The ultimate artist guide for Beyond Wonderland 2022 at the Gorge

Bijou

Bijou has kept busy for the last two years, releasing new music this year, following his 15-track album Diamond City, which came out in July of 2020. You also might have recognized him from Boo! at the Wa-Mu Theater in Seattle last October. He’s also got a label, too, at Do Not Duplicate Recordings.

Dombresky

Hailing from France, house artist Dombresky is also coming to the Gorge. He’s been producing music for over a decade now, finding his way into the mainstream level after an official remix of A-Trak’s We All Fall Down in 2015. Since then, he’s found his way in with Tchami, a fellow Frenchman. Together, they released Freakin‘ on Tchami’s Confessions label, which Dombresky further went on to release a host of singles and remixes.

Green Velvet

Referring to artists as “Legends” probably happens more often than it should, but it’s more than apt when referring to Chicago’s Green Velvet. Releasing his debut EP 30 years ago, the artist also known as Curtis Alan Jones is intertwined with the history of techno and house music. He’s released dozens of albums and EPs as both Green Velvet and his original moniker Cajmere, showcasing an ability to not only adjust with the times, but to create new trends as well. If you haven’t had a chance to catch Green Velvet yet, don’t miss your chance at Beyond Wonderland at the Gorge.

James Hype

If there’s a house music DJ who’s been taking the world by storm, it just might be James Hype. Originally from England, Hype hit the pavement running with some of his R&B and rap remixes like Hotline Bling. From there, he’s played some shows at some of the biggest club scenes in Ibiza, Las Vegas, and more. If you have a friend in your group at Beyond Wonderland who is still on the fence of EDM but likes the hottest hits (or if you do), take them to see James Hype. You won’t regret it!

John Summit

While 2020 was a tough year for everyone, some artists like John Summit managed to make the most of it. The Chicago-based producer/DJ had a song, Deep End, gain support from the likes of Pete Tong, Annie Mac, and more, while dominating the Beatport charts throughout the summer. Now that events and festivals are back, it’s time for John Summit to reach the heights he’s been waiting for since exploding onto the scene last year. Part of that process: returning to the Northwest for a debut set at the Gorge.

Lucati

Well-respected by some of the biggest house names in the game like Claude VonStoke, Shiba San, Tchami and more, Lucati is another set to keep an ear out for. He’s got a nuanced style that sets him apart from the rest. As he credits his inspirations, he also pushes himself to develop a style that feels refreshing. He’s performed at the large festival circuits and this won’t be his first time at the Gorge, either. But it will be his first time performing solo in contrast to his 2019 Paradiso B2B with Dateless.

Tollefson

If you’re looking for some new techno to sink your teeth into, look no further than Rachel Tollefson. With a show on local Seattle radio station C89.5, she’s got her roots firmly planted into the Pacific Northwest and we couldn’t be more excited to learn more about her. Currently her SoundCloud is made up of a handful of hour-long mixes which could give you plenty idea what to expect.

Truth x Lies

Duo Ian Bertles and Ryan Howard, better known as Truth x Lies, first blew up when they won the Insomniac Discovery Project competition in 2017. Both have an extensive background in music, although it wasn’t always electronic music. Bertles grew up surrounded by music with parents as full-time musicians, before discovering his passion for EDM which lead him to the ICON Collective school in LA. Howard earned a master’s degree in classical music, and pivoted to dance music after an injury forced him to take time away from playing trumpet.

With both impressive resumes, the Truth x Lies project has taken off in the last couple of years. Although they primarily produce house, you can definitely hear a wide array of subgenres throughout their mixes and discography.

Wenzday

Taylor Chung, better known as Wenzday, fuses house and bass together masterfully. As a classically-trained graduate of the ICON Collective school in LA, she’s got serious chops to back her upbringing. It’s not every day that you’d see an artist with releases on house label IN/ROTATION also pull a slot at the dubstep-heaven festival Lost Lands.

