Josh Messer

Festival Report: Mamby On The Beach 2017

There’s something to be said about a festival when you can look back on it a week later and remember only the highlights of it. Mamby On The Beach finally hit the mark that it feels like React Presents has been trying to hit with its festivals for a few years now, and it’s because [continued]
Festival Rundown: Mamby On The Beach 2017

Mamby has cemented itself as a rare experience in downtown Chicago that people, by and large, seem genuinely excited about each time it comes around. Revived by React in 2015 from its block party roots of yesteryear, the move was initially met with skepticism — people were confused about everything from React’s involvement to the [continued]
Festival Rundown: Spring Awakening Music Festival 2017

Entering into its sophomore year in Addams-Medill Park, Spring Awakening has conveniently cemented itself as Chicago’s big brand electronic music festival. Having been forced from Soldier Field after 2015 due to the Copa America, React Presents wasted no time last year in making Addams-Medill their own for the purposes of SAMF, making the most of [continued]
Great Big Summer Giveaway #2 – A Pair of Mamby Tickets

Yep, we’re doing it again. Our good friends at React Presents reached out and are helping us hook it up with a pair of tickets to Mamby On The Beach next week July 2nd + 3rd, at Chicago’s Oakwood Beach. All you gotta do is click here and enter your email and/or phone number. Just peep our [continued]
Festival Report: Spring Awakening Music Festival 2016

Ok, ok, we get it — EDM is dead. We’ve only been talking about it being dead since late 2013 now. The festival scene, particularly in America, never got that memo, at least not until relatively recently. Spring Awakening has been hailed for its entire five-year history as the premier EDM festival in Chicago city limits, and while [continued]
Great Big Summer Giveaway #1 – A Pair of Spring Awakening Tickets

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Essentials: “Open Fire” – Slumberjack ft. Daniel Johns

Slumberjack have, appropriately, remained sleeper favorites of mine since the Australian duo first grabbed my attention a little more than a year ago with a trap sound that was unlike anyone else’s at the oversaturated time. True to their talents, they’ve grown beyond genre definition, crafting a lush and exciting soundscape with “Open Fire.” Daniel Johns‘ [continued]
Chicago Giveaway: Pair of Tickets to Moderat, Telefon Tel Aviv, and Abstract Science DJs @ Concord Music Hall

Hey Chicago friends, we wanted to thank the tangent of you that have been tuning in and putting us on to some cool stuff. React Presents, Concord Music Hall, and PressPlay have teamed up to provide you and a friend with free entry to Moderat and company on Saturday, May 21st. All you gotta do is [continued]
Essentials: “Burn The Witch” – Radiohead

They’re back. “Burn The Witch” features a video directed by Chris Hopewell, a claymation affair paying tribute to horror classic, The Wicker Man. Without too much judgement, the record sounds like In Rainbows-era Radiohead, with the mounting tension and intensity to match. This is a good one. Watch the video and peep the single artwork below. [continued]
Album Review: Views – Drake

After a few listens of Views, a few things are clear. 1) Drake is still very much Drake. 2) He can do a narrative album well enough. 3) He surrounds himself with a team of the people best suited to make the type of music he envisions, and 4) For as much as he fancies himself [continued]