The ARC Phenomenon: Chicago hosts globally acclaimed electronic music fest this weekend

Local Spins’ ‘Looking for the Perfect Beat’ columnist Todd Ernst unveils must-see festival sets and his pro users’ guide as ARC celebrates 40 years of house music in its birthplace.

 

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The 40th anniversary of house music culminates this Labor Day weekend with the fourth edition of Chicago’s ARC Music Festival.

Originally established in 2021 as a metaphorical music vessel to bridge the global house and techno communities, ARC is now recognized as one of the top house and techno festivals in the world.

“That first year was surreal. Chicago had just emerged from the strictest COVID guidelines in the country, and we were gifted this incredible opportunity to dance together again,” Chicago dance music podcaster and host of “Elevated Frequencies” Olivia Mancuso told Local Spins.

“It felt like a block party with thousands of your closest friends. It was truly a celebration of life. I’ll never forget seeing the ARC flyer come across my Facebook feed for the first time. It was so intriguing. There was no information other than that someone was bringing house and techno to Chicago. Then the lineup dropped a few months later, and we lost our minds.”

To see how the festival has grown since then “brings an enormous sense of pride,” she said. “The magic of ARC has spread across the world, and now people from all over come to Chicago to see how we do it – and we do it right.”

It helps, of course, that the festival’s parent entity, Auris, features seasoned veterans of the scene.

“Heading into our fourth year and learning that ARC was voted a Top 50 Festival in the world by DJ Mag was a testament to the commitment of the ARC team and the enduring legacy of house music, which is especially relevant in 2024 as we celebrate 40 years of this homegrown sound turning into a global phenomenon,” said John Curley, co-founder of Auris Presents.

“Bringing together the pioneers with the global expansion of the sound in the place it all began, there’s a special magic in that and it’s been one of the great experiences of our lives to see this festival resonate with so many house and techno fans across the globe.”

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THE ARC STAGES AT CHICAGO’S UNION PARK

The GRID: Considered the main stage and in many ways is on par with Electric Forest’s Sherwood Court or Movement’s Main Stage, The GRID is where you’ll find the majority of global touring artists. The production level gets better every year, and when the sun descends behind the architecture, the photo-worthy backdrop of the Chicago skyline makes this an even better experience.

ELROW: Spanish promotion troupe elrow returns with its “KAOS Garden” stage takeover, which definitely falls into the category of “IYKYK.” The elrow team describes it as “a journey in which we will always be accompanied by the guardians of our souls, beings who remind us that we are always free, no matter where or when.”

EXPANSIONS: The majority of the more underground minded individuals make their ARC home here. Exuding a great vibe amid a tight fit, the intimacy of Expansions is reminiscent of the magical jungles within BPM (Tulum and Costa Rica).

Area 909: Perhaps the most talked about stage last year was Area 909, aptly named in honor of the Roland TR909 drum machine that was gifted to Frankie Knuckles (widely regarded as the founder of house music) from Detroit’s Juan Atkins (often referred to as the Godfather of Techno). While demure in stature, Area 909 packs a big city punch.

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THE 2024 ARC ARTISTS & MUST-SEE PICKS

Much attention gets focused on Charlotte de Witte and Disclosure, but Saturday night’s three-hour stretch of Gorgon City followed by Dom Dolla ranks as one of the more formidable one-two punches Chicago has experienced.

Electronic music fans young and old will find something to embrace, as evidenced by the inclusion of Chicago fave Kaskade, Amsterdam’s Mau P, England’s Sammy Virji, Italian production trio Meduza, Germany’s Purple Disco Machine, and NYC’s The Martinez Brothers.

Techno also boasts great representation with Sara Landry, German legend Sven Väth and hometown representatives Hiroko Yamamura playing alongside DJ Hyperactive.

Doubling down on b2b pairings this year, ARC rolls out a heavyweight match-up of Britain’s Carl Cox with Chicago’s Green Velvet at Expansions, as well as a set to watch for early attendees featuring Detroit’s DJ Holographic and Chicago’s Shaun J. Wright at Area 909. The pairings of Marshall Jefferson with Gene Farris (ELROW), Derrick Carter b2b Mark Farina (Expansions), and Terry Hunter joined by Mike Dunn (Area 909) offers some of the best samplings of proper Chicago house. And the Detroit love set of Moodymann and Carl Craig (Area 909) has the makings of a set-for-the-ages.

Here are my don’t-miss ARC sets, sure to leave you with a solid imprint of your experience in Chicago. View the entire line-up here.