Beyond Wonderland at the Gorge won’t be her first time in the Pacific Northwest. Although she calls Los Angeles home, she’s played a handful of shows around Portland and Seattle.

Acraze

You would be hard-pressed to find another artist who went viral to the mainstream as quickly as house artist Acraze. After Do It To It began picking up steam and made its way to Tik Tok, it feels like nearly every DJ has dropped it live. Whether they were house, bass, or even hardstyle, EDM artists picked up the track and ran with it.

Since blowing up in 2021, Acraze continues to blur the lines of genre with R&B, disco, and more. No matter the track, you’re sure to be grooving along for the whole ride.

Alesso

Alessandro Lindblad, who goes by Alesso, is a name from what many consider to be the “golden era” of dance music around 2012-2015. He quickly grew in popularity with the support of Tiesto, Swedish House Mafia, and Avicii. But he didn’t stop then: Alesso has kept the momentum going strong through today.

Although he’s best known for progressive house remixes and originals, he’s had plentiful experience in getting crowds moving. Even if you think that he might not be your cup of tea, take a chance and experience him live: you will not be disappointed.

CloZee

French-turned-Denver bass artist CloZee has made waves for years now. Her music is paradoxical in nature: it is both painstakingly structured, and wildly free from bounds and rules. This was evident from her earliest releases. But after putting out her Neon Jungle album, her place at the table of a pioneer in experimental bass music is cemented.

As it stands, she’s hot off her headlining tour and a slot at the fall 2021 version of Beyond Wonderland. Clearly, the PNW scene can’t get enough of her. Although recordings don’t do her justice, CloZee is definitely an act to prioritize.

Elderbrook

If you’re looking for some mellow, melodic music to break up your weekend of raging, look no further than Elderbrook. As a Grammy-nominated, self-taught multi-instrumentalist, he’s highly skilled in producing music that just feels good to listen to.

Although his collaboration with CamelPhat, Cola, is what boosted his career to another level, if you really want to get a feel for Elderbrook, you must keep going. His sophomore full-length album, Why Do We Shake In The Cold? is one of our favorites.

Fisher

If there’s a tune from a few years ago that still gets the people going, let it be Losing It by Fisher. Many DJ’s can be a little goofy, but Paul Fisher is another level. You may have seen videos of him, playing pranks on his friends and wife, cackling. Or footage of him chopping vegetables to the beat of one of his tracks at a festival.

Beyond his humor, he’s got the chops to prove his musical talent. With a #1 Dance Record on Billboard, a Grammy nomination, and more accolades, he’s on a roll.

Kaskade

One of the most influential producers of all time, Kaskade has had a major hand in much of the current dance music landscape. He kicked off a trend of DJ’s hosting residency events at Las Vegas clubs, sold out massive arenas, and released highly-acclaimed albums and projects.

Throughout the pandemic, he continues to take his skill to new heights with a live-stream performance in partnership with Coca-Cola over the top of the Grand Canyon. Although he plays his staple hits live, you never know exactly what you’ll get from his extensive catalog and musical knowledge.

For a taste of nostalgia, dive into his recently-released reimagined full-length album, Fire & Ice v3.

Rossy

Rossy, an up-and-coming trap and bass producer, is one to watch. This has certainly been her year as she debuts at major festivals like HARD Summer in California. She’s also caught the eye of RL Grime’s Sable Valley and Zeds Dead’s Deadbeats labels. Catch her on the heels of what’s to be a massively successful career given her talent.

The Librarian

Although you may not recognize her by her stage name, Andrea Graham holds a massive foothold in the PNW bass music scene. She’s celebrated for her talent both as an artist and an entrepreneur, as co-founder of B.C.’s internationally-recognized Bass Coast festival.

Andrea, who goes by the moniker The Librarian, has garnered a massive reputation as an inclusive bridge to bass music for many. She is a classically-trained artist, and her expansive catalog of music is what lent her the “Librarian” name. The Librarian moves fluidly through nearly every corner of bass: whether dubstep, dum and bass, jungle, grime, and more.

