Imagine Music Festival 2016 is just days away from kicking off at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, GA. If you haven’t grabbed tickets yet, check out the options that are still available. The daily schedule has also been released, so make sure to take a look so you can plan out your weekend. With that in mind, we wanted to point out some artists that we’re looking forward to seeing. We picked out the following six artists (plus a bonus) by focusing on performers at Imagine that have a unique and original sound and are relatively removed from the mainstream. That’s not to say that we think mainstream music is necessarily better or worse, we just like to highlight artists that we think have a lot of growth potential. Additionally, we tried to have representation from each day, specifically focusing on artists that we think will perform particularly well in their given time slot.
Caspa B2B Rusko
While Caspa & Rusko likely have some of the best name recognition at Imagine, we still wanted to include them on this list given the circumstances. Both hailing from the UK, Caspa and Rusko have a long and storied history of working together. They are frequently cited as some of the earliest and most influential dubstep producers and often take credit in shaping and popularizing the genre. After spending seven years of DJing and producing solo, the two have come together again to rock the stage, and we couldn’t be more excited. The two were largely out of the limelight for the last couple of years, until they started making festival appearances this 2016. It will be really exciting to see what these veteran DJs and producers will show us this Friday at 10:30M, Day 1 of Imagine.
Minnesota
Christian Bauhofer, who goes by the stage name of Minnesota, has been kicking around for quite some time. He has dominated a corner of the bass music scene with his astral music that seems to shoot you through space. He has carved out a unique sound for himself; he knows how to bring the heavy bass when appropriate, but also pull back and present a softer, more emotional side of music. Performing on Day 2 at 8:15PM, his set time will coincide with sunset, which should make for a particularly spectacular setting as daylight gives way to night.
Phutureprimitive
Bay Area producer and songwriter Rain, better known as Phutureprimitive, describes his music as “dripping wet love drops of nasty mind melting sonic bliss.” Like many other artists at Imagine, Phutureprimitive occupies some of the more bass-heavy genres of music, crafting his own signature style of “lush melodies” and “fuzzy bass.” You can catch Phutureprimitive at 11PM of Day 2.
Lotus
This five-piece band has previously described their music as Rock, Electronic, Post-Rock, Jamband, Electro, Funk, and most recently, Dance Rock. Imagine Festival has its share of heavier and more electronic acts, as well as jam bands and instrumentals. Lotus is one of the groups that you can expect to bridge that gap, playing a style of music that is heavily instrumental, but very upbeat and easy to dance to. These guys are all around just tons of fun! You can look forward to their music and spectacular accompanying light design at 12AM on Day 2.
Opiuo
Broken-frog-stomping-funkadelic-hippo-hop-monkey-crunk-chunky-bouncy-stomach-morphing-bassdolloping-scrumptious-bowl-of-glitchy-bass-love. That’s what Oscar Davey-Wraight, AKA Opiuo refers to the genre of music he produces, not wanting to pigeonhole himself into a genre that might not fully encompass the sound of his music. Originally hailing from Ngatimoti, New Zealand, Opiuo has been crushing the bass scene for the last couple of years. If you’re a Bass or Glitch fan, definitely make sure to check out Opiuo and his chunky and scrumptious bowl of glitch sounds at 6:30PM on Day 3.
Thomas Jack
With a lot of representation of the bass, funk, and spacey realms of music, we wanted to make sure we got a little representation from the traditional club scene. Originally from Bemboka, Australia, Thomas Jack has been spending a lot of time recently making a name for himself in the US. While he may be most known for his Tropical House music, a style which he helped popularize, he also branches out into other styles frequently, making his sets dynamic. His music seems to take after his own persona, as he always appears to be having ton of fun on stage, dressed in his signature laidback tropical outfits. You’ll be able to catch Thomas Jack on Day 3 at 11PM.
Bonus Banger Set: Zeds Dead
Call it the fanboy in me, but I couldn’t resist giving a shout-out to Zeds Dead. As a fan, this lineup is particularly special for me because it features many of the original dubstep artists that sucked me into the scene around 2009-2010: Doctor P, Caspa & Rusko, Nero, Excision, Zeds Dead, and many others. Needless to say, if you’re a headbanger, Imagine must be looking pretty appetizing right about now! Zeds Dead have been such a dominant force in the Bass music world for years now. They consistently produce phenomenal bass and dubstep tracks, and venture into other genres when they feel like it, and their live shows are one of a kind. I had to make sure to include Zeds Dead, because one can only imagine how rowdy the main stage will be at 2AM on Day 2 with Zeds Dead closing out the night!
See you this weekend!
