The Windy City of Chicago whistled the sounds of house and techno this past Labor Day Weekend, September 4-5 for the inaugural ARC Music Festival. Chicago’s famed Union Park welcomed thousands of attendees, bringing the global scene to the birthplace of house. Four unique stages, beautiful weather, immaculate vibes, and a top-tier lineup – ARC went off seamlessly!
After a far too long festival hiatus due to the pandemic (1 year and 9 months to be exact,) the excitement to return home was at an all-time high. It felt like our very first festival all over again and we couldn’t have asked for a better welcome back to the dance floor. ARC organizers ensured a safe return by taking all the safety precautions in accordance with the City’s recommendation, which required proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of attendance.
The festival grounds brought four stages to life, The Grid, Elrow, Expansions, and the ARC Car. Each stage carried a different vibe and experience, but all of them had one common factor – powerful performances all weekend long! Over the course of two days, ARC hosted major headlining acts, Chicago debuts, the best locals in the scene, and iconic B2B sets.
Day one kicked off with a festival family reunion at the tree-lined archway that led fans to the ultimate techno oasis, aka the Expansions stage for Drumcode protégé, Layton Giordani. Layton set the precedent for the remainder of the day with a flawless setlist, taking us to another galaxy with his massive Adam Beyer and Green Velvet collaboration, “Space Date.” Once we returned back to Earth, it was time to take a mind-blowing Psychrowdelic Trip to Elrow. The renowned Spanish outfit, regarded as the craziest party in the world, made its Chicago debut with the trippiest sights and sounds. The tented-megastructure was designed with an array of colorful psychedelic patterns and the grooviest bus at the forefront. We started our journey with the deep melodies of Eli & Fur and then proceeded to let loose to Patrick Topping‘s tech-driven house as costumed performers appeared, inflatable toys flew across the crowd, and confetti flooded the tent. The longer we stayed at Elrow, the wilder it got.
ARC is the first event to host all three of Eric Prydz’ alias’ in a single weekend and Saturday night marked the initial performance of the trifecta with his techno-oriented moniker, Cirez D. Cirez D mesmerized the audience with his mix of “Dare U” into “The Accuser” at Expansions. Meanwhile, the queen of techno, Nicole Moudaber had everyone In the MOOD with KEIN & KOOK‘s, “Hurican,” as the laser-framed, Grid stage flashed under every roar and dark pummeling beat, lighting up the picturesque skyline.
Right next door to the Grid was the ARC Car powered by the GoodBus. The GoodBus is a modified 45 foot school bus converted with a mission to deliver good music and good vibes while providing information on healthy living, loving, and being. Part tour vehicle and part sound-stage, the GoodBus functions primarily by bringing people together and fostering a sense of connection through music. After spending some time here, we can confirm that their mission statement is spot on. The bus ran on the fuel of house and techno all weekend with sets from Chicago’s elite talent including Carmen Fiorentino, Bucky Fargo + Marea, Cinna, Tsunami + Nikho, and GoodSex. The Chicago scene is thriving and we highly recommend checking out the Bus any chance you get!
Night one concluded with ZHU at The Grid, FISHER at Elrow, Luciano at Expansions, and Aathee at the ARC Car. We wanted to close out with a bang so the choice was obvious, “Losing It” on the dance floor with FISHER. Our return to the stage was filled with even more crazy antics than before. Everyone seemed to get the official Elrow makeover this time around with mad props, hula skirts, cat masks, and elephant hats. The Australian producer kept the energy alive with his guaranteed party-starters, “You Little Beauty,” “Wanna Go Dancin,’” and closing with Chris Lorenzo’s “California Dreaming.”
Day two took off with sunshine as attendees poured into the venue to dance in the warmth that was hindered the previous day. Chicago local Steve Gerard took the decks early at mainstage to give us some welcomed Chicago house music that got the crowd grooving fast. Simultaneously, ARC featured a few B2B sets at Expansions and ARC Car which brought us into a house music paradise.
Anjunadeep signee Jeremy Olander would hop on “The Grid” stage next and deliver a set that felt like a crossover of Eric Prydz and Anjunadeep. Mainstage began to pack in early as the heavy hitters for the night began to line up to deliver sets that were surely some of the best of day two. However, this would not prevent us from hopping over to Elrow to catch some of Will Clarke‘s beard as he delivered a house set that nearly made Elrow explode. Naturally, Elrow was fully onboard with this and released all of their treats into the crowd that added to the endless mayhem. As Will Clarke delivered his craft at Elrow, Meduza brought his signature house sound to the mainstage and as expected dropped all of his heavy hitting classics.
Next up on mainstage was the Grammy nominated English duo Camelphat, who dropped a bevy of tracks from their lengthy and impressive collection list. Camelphat would prove to knock the socks off mainstage and even dropped their 2017 single “Cola” which sent the crowd into a frenzy. As Camelphat played their magic at mainstage, Chicago native Lee Foss took the stage at Elrow to play a house set for his home city in what was surely a humbling experience.
Camelphat would wrap up just before 8 and prepare the stage for Eric Prydz would scored the only 2 hour set for the entire festival. As with any Eric Prydz set, you never truly know what type of set you’ll end up receiving. As this was Prydz’s second set of the festival we received a unique blend of Pryda, Cirez D, and classic Eric Prydz progressive house. Prydz would flawlessly transition between the three different types of music to create an ear warming set that had fans melting. Speaking of melting, did we mention the Eric Prydz lasers? Probably not, but check out the photos below because there is no doubt that these lasers were melting faces. To wrap up with perfect fashion, Prydz would drop his 2016 classic “Opus” in the final minutes and remind us why we love Eric Prydz so much. Of course, after his set was over fans quickly rushed to Radius to catch his after party!
After being away from music festivals for so long it’s an understatement to say that ARC Music Festival is exactly the therapy we needed. From the stages, lineup, music, and attendees; it’s safe to say that ARC will continue to hold a special place in our hearts. We look forward to returning next year and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on news regarding the 2022 edition. Until next time!
Photo Credit: Kursza for Arc Music Festival
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