[Review] Summer Set 2016 brings unforgettable moments
The annual camping festival Summer Set returned for it’s fifth year to Somerset, Wisconsin. Summer Set was a weekend filled of memorable moments.
The camping festival brought out the best in some artist as tents filled the woods and camp grounds with festival goers burning through the three-day festival.
A six hours drive from Chicago, Summer Set brought the same electric and playful atmosphere that were accustomed. With many highlights from the summer coming from local Chicago festivals like Mamby on the Beach, the festival provided one of a kind experiences that made the six-hour drive worth it.
Day 1
The first day was stacked full of incredible performances throughout the day. Festival goers were able to check out early performances from the solid melodic sounds of Mielo. That also included the craziest that is the thrill ride of Porn and Chicken.
Flux Pavillion and Steve Aoki both respectfully, performed their best in recent years. Pavillion, usually a bit shy on the mic, was as vocal as the raving Summer Set crowd. Aoki a stable in electronic music, outdid himself in intensified energy packed set.
Notable performances came from Toronto rapper Tory Lanez. Lanez performed majority on his set in the crowd as dozens of fans rushed under him to hold him up. A true spectacle, Lanez gained many fans the first day due to his wild onstage and in the crowd pleasing antics.
The first night was closed off with Chicago’s favorite Chance The Rapper alongside with The Social Experiment. Seeing the top bill for the first night with other Chicago favorites in The Social Experiment was a real treat. They performed from Chance’s 10 Days, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book. The closing night was transformed into a Chicago listening party. Festival goers also heard records from the band's latest soul filled album“Surf”.
Seeing Chicago’s heavyweight perform a number of times didn’t account in his Summer Set performance. It was like seeing him for the first time as the showcased a number of crowd favorites from “Coloring Book”. Records including No Problem, Blessings, and Summer Friends helped Chance and The Social Experiment cement the first day into a night you couldn’t forget.
STS9 Announce Departure of David Murphy, Postpone Tour
Sound Tribe Sector 9, or STS9 for short, announced the somewhat sudden departure of bassist David Murphy, who had been with the Livetronica acts since co-founding the band in 1988. The announcement came via a message posted to the STS9's website.
In life, the only constant is change. We try to embrace this in our music and in our lives and its in this spirit that we announce STS9 and bassist David Murphy are parting ways. We are postponing our upcoming winter tour dates through February. We’ll miss David and wish him the best on his journey ahead.
To our fans, we can’t thank you enough for your understanding and continuous support. We are thrilled for the future of STS9 and can’t wait to share it with you.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
-Hunter, Jeffree, Phipps & Zach
The break may signal the end for one of the trailblazing live electronic bands. A precursor to the major EDM movement and acts like Lotus, Big Gigantic and Disco Biscuits, STS9 is still widely regarded the pinnacle of the "livetronica" sub-genre that blends elements of jam bands with live electronic production. The band postponed a slew of Winter tour dates through February and it will be interesting to see where things go from here. For his part, Murphy also got his two cents in via his own website on over the weekend after performing a DJ set in Denver on Saturday.
It is with a very sad and heavy heart that I announce I am parting ways with STS9. While we have had an amazing experience together, our paths are taking us in different directions creatively and personally. My deepest apologies go out to all of our fans who have supported us through thick and thin. I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for everything y’all have given me. I wish STS9 the best and hope to see y’all down the road…I LOVE Y’all