is the craziest Monday night party every week in Wicker Park. PnC features resident Djs Orville Kline, PHIVES, and The Sleepers and features different guest Djs every week. It has grown notorious for scandalous behavior and a guaranteed good time. It was voted Chicago’s Best Dance Party of 2011 & 2012 by the Chicago Reader’s Poll. In other words, Porn N Chicken will deliver and you will not only dance your ass off but you will have an awesome time doing it. Be sure to check it out on Sunday.

Orchard Lounge is a futuristic Chicago trio that ranges from chill-out to bass-dropping e-funk. They have built their reputation not through playing in clubs but rather on the festival circuit and playing set-breaks alongside The Disco Biscuits, Lotus, STS9, and Umphrey’s McGee. Their mission is to expose as many people as possible to the artists that they admire and respect.

Krewella are the biggest group hailing from Chicago that are playing at Spring Awakening this year. Consisting of vocalist sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf and producer Kris ‘Rain Man’ Trindl, they burst on the scene in 2011 and have only continued to rise. They have hit #1 on Beatport and Billboard and continue to stay there. They are the best new breakthrough artist and one you do NOT want to miss. The sisters songwriting is pure talent and their voices are even more magical. You would not expect that these girls with angelic voices could throw down the hardest, heaviest dubstep beats. Collaborating on songs with the heaviest artists in dubstep Skrillex, Knife Party, Adventure Club, and Savoy, these girls deserve to be at the top and are guaranteed to put on an amazing show for their Chicago people. Screaming and jumping and getting the crowd going, be sure to check out these hot rocking chicks on Sunday night.

All in all, Chicago is full of musical talent and its no wonder that this EDM festival is coming to the city and to Soldier Field. It is going to be quite an epic weekend full of dancing, sweat, and fun. Get your tickets here and get ready to rage with all of these talented Chicagoans plus some other amazing artists that will be hitting the stages at Spring Awakening Festival June 14-16 in Chicago!