Wavefront Music Festival 2013 is fast approaching. The premier electronic festival that takes place on Montrose Beach in downtown Chicago features a mix of main stage artists like Diplo and Justice, combined with the underground sounds of Nicolas Jaar, Seth Troxler, Hot Natured and many more. All in all Wavefront will take place on the July 4th weekend featuring over 100 artists on 4 stages.

Earmilk.com had the opportunity to partner with Wavefront and Wavo on its DJ Invitational contest, where DJs from across the country competed for a spot on the coveted lineup. The final round was a DJ battle at Castle Nightclub, and we gave one of the runner’s up in the first round one last chance to make it. Through trending on our emerging artists chart on Wavo.me, we determined that Teig, (((Ekho))) & J. Worra, Eat U Alive Music, Shmoo and Futuristic. Space. Bass. would be going to the DJ Battle at Castle!

After an intense battle at the Castle where the contestants were only separated by 15 points, the judges determined that (((Ekho))) & J. Worra + Eat U Alive Music would be joining the likes of Diplo and Maya Jane Coles on stage for the festival! Both groups are up and comers from chicago and their remixes and original productions coupled with their live DJ skills wowed the judges. These three are for sure ones to watch.

A full preview of Wavefront music festival is coming soon on Earmilk.com but for now we have three reasons that Wavefront will be different then the rest of summer festival season

1. The Venue – On the shores of Lake Michigan, only ten minutes from downtown lies the expansive Montrose Beach. Beach festivals have always been a favorite of ours; there’s something special about sand under your feet while house music washes over the landscape. The proximity to downtown means it’s an easy commute to the after parties and hotels, which is a welcome difference from other rural and out-of-the-way festivals where cabs are impossible to find.

2. The Lineup – Without a doubt Wavefront’s biggest strength is the diversity in their bookings. Main stage heavy weights Diplo, Rusko, and 3LAU were tapped to lead the festival, and Wavefront managed to secure one of Justice’s only 2 North American performances over the summer. What sets it apart from all the other festival lineups this summer is its uncompromising depth of the deep house, techno and underground artist bookings. With names like Maya Jane Coles, Wolf + Lamb, Sharam, DJ Tennis, Scuba, Guy Gerber, Dubfire, Pillowtalk, Trente Cantrelle among countless others, Wavefront certainly pulled through, filling out its entire lineup with non-mainstream performers. They have even a stage dedicated to old-school Chicago house. This speaks to where the cutting edge of music is right now; there is obviously a movement towards the underground, and Wavefront is on the cusp.

3. The Weekend – Independance day long weekend is always going to be crazy in downtown Chicago. Couple that party with a electronic music beach festival and you have a recipe for success. Not to mention the massive amounts of fireworks that will be set off every night at Montrose Beach.

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