ILLfest 2022 Recap: We Found the Wubz
Words by Aaron Nieto / Photos by Shunya Carroll / See the full photo gallery from this event here
September 3 & 4, 2022 — When the forecast for Labor Day weekend predicted rainy and overcast weather, my heart sank at the thought of gray skies, canceled artists or worse, delayed shows. Thankfully, as soon as we rolled up to the fifth year of ILLfest 2022, my heart filled with excitement. The audaciously colorful celebration of bass stuck out of the gloomy Austin landscape to remind us that no matter what the doppler radar showed, we were going to have a hell of a time.
Photo of the crowd during Habstrakt’s set.
The PLURfect Place
ILLfest could not have had a more perfect venue. Driving into the Circuit of the Americas fairgrounds, we were greeted by the roaring sounds of V8 powered race cars that vibrated throughout your body, preparing you for the upcoming weekend of house, bass and EDM. Artists showcases were perfectly arranged around the festival so that each piece had ample space to shine while acting as ideal rendezvous points for whenever you and your friends eventually lost each other in the chaos or for when y’all needed the hottest backdrop for your your #IllfestFam pics. Stage placement was almost perfect, with most of the sound bleed occurring at the smaller stages, but it was never enough to take you out of the intimate experience.
Two festival attendees embrace. They are wearing kandi bracelets, a classic accessory worn and often exchanged with others at EDM festivals and raves.
What’s that noise?
Over 50 musicians were featured at ILLfest with something for literally everyone. Here are our top picks out of everyone we saw:
Jai Wolf made me lose my mind
The Bangladeshi-American electronic producer is known for his ethereal, almost spiritual tracks that combine intense bass that resonates all throughout your body with melodies so sweet, you’ll feel instant nostalgia for the people and place you first heard his music. Experiencing this for an hour straight was an euphoric experience that no other artist at Illfest could have provided.
Vive le france!
I don’t know what they are teaching the children in terms of music over in L'Hexagone, but please send some of that talent our way.
Habstrakt’s non-stop onslaught of deep-bass driven house music perfectly encapsulated what makes ILLfest such a special place. Not a single body was still during his set and the crowd was frothing at each drop.
Grammy award winning producer Madeon is a master of navigating all aspects of dance music, mixing the loudest, most intense tracks you’ve ever heard while calming the crowd with dreamy songs of fresh air, all while wearing his pop influences proudly on his sleeve. After his set, you’ll have to let your soul take a minute to process the many feelings you just experienced.
The small stage
Though ILLfest’s lineup was procured with the bass and EDM lover in mind, stand out acts like Blossom, RJD2, Cut Copy and Chromeo were able to provide some calm from the bass blitz and hopefully introduced festival goers to some new artists.
Madeon performing in front of a massive screen with unique pink visual effects.
I wear my sunglasses at night
After 8 hours of straight dancing, the real party began with the official Illfest afterparties on Saturday and Sunday, and, like true masochists, ignoring our swollen feet and dehydrated bodies, we were elated to attend both days. Hosted at the soul enveloping Concourse Project and the coolest warehouse venue I’ve seen in awhile, Kingdom Nightclub, the afterparties were a must. We spent our nights at the expertly lit Kingdom and danced to the talents of local DJs before basking in a special set from Madeon that explored French exceptionalism in disco and funk as well as house hits that kept your feet moving. There was also some Tame Impala thrown in the mix, and when I tell you the crowd went wild..
Peace, Love and Wubz
ILLfest 2022 proved to be a soul shaking experience from dusk until dawn. A basshead’s paradise, this festival was filled with love, for both the music and for each other. My body is still shaking from all the bass and I hope it never stops.
Festival attendees enjoying the music from the barricade.
