Festival Rundown: FYF 2017 (P.S. It’s Hot.)

FYF has an absolutely stacked lineup this summer, which is awesome, but makes it very hard to narrow down a preview. Fuck Yeah Fest has heavyweights from just about every genre that you won’t want to miss. With so much to see, here’s a list of my highlights from each day to make your planning a little easier.

Friday, July 21st

TOP 2: The artists featured here are two of the must-sees I’m most excited to see for the day.

Flying Lotus: I don’t have too much to say on this one. It’s an obvious choice—any chance to see him is not to be missed. Arguably the most influential producer of the last decade, Flying Lotus has changed music forever with his jazz infused experimental electronic sound. Simply put: DO NOT SLEEP ON HIS ASS. YOU WILL REGRET IT.

DO THE ASTRAL PLANE

Anderson .Paak: I’m not saying Anderson is better than the rest of the artists on this day, but I’ve been dying to see this guy since I heard him sing “now most of y’all can’t do shit, but all my chicks cook grits, and roll a spliff at the same damn time, you aint lived long enough to have a bitch this fine” on “Suede”. Since then he’s hit his stride with his debut album, Malibu, gotten features all around, and kills his live shows.

SUEDE

3 DL: Almost everyone on the lineup is pretty well-known and deserves a mention, but there’s a few that might not be quite as prominent that I personally want to highlight.

Helena Hauff: I’ll admit, I haven’t been listening to nearly enough house and techno since moving back home from the UK, so I’m very excited to check out Helena Hauff. Reigning from Hamburg, she brings a quintessential Berlin sound to the LA festival. Check out her Boiler Room set from a few years ago for some great mixes.

HELENA BOILER ROOM

Hannibal Buress: You might recognize him from the Eric André show. He is unorthodox for a music festival because he’s a stand up comedian. That being said, Hannibal’s not unfamiliar to the music community—he recently curated Boston Calling Music Festival, and even directed a video for Chance The Rapper.

WATCH HANNIBAL AND CHANCE FUCK AROUND

Kirk Knight: Kirk is my second favorite current member of Pro Era. I was first impressed with his track “Extortion” with Dyemond Lewis off of The Shift. Since then, he’s released a solid freshman album, got creative with the impressive beat tape Black Noise, and is now on track to release his highly anticipated collaborative effort with Nyck Caution (aptly titled Nyck @ Knight) later this year.

NYCK @ KNIGHT

Saturday, July 22nd

TOP 2

Frank Ocean: This one goes without saying… but who isn’t excited to see Frank’s first performance in LA since his Channel Orange tour? The man’s a mogul. I would have bought an entire weekend pass just to see him. And with his recent performances, it seems like there’s a good chance he won’t cancel this time!

Thundercat: I think his latest album was a little underrated. It may not have been his most refined piece sonically, but instead of the morbidity we saw on The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam, it’s a damn fun and playful album that showcases his talent and continues to push the boundaries of jazz-funk fusion that he has mastered so well. Plus, it’s always great to see him fuck around with his synth live.

3 DL

Motor City Drum Ensemble: MCDE (Danilo Plessow) is another German native with some of the cleanest house cuts I’ve ever heard. Known for his masterful drums and reaching soul samples, he should put on a great show.

CLEAN AS SHIT

Arca: Depending on what circles you run in, Arca is probably someone that’s either been super hyped or someone that you’ve heard little to nothing about. I’m worried that any attempt to describe his music in a blurb will fall short, so the best way to understand him is to look at his album art for Arca. It’s strange and disturbing, but at the same time technically complex and beautiful. He’s self-contradicting in a way that contradicts contradictions (whatever that means).

CLICK FOR WEIRD ART (and a cool song)

Nicolas Jaar: Okay, so he’s pretty big and you probably know about him, but he’s a great electronic artist and I wanted him on my list. Both of his recent albums, Nymphs and Sirens, are excellent pieces of work. Additionally, he’s a great DJ… so if you know him, you should check him out, and if you don’t know him, you should check him out.

MI MUJER

Sunday, July 23rd

TOP 2

Solange: I slept on Solange for a while, but A Seat at the Table was easily a top pick for the best album of 2016. She has a beautiful voice and incredibly powerful lyrics that I can only imagine are even better live.

Omar-S: A true Detroit house legend, Omar-S paved the way for what house is today. He is an all time favorite of mine, has an encyclopedic knowledge of house, played one of the best sets I’ve ever seen, and should not be missed by any serious house-heads. His last album, The Best, caught some criticism, but singles like “Heard Chew Single” and “On Your Way” show he’s still got it.

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE MYSELF

3 DL

Moses Sumney: Jagjaguwar’s newest signee is probably best known for his feature on the “Show Me Love (Skrillex Remix)” with Chance The Rapper and Hundred Waters, but he’s got some great other work. His “Doomed” single and Lamentations EP were beautiful and if you’re a fan of Bon Iver, the feel of Sumney’s voice comes closer than anyone else I’ve heard recently.

Mac DeMarco: Mac has a great stage presence and is an incredibly talented artist. If you’re looking for some indie rock, I’m sure you were already planning on seeing him. If you don’t know what you want to see on Sunday, I would  suggest listening to his brand-new album This Old Dog and checking out his performance.

Kehlani: I love Kehlani. I think she’s been killing it this last year. She had a very unorthodox pathbut with her debut album and a few all time features (Post Malone’s Feels, anyone?), she has quickly risen to the forefront of R&B.

Purchase tickets to FYF on the website.