I’ve encountered some sort of EDM overload lately which I attribute to the heavy doses of womps and wobbles I took at Electric Forest and Spring Awakening. Since WebMd has not been able to give me a cure for too much bass in my face I decided to take it upon myself to self medicate my ears with some smoother sounds at the Pitchfork Music Festival. The Pitchfork tastemakers didn’t skip a beat this year bringing an incredible lineup of hip hop and indie acts to town for an unbelievable weekend of music, fashion, and hipsters. This was my first year attending the festival and it was just what the doctor should have ordered for my EDM overload.
“If you a trill bitch get your motherfucking hands up”
I was indeed a trill bitch and arrived just in time for the A$AP mob to request my hands in the air before a rowdy rendition of “Pretty Flacko.” Since I missed the opening of his set I decided to quickly make my way into the thick of the crowd in order to get the full effect of the madness. Luckily I was schooled in all things A$AP Rocky by Zwalkk since the debut of his mixtape late last year and was easily able to part the seas of bodies spitting along with Rocky and bopping to the beats as I made my way front and center. As the rain started pouring I looked around to see a familiar scene of a high school and college aged crowd dancing wildly to “Bass” and shooting finger glocks in the air. I was home.
Continue reading our Pitchfork recap after the jump.
A$AP Rocky
“What do you wear during monsoon season?”
Pitchfork has come to be known as a fashion runway of festivals boasting fashion forward attendees rocking ground breaking festival fashions. This year the weather put a small damper on the Union Park runway with sporadic rain showers rolling through festival grounds leaving everyone rocking the Wet Rat Couture look. Nevertheless, we were able to enjoy a flood of florals, combat boots, high waist shorts and crop tops from Chicago’s trendsetters. Surprisingly, the rain didn’t stop the masses from sporting chic shades all weekend. Retro looks were the key to spectacle style with round multicolor lenses making statements all weekend.
“Clams Casino? More Like Clams Snore-ino.”
Being that there was a lack of DJs in this year’s lineup I was super excited to see one of my favorite beat makers, Clams Casino. This hip hop producer has created the basslines on some of my favorite tracks and although I was expecting to be met with a smooth dreamy set it was a little too sleep inducing for me. The hazey eyed crowd did not move to the beats whatsoever and neither did the rigamortis Mr. Casino. Nevermind the lackluster energy of the crowd, I still enjoyed relaxing to the set. Being as I am used to the show pony mainstream DJs that dance wildly on stage, it was refreshing to see a large turnout for purely music instead of the show. If you have not enjoyed the Clams Casino sounds be sure to check out his recent BBC Radio 1 Mix (link) I am sure you will recognize some favorite sounds.
Purity Ring
“I don’t recall identifying that instrument in music class.”
Purity Ring was one of my most anticipated sets of the weekend and I was itching to finally get my eyes on the musical contraption the duo’s Corin Roddick plays. As the sun set the stage was illuminated by a slew of cocoon lanterns and I knew I was in for a treat. The set had an air of mysticsm to it as Roddick tapped on sound emitting light up polygons and Megan James hypnotized us with her innocent vocals. Myself along with the crowd were left in a magical trance as tracks blended one after the other leaving us listening to what felt like one song throughout the whole set. If you have not checked out this duo it comes highly recommended. Their newly released album along with past releases are sure to lull your ears to tranquility whenever needed.
Danny Brown
“Is that Danny Brown, again?”
It seems like wherever I would turn this weekend Danny Brown would be standing a few feet away with a cloud of smoke above his head. It’s always nice to see artists enjoying festivals themselves and hanging with the masses instead of the comforts of the VIP area. Danny’s friendliness with the non-VIP common folk, as well as his wild set, did not disappoint. He set himself apart from the weekends hip hop acts being as ridiculous as he could be on stage, tongue flapping, rapping about everything and anything Danny Brown . Cunnlingus, Adderal, and Ecstasy, were laced throughout all of his lyrics keeping the packed crowd on their toes and singing along throughout his whole performance. My ears were pleased to learn that Mr. Brown sounds as good live as he does in his studio recordings replicating the same voice on stage instead of the muffled yelling and shouting reminiscent of most hip hop acts these days.
“Do hipsters ever smile?”
Overall I had a blast throughout my Pitchfork adventure, but was surprised to see my fellow music lovers did not always seem to feel the same way. No matter the tempo of music I am always incredibly stoked to see my favorite artists and enjoy tunes with a big goofy smile plastered on my face. However, this was not the vibe I gathered throughout the weekend. People almost seemed angry to be facing their favorite acts, putting off a too cool for school mantra. I was surprised to find at times I was the only one grooving and utilizing my dancing feet while the rest of the crowd stood at attention without even a head bob to the beat. I had been prepped for this vibe by previous years attendees, but was sure their warning of “fun suckers” were an over exaggeration. The warnings were true, but that didn’t stop my groove. By then end of the weekend I was fully recovered from EDM overload and returned to my normal ways dancing wildly to Aarab Muziks heavy hitting womps and wobbles. I guess it is true what they say, “you can take the girl away from the dance party, but you can’t take the dance party out of the girl.”
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Words and photography by Sandra Motylewski.
