In addition to a damn good party, the annual arrival of Electric Forest signals a great reunion of the disparate communities of the U.S. festival scene.
Every June, tens of thousands of music lovers, from heady jam band fans and dubstep headbangers to house and techno heads, descend upon the four-night camping festival in Rothbury, Michigan, attracted by its woodland setting, enchanting art installations, and a breadth of musical performances that reflects the dynamic tastes of its melting pot of partygoers.
This year’s bill is no different, with headline sets spanning Justice’s operatic electro-disco, psychedelic acoustics from Khruangbin, a breakthrough hard techno headline from Sara Landry, wild bass vibrations from Zeds Dead, Liquid Stranger, Louis The Child, WORSHIP, and Of The Trees, and house heavyweights Disclosure, Vintage Culture, Cloonee, Mochakk, FISHER, Barry Can’t Swim, and Tiësto.
But while headliners sell tickets, the true DNA of any festival shines through in the undercard, and 2025 brings one of Electric Forest’s most eclectic casts of supporting acts to date. As we venture back into the woods for the festival’s return next week, June 19-22, read on for five undercard acts we’re particularly stoked to catch this year.
1tbsp
After catching acclaim with his Grammy-nominated alt-pop project, Golden Vessel, Australian musician Maxwell Byrne has been cooking up soaring indie-house beats under his club-focused alias, 1tbsp, since 2021.
Adding to a steady stream of dancey, lo-fi bangers, such as his soaring 2023 breakthrough, “No Nein,” and a horde of speedy, Latin-influenced club cuts from his 2024 album debut, megacity1000, the Brisbane-born artist’s latest EP, Hotel Living, explores sonic complexity with precision, contributions from cherry cola and DJ ADHD, and a whole lot of fun.
The result is a simultaneously cerebral and silly dancefloor feeling that we can’t wait to experience among the trees of Electric Forest on Saturday.
NOTION
As a global UK garage resurgence continues to pick up steam, NOTION has emerged as the latest fabled face of “NUKG,” blending pop, hip-hop, and R&B sensibilities into his buzzy, bass-bombed take on the UK-centric sounds of bassline house, garage, and drum & bass.
After years building a reputation as one of the British scene’s top producers, the Bristolian artist—real name Robert Penny—scored a global breakthrough last year with his viral remix of Chrystal’s “The Days,” a starry-eyed, nostalgia-laden UKG rework destined to soundtrack nearly 500,000 (and counting) combined videos on Instagram and TikTok. It officially went platinum in the UK last month.
But while his biggest hit is well known for its crossover appeal, NOTION’s catalog of official releases and bootlegs is also home to some of the most forward-thinking productions in garage. He’s even started a new project strictly for his deep bag of “Dance Dubs” that are the talk of the scene among fellow luminaries like Sammy Virji, Interplanetary Criminal, Conducta, and Ben UFO. We can’t wait to hear what he’s got in store next.
Jade Cicada
Jade Cicada has been one of bass music’s best-kept secrets for far too long. Over the last decade, the Massachusetts-hailing production prodigy—born Skyler Golden—has steadily carved out a name for himself as dance music’s premier peddler of trip-hop and experimental bass, with the invaluable cosign of other innovators like Mr. Carmack, Daily Bread, Machinedrum, and genre legend Tipper.
The Berklee-educated musician is an equally renowned live set technician, seamlessly weaving alien bass tones, mechanical percussion, and complex, jazz-infused rhythms. After several years of sporadic performances, he has been back on the road regularly in 2025 and is climbing lineups at major festivals across the country. His latest Lunar Fade EP is a space bass dream.
After a big peak-day Saturday, we’re planning to burn the midnight oil and cut some crazy shapes to Jade Cicada’s funky beats.
Disclosure Friends & Family Takeover
While this next highlight is technically multiple acts, the slate for Disclosure’s Friends & Family takeover on Saturday night is too stacked not to mention.
In addition to delivering a headline DJ set as Disclosure, Guy Lawrence—one-half of the Grammy-nominated house duo alongside his brother Howard—will play B2B with Daphni, the experimental alias of Caribou visionary Dan Snaith, as part of a curated setlist of genre-mashing performances and rarely seen-pairings from Disclosure’s blossoming B2B-focused party series.
Fans can also catch one of UKG’s hottest tickets in a B2B from ATW Records co-founders Interplanetary Criminal & Main Phase, bounce around with new-school trance favorites DJ Heartstring, and delve into the party-rocking club sounds of the 2010s as underground dance heroine Avalon Emerson links up with surging electroclash duo Fcukers.
Earlier in the day, expect a deep house clinic from Brazil’s Maz and Moroccan-born Beantown-based selector Ahmed Spins, as well as boundary-pushing bass frequencies from prodigious former OWSLA producer Alex Young’s experimental project, Villager, going B2B with UK heavyweight Pocket.
Confidence Man
Sometimes, a good sugar rush is just what you need, and Aussie electro pop group Confidence Man certainly delivers with their high-octane brand of poppy, hedonistic rave music. Fronted by the inimitable Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, the Brisbane-based four-piece and its deliriously fun live show have won over even the most serious clubbers on their decade-long ascent to global prominence.
After breaking onto the scene with their 2019 album debut, Confident Music for Confident People, the band has pumped out two more full-length albums and a bevy of remixes by and for underground electronic music’s biggest names, from DJ Seinfeld, Carlita, and Malugi and to Daniel Avery, Tame Impala, and Erol Alkan.
As of late, the ballooning success of Confidence Man’s 2024 album, 3AM (LA LA LA), has spawned two ensuing deluxe editions, with remixes and collabs from Sweely, Eliza Rose, UK pioneers Orbital and even King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard—so you know they’ve got a big bag of tunes.
But a Con Man live set is truly a sight to behold. Featuring energetic, choreographed dances, drag queens, deadpan humor, and oddball theatrics, it should be a perfect match for Electric Forest’s curated Sunday Pride event in partnership with Jake Reniscow’s Dreamland events brand.
For more information or to purchase tickets to Electric Forest 2025, visit electricforest.com.
The post 5 Can’t Miss Undercard Acts At Electric Forest 2025 appeared first on EDM Maniac.
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