ATLiens

If you’re looking for some aggressively clanging dubstep, you’re in luck because ATLiens are here to deliver. Widely known for their glitchy and clashy sounds that match their alien red-eye mask personas, ATLiens exemplifies extraterrestrial.

Black Tiger Sex Machine

The Black Tiger Sex Machine trio is one that you will not want to miss at Beyond Wonderland at the Gorge. The main stage is the perfect place to see their Church audiovisual experience which is synced up to the flashing lights on their helmets.

You’ll hear a little of everything at this set. They jump explosively between genres, playing both their hits that we know and love, older classics that they edit, and more obscure tracks. No matter what they play, you know you’ll be in for a surprise.

Moore Kismet

Another young artist dance music fans will be ecstatic to enjoy at the Gorge this fall is Moore Kismet. Also known as Omar Davis, Moore Kismet is already playing major shows as a teenager. Showcasing their addictive blend of dance music, which quickly reveals why everyone is excited about their future, Moore Kismet is an easy addition to any “Must See” list for Beyond Wonderland at the Gorge 2021.

Nostalgix

Nostalgix, aka Negar Hamidi, is another Northwest artist making a name for herself on the Night Bass label. She released the Act Out EP via AC Slater’s imprint in late-2020, which followed the three track OG Sins EP on the same label. A North American tour was set to take place last year as well. While it’s been a long wait, it’s better late than never for her return to the Gorge. She opened up the main stage on day one of Paradiso 2017.

Porter Robinson

If there’s an artist who needs little introduction, it’s Porter Robinson. We don’t have enough good things to say about the guy. From his curated Second Sky festival event, his charitable efforts to raise money for a rare type of cancer that his brother faced, and his outspoken vulnerability into mental health struggles as an artist, Porter Robinson exemplifies what it means to use your platform for good.

Musically speaking, there are few artists who can impress as much as he does. Although his style has distinctly changed over the last decade, he’s moved from a successful tech house sound to pioneering the future bass genre. With his last album, Nurture, he’s found a softer, instrumental-leaning voice making the music that spoke to him the most.

Do yourself a favor and just put on his discography, because it would be a gross injustice to define him to a single sound.

Sean Majors

Seattle’s own Sean Major has a major foothold in the city’s scene. As a resident at local clubs like Monkey Loft, he’s also been involved with booking at Q Nightclub, and founded Upper Left events. His latest mix on SoundCloud dates back seven years, so it’s hard to say definitely what to expect live, unless you’ve caught one of his opening residency shows in the area.

Sidepiece

From the combined powers of Party Favor (aka Dylan Ragland) and Nitti Gritti (aka Ricky Mears), Sidepiece is exactly that for the two established dance music artists. While a Sidepiece may be a side-project, it produced a 2020 Grammy nomination for “Best Dance Recording” with On My Mind, a collaboration with Diplo. Not bad for a couple of guys just beginning to make their way and find their sound in house music.

TroyBoi

TroyBoi is another huge headliner to book for Beyond Wonderland. Trap music seems to come naturally to him the way the East London producer and multi-instrumentalist makes his projects look so effortless. With some insane samples, chopping beats, and R&B/ hip-hop influences, he makes music sexy and easy to dance to. Pair it with the main stage at the Gorge, and you might never escape the hold from TroyBoi.

Zeds Dead

The Canadian duo Zeds Dead (also known affectionately as DC and Hooks) have been making music boundlessly since 2009. They’ve built an empire around the unexpected in bass music, constantly thinking three steps ahead and driving the future. Although every song in their catalog is wildly different, Zeds Dead has never missed as far as we’re concerned.

It’s not just their personal releases that are helping to build their empire, either. They launched the Deadbeats label and following radio show, sold out massive events, toured around the world, and created a Zeds Dead side project and label for downtempo bass called Altered States.