Armand Van Helden (7 p.m. Sunday, ELROW) – One of house music’s most revered artists, Boston native Armand Van Helden shot to stardom with a trio of mid ’90s dance floor stormers in that of Tori Amos’ “Professional Widow,” CJ Boland’s “Sugar is Sweeter” and the Sneaker Pimps’ “Spin Spin Sugar.” Not long thereafter, it was the house anthem, “You Don’t Even Know Me,” with vocalist Duane Harden that put AVH over the top. All of which led to an even more impressive remix portfolio. The formation of Duck Sauce with A-Trak led to a Grammy Award nomination for their global smash, “Barbara Streisand.”
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armandvanhelden

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MK (8:30 p.m. Saturday, ELROW) – When you hear things like “They’re as real deal as it gets,” Detroit native Marc Kinchen falls into that bucket. One of electronic music’s first global superstars, he has rather quietly amassed a back catalog with over 2 billion streams. MK’s efforts shine in the studio on big hits such as 2023’s “Rhyme Dust” with Dom Dolla, and what can best be referred to as a COVID-spirit-lifter, 2020’s “Underwater,” featuring Annabel England.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marckinchen/

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ANOTR (5 p.m. Sunday, The GRID) – The Amsterdam duo of Jesse van der Heijden and Oguzhan Guney is all about “the art of blending, mixing, compiling and making music into something you’ve never heard before whilst looking for new ways to approach house music.” While house is their thing, it just feels a bit more nuanced and organic. If there is one act to be on the front end over Labor Day weekend, this might be the one.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anotr.music

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Tini Gessler (5:30 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday, ELROW) – Now in her third year at ARC, The ELROW resident first hit my radar in 2022 and has been one of my favorite DJs since. German-born and Spain-raised, Gessler’s uniquely positioned within some of the most dynamic cultures of electronic music. She has an unbridled energy that infects every person in a near-field radius of her performances, where she swaggers between deep and tech-house flawlessly.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinigessler

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Psycho-Bitch (2 p.m. PM Friday, The GRID) – Despite the moniker, Chicago institution Valerie Schein is one of the kindest DJs one could ever meet. Some of my earliest memories from Chicago in the mid ’90s involve a head-shaved, headlamp-wearing DJ at places like Shelter, and later Crobar. She’ll certainly channel the spirit of her booth-sister, Teri Bristol, who passed away almost a year ago. If the Olympics begin with a torch-bearer, Val launching the 2024 edition of ARC is as honorable and proper as it gets.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djpsychobitchchicago/

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USERS’ GUIDE AND FESTIVAL PRO-USER TIPS

Tickets: Three-day general admission passes are sold out, but single-day tickets ($199 Friday, $219.99 Saturday or Sunday ) are still available online here. Three-day VIP options ($799.99-$1,599.00) also are available.

Policies/Restrictions: ARC — which runs 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. all three days — is an 18-years-and-older festival. No backpacks or bags larger than 16 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches are allowed. The performances are rain or shine. View the full roster of policies online here.

Attire: The fashion at ARC is somewhere between Coachella and Movement with a few splashes of EDC for good measure, yet surprisingly relaxed and mature. It is “The Windy City,” so best to have an extra layer with you when out late.

The ‘L’ and Union Park: Chicago’s CTA transit system (L is short for elevated) is the best way to travel within the city. Google Maps will show you options via the green and pink lines from the Loop area to Union Park, and there is a CTA stop right at the gates. By and large, transit in Chicago is safe at 10 p.m. when the festival lets out. Also, if you’re flying into O’Hare or Midway, the CTA will you get you to where you’re going cheaper and quicker than any other option.

The Lakeshore and The Loop: September in Chicago is fairly magical. Try to carve out an hour to walk along Lake Michigan and down by Grant Park (where Lollapalooza is held) which offers incredible views of the Chicago skyline. Union Park is only a few miles from the Loop and River North hotel districts, so if time and energy permits, the walk through the heart of the historic Loop district is like no other. There are amazing dining options along the way as well.

Traveling to Chicago: Located 177 miles from Grand Rapids, Chicago is only about 20 miles farther than a trip to Detroit. And Chicago’s nightlife goes until 5 a.m. If you’re not up for the drive or parking in Chicago, Amtrak has always been a popular and affordable option for travelers to The Windy City. Union Park is located at 1501 W. Randolph St.

ARC After Dark: Chicago nightlife is already legendary when you consider well-known venues such as Radius and Cermak Hall, Prysm, Spybar, Metro/Smartbar, Concord Music Hall/Smoke & Mirrors, and Outset. These venues booked with modern-day electronic music heroes alongside Chicago’s own house heroes mean that ARC has left no stone unturned when cementing Chicago in its rightful place on a global level.

Facebook Groups: This ARC Music Festival group will connect you with other ARC attendees, people traveling from overseas, and so on. Another I have enjoyed moderating is 2024 ARC Music Festival 35+, designed for the more mature traveler. Acting as a bit of a concierge for people coming to Chicago for the first time has always been kind of my thing, as it’s kind of cool to see people so enthusiastic about traveling to a city I have enjoyed since I was a kid. If you have any questions, feel free to ping me @toddernst on both Instagram or Twitter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Todd Ernst has been an electronic music DJ and promoter for 30+ years, and performs as the artist TELLURIUM. While his days are spent as the owner of an indie real estate brokerage; he also owns EXSIGN, which is an experiential entity that designs and manages corporate, non-profit and nightlife events like Irish On Ionia and TEDxGrandRapids. He regularly provides insights into the electronic music world with his ‘Looking for the Perfect Beat’ columns at Local Spins.

ARC 2024: THE DAILY SCHEDULES

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