Shaky Beats Fest: House, High-Fives, and Homecoming

Shaky Beats Fest: Two hot Atlanta days filled with dropped tracks, wild outfits, and plenty of memories.

There’s no better homecoming than immediately attending a stacked music festival mere weeks upon returning. Nestled in the heart(ish) of Atlanta, Shaky Beats Fest took over Central Park. Providing the masses with a perfectly curated ensemble of artists and DJ’s, ready to fill the muggy post-rain air with bouncy house and magical wubs. So what went down last weekend at one of the most anticipated ATL festivals of the season? I’m here to tell ya.

Starting the Shaky Beats Fest weekend off right, Friday’s lineup was a perfect ease-in. With a headliner like RÜFÜS DU SOL, festival goers were hard pressed not to get all up in their feels. But before RÜFÜS‘ set, the afternoon was jam packed with must-see artists. Mostly bouncing from the Piedmont and Peachtree stages, we arrived just in time to catch SnakeHips.

Bouncing to mixes and mashups, working up such a sweat can only lead to one thing before heading over to catch the the next set. And that’s the food and drinks area. Stopping by the consistently crowded Patron tent for a much needed adult beverage – the crew and I headed over to the food. Of course, being in Atlanta, aka one of the nations HUBS for amazing and various cultural dishes, there were plenty of options to choose from. Though, we immediately gravitated toward Humpty’s Dumplings. Because who doesn’t want a delicious fried portable dumpling? Only a crazy person, that’s who.

Humpty’s was named ‘best food’ at Bonnaroo by Rolling Stone Magazine. They were also featured on the Cooking Channel AND Travel Channel, it was an obvious choice. In all honesty, we all know how festival food-lines go, there was no chance we were coming back so we had to knock it out of the park food-wise.

After our much needed re-fuel it was off to scope out the best spot to see Big Gigantic. As we made our sure-footed trek down the world’s weirdest hill to the stage, someone brought up the fact that it was strange Big G wasn’t a more featured headliner during the weekend. Considering they were splitting their time between Shaky Beats and LIB this weekend, it makes sense – Dom and Jeremy are busy men. But not too busy that they couldn’t drop a brand new track just for us happy ATLiens. The new track, consistently teased on social media throughout this week, will be released Friday (5/16) – and trust me, you’re going to want to hit up the pre-save link so you can hear it for yourself as soon as possible.

Back to the show – Big G of course put on an amazing set, hitting all of the jams we all know and love – the entire crowd was bouncing and grooving with the funky duo. As the sun began to set and the sky got darker, the beats got heavier, Big G got a little deeper with their drops and the crowd naturally went wild. When the set wrapped and the family photo was taken, we were off to San Holo to feel those housey beats. The whole night wrapped up with an outstanding performance by RÜFÜS DU SOL, on the more alternative side of the great EDM spectrum RUFUS put on a moody show that still kept us dancing.

DAY 2

Saturday was for exploration and house music. With a less time-sensitive schedule as Friday, Saturday offered more opportunity to explore the more interactive aspects of the festival. We wandered by a row of muralists creating massive works of art with spray cans and brushes. Street Art Alley was a great little pit-stop to chill and watch artists do their thing. Gleeful festival goers stood along with us and watched in awe as the talented artists created while music blasted in the distance. At night, there was an illuminated multicolored rainbow bridge. Did it go anywhere? Not particularly. Was it super fun to stop and play around in? Absolutely.

The moment we arrived I broke free from my more-interested-in-getting-beers friends to sneak a peak at Vanic. The mix master has been releasing more original tracks and I’ve been dying to see him live. I was also on a mission, I needed to hear his remix of Wonderwall ft. Zella Day. Judge me if you want, but this remix is amazing and I walked in just as he started playing it. Joining the dance party I made friends with a group of rave babies who welcomed me with open arms. After a hearty round of outfit compliments, of course. As we danced and sang along to Vanic’s originals, I spotted my friends in the distance and broke free. We were off to catch the rest of Big Wild‘s set.

Weeding our way through the crowed we met up with our larger crew. Amazed at the convenience of totems, even when they’re as simple as a Falcon’s flag – you can always find your homies. Having seen Big Wild a handful of times, we used this set to ease ourselves into the rest of the night. Festivals are a marathon, not a sprint – always remember that.

Immediately following Big Wild was Galantis. With jams like Love on Me and Peanut Butter Jelly, we all knew that we were in for a party. The Swedish duo threw every song and feel they had for us. From Momma Look at Me Now to Hunter, into Gold Dust and U&I (plus so many more) it was non-stop motion of the crowd. Honestly, the two put on an amazing set. There was plenty of buzz after the Galantis, with amped fans saying that was the best set of the weekend. But we still had Martin Garrix to see.

The Swede hadn’t been to Atlanta in a long time, making the set that much more anticipated for fans. I spoke with a few people who said the whole reason why they were there was specifically to see him. Unsurprisingly, Garrix slapped us in the face with all of our favorite jams. Garrix also treated us to a tribute or two of Avicii, which hit the whole crowd in the feels.

When Shaky Beats Fest was all said and done, people dispersed to go home and wind down. Or head to the MANY after parties going on throughout the city. You know, after the long-fought battle to find your Uber and get the hell out of there. The fourth edition of Shaky Beats had come to a close. But looking back on the two amazing nights of the festival, we really couldn’t have asked for more.