It is quite a feat these days to put on a large-scale music festival. Getting an event off the ground without a hitch is virtually impossible. Logistical nightmares are bound to happen during production, and even well-established festivals encounter problems. Plus, navigating the waters of the COVID-19 pandemic adds a new challenge to event organizers. However, despite all odds, Auris Presents is due a round of applause for creating and hosting an incredible festival for its first year. Techno and house fans rejoiced when Auris Presents announced ARC Music Festival. The lineup was stellar, and the amenities, sponsors, and stages all promised a fabulous festival experience. And boy oh boy, they delivered!

Saturday, September 4th

We arrived at Union Park on Saturday after a cautionary few weeks. Massive COVID spikes, multiple artist cancellations and inclement weather in the Midwest all threatened the likeliness of ARC happening. Regardless, we entered the festival bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready for the weekend we’d been anticipating for what seemed like an eternity. We were immediately greeted by the welcoming and familiar atmosphere of a music festival. You could feel a buzz in the air. After almost two years since my last fest, I had nearly forgotten what it felt like to walk into festival grounds for the first time and take it all in. Friendly faces, crazy outfits, and loud music all bombarded my senses in a way that gave me immense comfort. We were finally back where we belonged and it felt so good!

Saturday, for us, began with Luttrell of Anjunabeats at The Grid. It was a lovely laid-back set that got us nice and warmed up for the rest of the weekend. We moved over to the Expansions stage to catch Deborah De Luca absolutely slay her set. We stayed for Cirez D (Eric Prydz’s techno alias), of course. Although it was hard to follow up Deborah, Eric kept the crowd going with a masterful exhibition of his mixing abilities. We finished off the night with ZHU and his band, who consistently put on an awesome live show.

Sunday, September 5th

My crew arrived for day two ready for Eric Prydz. This is the set we had been waiting and yearning for. We hung out at Meduza’s set at the main stage for a bit. I hadn’t heard of him before, but his set was captivating. I’d definitely suggest checking him out! Next, we skipped over to Will Clarke at the elrow stage. It basically looked like a rainbow had exploded in there, it was so fun and colorful! Finally, we returned to The Grid for the main event. CamelPhat threw down an amazing set before the big guy came on. We moved up to the rail to get up close and personal with the man of the hour, Eric Prydz. As expected, he absolutely destroyed that set.

After a solid 20 minutes to recover from the insanity of the day, Charles D and Prydz ripped us apart again at the Pryda after party. We had to pick ourselves up and put ourselves back together afterwards. Let’s just say we are very grateful we had Monday off…

We’re Ready to Go Back

Overall, ARC Music Festival was genuinely impressive. The music was the highlight, of course, but the experience as a whole was fantastic. The festival itself was expertly executed. Security was well organized, even with additional COVID guidelines in place. The design and layout was especially commendable. Each stage, VIP section, and various amenities were always within reach. I can’t complain about fully stocked bars, friendly staff, and an older, more mature crowd. So many pieces came together perfectly to make this weekend everything I had hoped it would become.

Auris Presents may be a newly established entity in the entertainment industry, but it’s safe to say that they have officially made themselves a household name with ARC. Absolutely wonderful job to everyone on the team and a massive thank you to those who worked so hard to guarantee ARC blew our minds!

See you next year ARC Music Festival!

The post Chicago’s Music Scene is Reinvigorated After ARC Music Festival appeared first on Festival Squad.

Chicago is very well known as the home of house music. To this day, nightlife in Chicago closely resembles what the city offered back in the 1980’s. DJs are still bumping electronic music until sunrise at intimate club venues and warehouses scattered all throughout the city, and Chicagoans absolutely live for it. Despite the city’s deep-rooted connections to the underground music scene, Chicago unfortunately hasn’t seen many large-scale events that emphasize that part of the city’s colorful history. While there are Chicago festivals that welcome legendary artists from various genres, we are consistently deprived of a festival whose primary focus is what we’ve introduced to the world – house music! Well, the wait is over. For its inaugural event, Arc Music Festival is on a mission to curate an unforgettable Labor Day weekend. Arc plans to merge Chicago’s glorious nightlife community with international festival culture to offer a truly unique experience. 

