ARC Music Festival Remains Strong in its Sophomore Year
ARC Music Festival returned for its second year at Union Park in Chicago this past Labor Day Weekend. The three-day festival by event production company Auris featured techno and house luminaries such as Carl Cox, Joseph Capriati, Boris Brejcha, Richie Hawtin, Chris Lake, and Fatboy Slim. And while the headliners represented an international melange of heavyweights, Auris was sure to pay homage to the locals and legends who have been instrumental in building the scene in Chicago and beyond. Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, Carl Craig, Gene Farris, Hiroko Yamamura, Dani Deahl, and DJ Heather were among the many Chicago-born artists who took the stage.
Emerging festivals have a lot of competition regarding stage design. ARC has established a unique artistic footprint over the last two years, proving that even new festivals can create memorable and immersive visual experiences.
Carl Cox at ARC Music Festival 2022
Courtesy of ARC Music Festival / Kursza
The main stage, dubbed the Grid retained its industrial design with towers of shipping containers emblazoned with lighting looming high above the dance floor. The addition of pyro was a noticeable and welcome change over last year's production.
Fatboy Slim on the elrow stage at ARC Music Festival
Courtesy of ARC Music Festival / Kursza
The elrow stage was arguably the most interesting from a design perspective, housing a DJ booth inside a blow-up sea monster while costumed performers, stilt walkers, and jugglers worked the crowd. Of course, no elrow party would be complete without hourly confetti blasts, all perfectly timed to the most epic drops. The area surrounding elrow shone a gorgeous hint of red after sunset while attendees packed in and raged in close quarters like something out of a movie.
Seth Troxler b2b Carl Craig at ARC Music Festival 2022
Courtesy of ARC Music Festival / Kursza
Expansions, a beautiful stripped-down jungle-themed outdoor oasis, featured DJs like Giolli & Assia and Seth Troxler & Carl Craig playing sets that slanted a bit more underground.
Finally, the ARC Car centered around art car (see what they did there) the Goodbus switched things up this year to significant effect. Last year, the DJs performed atop the bus creating issues for performers with sound bleed from the main stage. This year, they put the DJ booth on the ground creating a dancefloor in front of the bus. It made for a cozy atmosphere where up-and-coming local talents like Abigail & Zooey, Meesh, and Jaygee could throw down intimate sets for people looking to escape the madness of the other stages.
The ARC Car stage at ARC Music Festival 2022
Courtesy of ARC Music Festival / Matthew Reeves
The production and logistics at ARC this year continue to exceed expectations and delight the masses. While the festival's footprint is small (you can quickly get around every stage in less than 15 minutes), there was minimal (if any) sound bleed across stages. The sound systems were pristine. And for an outdoor music festival in the heart of a bustling city like Chicago, there was never a moment where the music felt dull or quiet.
Above all, ARC shines for its expertly curated lineup of the finest in house and techno. High-profile artists like Charlotte De Witte, Adam Beyer, and Cirez D threw down proper techno on the main stage. Legends in the game like Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Dereck Carter, and Honey Dijon gave newer fans much-needed exposure to the foundation of the music we cherish today. In-demand artists like Gorgon City and Chris Lake were also sprinkled throughout, enticing younger fans to the festival.
ARC wasn't the only festival in town. Just a few miles away North Coast Music Festival featured a more mainstream-leaning lineup with Fisher, Kaytranada, Diplo, and Porter Robinson, to name a few. It could hardly be seen as direct competition, however. Instead, ARC's strong focus on the underground house and techno scene made it a clear choice for those looking for a more boutique festival experience. It might seem counterintuitive that these festivals would happen on the same weekend, but the healthy turnout at both proves the demand for electronic music continues to be strong. We predict ARC continuing to grow and look forward to what they have for us next year.
