Electric Forest is stacked with huge names. The String Cheese Incident, Lettuce, Yonder Mountain String Band, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Galactic, Lotus, and Keller Willams’ Grateful Grass are a few of the big-name bands that will be there, while Skrillex, Bassnectar, Flume, Carl Cox, and Kaskade will hold down the big sound of electronic music.
However, Electric Forest’s lineup is deep. In addition to the top names and the second tier performers, there are a ton of great acts coming to the Forest. We picked 15 of our favorite acts from the small print to get you excited on the non-headliners this year.
American Babies
Tom Hamilton might be best known for his role in Brother’s Past, or even as the energetic guitar shredder in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, but he’s also got a great project called American Babies. With a sound that falls in line with the other rock ‘n’ roll Philadelphia has been churning out (The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile), they’ll bring an American sound to the festival.
Branx
The Lowtemp throwdown will take place on the Forest Stage, and amongst the performers there’s Branx. Funky beats make this a must-see set for Saturday night primetime.
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
The Daptone Records crooner got his start as a James Brown impersonator, but has recently made a name for himself by delivering great soul music alongside The Menahan Street Band (His “Extraordinaires”). We’ve seen him in action plenty of times and it’s always a treat. You won’t want to miss this one.
Exmag
The livetronica trio Exmag is on the heels of their Plants & Animal collab EP with Branx, where they toyed with hip hop beats, dance tempo, and even sludge metal. You’ll want to see what they can do in their element at the festival.
Goldlink
Up-and-coming rappers aren’t what you expect to see at Electric Forest, but you can certainly take advantage of one when they book him.
Goldroom
If you’re into the tropical / indie house sound, you won’t want to miss Goldroom. We saw this band do their live show in Atlanta a couple years ago, and it’s a funky dance party for sure.
Koan Sound
Glitch-hop is hit or miss (and usually miss), but this English duo makes some really tasteful stuff. Koan Sound also dives into downtempo and drum & bass, so they’ll probably mix it up during their set.
Life On Planets
Life On Planets are a new(er) addition to the Crew Love family. I think we saw their debut at Output here in Brooklyn, which as awesome as everyone else on the Crew.
Marco Benevento
Virtuoso keyboard players are not to be missed. In addition to his performance with Joe Russo’s Almost dead, check out Benevento (who used to duo with Joe as the Benevento-Russo Duo) for some jazzy funk.
Mr. Carmack
Soulection has had a huge year, and one of their biggest names is Mr. Carmack. He puts on an show that sounds like if J Dilla made trap bangers or something like that.
Nick Monaco
Here’s another cat off the Crew Love squad. Nick Monaco sings and plays keys during his housey set, but he’s got great energy and some fire tracks to make it extra spicy.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is more than a band; it’s an institution. They’ve been around for 52 years, and have recently collaborated with Pretty Lights. If that doesn’t sound like the ultimate recipe for longevity than I don’t know what is.
Sango
Another dude from Soulection is Sango, who produces sounds of tomorrow that double as fantastic hip hop beats.
TAUK
I’ve heard such a fuss about this band for the past year, so I can’t wait to see what all the hype’s about! Hopefully they knock it out of the park in the Forest.
Wolf + Lamb
Wolf + Lamb is a collective, a label, and a killer DJ duo from Brooklyn. Forever funky and always fresh, their sets are incredible.