If you’re faced with a tough set conflict, just know this: Zeds Dead is a can’t miss.

A Hundred Drums

Gabrielle Watson, better known as A Hundred Drums, stomped into the bass music scene and holds her ground. She’s cultivating a sound that is uniquely her own, as a blend of hip-hop, psychedelic bass, and indigenous hand drums.

She backs her values, too. With the platform of Deadbeats label, she released a politically salient EP which painfully paints a picture of systemic racism and violence at the hands of police violence. Additionally, she released a companion piece which conveyed her own experience with police racism as a Black woman in the US.

Calyx & TeeBee

Drum and bass is seeing a resurgence in the United States, and Calyx & TeeBee are riding the wave of momentum. As veterans in the genre, they had already developed a massive catalog independently before forming their duo. After earning their accolades and being inducted into the BBC Essential Mix club, they’ve kept doing their thing. Finally, they’re coming back to this big stage in a dubstep-heavy climate to show us a thing or two about UK drum and bass.

Champagne Drip

He may have been cutting his teeth for years defining his musical production landscape, but Sam Pool has climbed to new heights with his Champagne Drip project. He began this project cloaked in mystery, keeping his real identity disguised before revealing himself as the former artist SPL with a new sound.

His new sound boosted him to success, featuring a single Open Your Eyes, that was featured on an official Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign ad. He’s got a ton of remixes under his belt with a signature wobbly, synth-heavy, lush sound.

CHOMPPA

Alec Goldstein, better known as CHOMPPA, is best known for his bone-rattling dubstep sound. He’s grabbed the attention of Zeds Dead, Subtronics, and more. Don’t sleep on his debut EP, Flabbergast, released on Deadbeats.

Downlo

Downlo, also known as Aaron Silverstein, is one of Seattle’s own. He’s got an affinity for bass music, and it shows. He’s performed at some of the more underground venues throughout Seattle, but this will be his first visit playing at the Gorge. We can’t wait to see what he does on the big stage.

Ekali

B.C.’s very own, Ekali, will also take the stage. Simultaneously making trap bangers and emotional electronica-leaning tracks is no easy feat. It’s even more difficult to get your track sampled by the mega-star Drake (on Preach, and Wednesday Night Interlude) before you’ve formally launched your solo career, but Ekali did that too.

With a slew of remixes and tributes featuring his signature sound, and plenty of his solo created material, Ekali is still on the upward trajectory.

Getter

Tanner Petulla, also known as Getter, has had a storied career as a dubstep artist. He quickly fell into fame after getting picked up onto Skrillex’s OWSLA imprint in 2015. After he gained a notable reputatation as a dubstep heavyweight, he released a surprising conceptual and emotional album: Visceral. Although it was widely acclaimed, a large number of “fans” did not respond well to the change and bullied Petulla into eventually canceling his tour.

Since then, he’s fiercely defended his rights as an artist to make whatever he wants. We’re thrilled he continued to make music and tour again after the debacle, because he’s an incredibly talented artist is whatever he makes.

MARAUDA

Hamish Prasad, more often recognized for his stage name MARAUDA, has taken over the heavy bass scene in that last few years. He’s earned the support of some of the biggest names in bass, including Excision, SLANDER, and more. Chances are high you’ve heard Death Pit start at least a couple of mosh pits since it’s become one of the more played-out drops in heavy bass.

sfam

The experimental bass duo, sfam, is making their way to the Gorge. Although experimental bass has exploded in popularity over the last few years, sfam rises to the top as an artist to watch. They’ve been able to formulate impressive original trap beats combined with a love of heavy bass that adds another layer onto their sound. Take notice now, as they’re getting getting love from Liquid Stranger, UZ, and more.

Wreckno

Few artists can serve up bass as fierce and fresh as Wreckno. As a 24 year old just beginning to capitalize on the momentum he’s gaining, he’s clear that he does things his way. He’s been outspoken on his sexuality as a queer man, and his music is all about self-expression and originality. As he continues to add onto his artist image through more elaborate stage presentation and his own vocal capabilities, it’s clear that anyone standing in his way should move.

