North Coast Music Festival is heading into its eighth year of existence, and much like a fine wine, it simply gets better with age. This year’s lineup is a straight amalgamation of beats, vibe, old-school favorites, new-school favorites, funk, hip-hop, the weird, and everything in between. Once again set to take place Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 1st – 3rd) in Chicago’s Union Park, NCMF is the end of summer treat that gets it right year after year.
What better way to get ready for the Chi-town throwdown than a playlist that will keep you going all summer long, in anticipation of one of the most diverse festival lineups of 2017? Progressive house stalwarts Deadmau5 & Eric Prydz are a sure bet to bring straight dance beats to the North Coast faithful, while Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley will bring the jamrock to illuminate your soul vibrations. Ween will deliver the brown, and Primus will bring the mud, as is always expected from the old-school favorites who are both witnessing a renaissance of sorts.
Lettuce is one of the hottest acts in funk music and is delivering some of the most crushing live sets in music at this very moment, while STS9 has regained the momentum and full band synergy that made them one of the hottest acts in the early 2000’s. Ambient and downtempo pioneers Bonobo (coming hot to the scene with a live band) and Tipper are at the top of the list with what they are able to create in their respective crafts. Bob Moses is just gobs and gobs of Deep House goodness. If hip-hop is your thing, Gucci Mane serves up straight trap beats, with Lil’ Dicky crafting some comedic tales, and Post Malone flexing the narrative skills.
If the jam is what gets you going, there isn’t a hotter act than Spafford on the scene, and it’s hard to argue that. Colorado-based SunSquabi isn’t far behind and have been giving crowds the feels with their undeniable electro-funk grooves witnessed on stage. If you’re a Grateful Dead fan, the question begs to be asked….is there really any ensemble properly transmitting the evolution of the material better than Joe Russo’s Almost Dead? The full NCMF lineup is absolutely insane and most importantly, diverse. If you are a true music fan, Chicago is the place to be this coming Labor Day weekend.
Tickets for North Coast Music Festival are currently on-sale and can be purchased here. For festival updates and additional information, join the Facebook Event page. In the meantime, press play via the NCMF Spotify playlist and enjoy your day:
[cover photo courtesy of Phierce Photography]