The Lineup

Arc Music Festival is bringing what this city desperately needs, an event that prioritizes the people and the music that have shaped Chicagoan social life for decades. The lineup features international house and techno powerhouses, of course. However, the lineup also includes local artists who are largely credited for keeping Chicago’s music and nightclub industry alive. To quickly review, the lineup features Bob Moses, Gene Farris, Hot Since 82, Nicole Moudaber, Steve Gerard, and Zhu. Plus, THREE sets by the legendary Eric Prydz. Attendees, prepare yourself for a traditional Eric Prydz set and an Adam Beyer b2b Cirez D set at the festival. It doesn’t end there, though, as a closing party at Chicago’s newest warehouse venue, Radius, is featuring a third Prydz alias set, Pryda. 

This will be first time ever that Prydz is scheduled to play an individual set as each of these three primary aliases all at the same event. How Arc managed to pull that off, I don’t know, but I want to personally thank whoever is responsible for making it happen. Unfortunately, Prydz’s only other currently active alias, Tonja Holma, is not on the lineup. Nevertheless, this lineup is flawless as the combination of local icons and international stars is curated perfectly. Check out the Spotify playlist below to familiarize yourself with the lineup.

Elrow PsychROWdelic Trip

It’s also abundantly clear that the inspiration for Arc was not only the city’s music scene, but also Europe’s ever-flourishing nightlife and festival scene. Elrow is a European traveling party/festival experience. The party circuit is known for their incredible production, vibrant atmosphere and amazing music. The first U.S. Elrow party was scheduled for May 2020 at Radius in Chicago. Well, you can probably guess how that turned out. Spoiler: it didn’t happen. However, Elrow will be presenting a stage at Arc! Expect a grand stage like you’ve never seen before.

Arc Music Festival tickets are flying fast! Get them while you still can here. Hotel and transporation packages are on the way, so keep your eyes peeled for that as well!

The post Arc Music Festival Unveils Impressive Lineup for Premier Event appeared first on Festival Squad.

Meow Wolf is a Santa Fe, New Mexico based art collective and group known for their wild, trippy, immersive art installations and experiences in Santa Fe. Recently, Meow Wolf has expanded to include a new location in Denver, Colorado. To commemorate their new location, Meow Wolf had a music festival in Denver in 2019 called Meow Wolf Dark Palace. They just announced that Dark Palace will be returning to Denver this year in April taking place over 3 days at the National Western Complex.

The company’s first location showcases the international sensation, House Of Eternal Return, where over one and a half million visitors have discovered a multidimensional mystery house with secret passages, portals to magical worlds, climbing apparatus, and surreal, maximalist & mesmerizing art exhibits along with a Learning Center and Float Café. The location is also home to a music venue, bar, and outdoor dining scene. In 2018, Meow Wolf announced plans for massive new permanent locations, in Denver, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., and the world’s first artist-driven dark ride at Elitch Gardens. Most recently, Meow Wolf announced the addition of an immersive hotel and exhibition, which will be located in the heart of Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row.

Dark Palace is an extension of Meow Wolf’s events – this time combining experimental installation art with electronic music. Meow Wolf has also previously had a festival called Taos Vortex in Taos, New Mexico which brought out more jam bands and hippie vibes. Dark Palace is full of deep, dark experimental bass music and tech house – a new take for Meow Wolf.

“The first Dark Palace was such a treat for everyone who was involved — the DJs, the performers, the collaborating installation artists, and our team — we thought that we had to do it again. We’ve learned so much after doing the first Dark Palace that we can’t wait to return in April to create an even deeper and more playful experience. We have tricks in store,” said Max Beck-Keller Meow Wolf’s events head.

This year’s Dark Palace lineup includes Malaa, Deathpact, Floating Points, Will Clarke, Maddy O’Neal and Doc Martin b2b Option4 on Thursday, G Jones, EPROM, Sayer, Channel Tres and Detlef on Friday, and Space Jesus, Mr. Carmack, Esseks, Huxley Anne, Dr. Fresch, Golf Clap and Corrupt UK on Saturday.

The three-day event will run from 7:30PM – 2:00AM throughout the nights of Thursday, April 9th, Friday, April 10th and Saturday, April 11th. Tickets for Dark Palace can be purchased at darkpalace.meowwolf.com.

The post Meow Wolf Dark Palace Returns for Its Second Year in Denver appeared first on Festival Squad.