Apashe

Professionally-trained, Belgian producer Apashe is captivating global audiences. His previous experience as a full time sound designer clearly lends itself to his vision for creating audio-visual experiences in his music. His debut album, Renaissance, is an original exploration through medieval times. With the help of full orchestral samples and gritty basslines, Apashe knocked this out of the park.

Deathpact

Mystery still exudes around the DEATHPACT project since its appearance three years ago. Heavy in bass, but distinct from comparable acts REZZ and 1788-L, no one knows the identity of the artist who performs masked. Conspiracy theories run afoot, claiming their identity is everyone from one half of ODESZA, to Hooks from Zeds Dead.

Complete with a full Discord site, those curious have been sent down a rabbit hole to uncover who Deathpact is.

FuntCase

Hailing from the UK, FuntCase has been around electronic music since he was young. Drum and bass, as well as jungle, were all genres he played around with before he was eventually led to his real love: dubstep. Since 2009, he’s been giving his wobbly tracks a big breath with some drum and bass elements as well.

It wasn’t long before his career took off and he became friends with dubstep legend Doctor P. He’s been playing shows around the globe since, and even runs his own DPMO label to bring other artists with him as well.

Ivy Lab

North London duo Ivy Lab is a project on the fringes of the scene, doing what they do best: experimenting. They’ve been described in DJ Mag as “impossible to categorize,” which fits with their overall brand: innovating through exploration.

They’ve managed to generate significant buzz while staying somewhat underground in the US currents. If you’re looking for some high-quality, mind-melting experimental bass, Ivy Lab is a surefire hit.

Liquid Stranger

Martin Stääf, more recognizable by his stage name Liquid Stranger, has been collecting fans left and right for the better part of two decades now. Categorizing him as a dubstep artist is grossly incomplete. His catalog is packed full of a psychedelic range of heavier, wobblier bass, and worldly experimental tracks.

And live? He’s even better. Liquid Stranger commands a stage with out-of-this-world lasers and trippy visuals. Leading a pack of bass artists who would have been considered “too weird” to sign, Liquid Stranger proves that sometimes, you must take a trip to open your mind.

MYTHM

Another product of the PNW, MYTHM creates experimental bass and dubstep in Vancouver B.C. His practice of using both modular and analog gear into his sound design sets him apart form the rest of the crowd.

Since Mikey Miele launched the MYTHM project in early 2019, he’s earned the support of Zeds Dead, Liquid Stranger, Truth, and more. His career continued to elevate throughout the pandemic with mesmerizing live-streams and a stream of releases.

Pandamonium

PNW local bass artist Pandamonium has been cutting his teeth in the Seattle and Bellingham area local scene for several years. You’d probably recognize him as tour support for some of the bigger bass artists to come through, like Champagne Drip or Pegboard Nerds, or on the lineup for FreakNight or Paradiso. He’ll be returning to the Gorge again for Beyond Wonderland, and is sure to throw a fun set.

Smoakland

Smoakland is the vision of two from the Bay Area, who met as college athletes attending Boise State University, and later re-united and pursued a music career together. Their dubstep brand name comes from their love of Bay Area weed. Smoakland brings a vision of old-school dubstep back to life with some more contemporary layers on it.

The Funk Hunters

Another PNW-based duo, The Funk Hunters create a forward-thinking sound that harnesses funk, soul, and hip-hop. The longtime friends Nick Middleton and Duncan Smith combine their power; Middleton directs the production of their music, and Smith steers their live show.

Together, they’ve amassed millions of streams and are staples at PNW-based festivals.

WERID WAIFU

Rounding out the lineup comes WEIRD WAIFU, an emerging Seattlite in the bass music scene. This won’t be her first Gorge stop though, as she brought her flavor of bass to Bass Canyon last August. She’s full of her own take on bass music, so make sure to check her out.