As the lights go down in the forest and the night turns into morning, something magical happens at Electric Forest. The day has been spent prancing between stages to catch different musical acts. Strategically planned schedules go down the drain and sacrifices are made to catch a new artists or to stay a little longer at an all time favorite. Arms grow weary from waving totems, marking the squad’s location in the crowd. When all is said and done and the time comes for foresters to return to camp, a switch happens. The foresters are no longer hustling from stage to stage, instead, the music comes to them. Creating the bridge between main stage acts and the GA lot is Panky Rang Productions. The renegade stage, attop a revamped school bus, hosted a multitude of artists for an up-close and intimate experience for everyone involved.

We had the pleasure of catching some main stage acts at the Panky Rang Productions renegade stage with no scheduling conflicts, no wristband scans, no glitz, no glam and no expectation. Just music and the people. Here are the acts you’ll be bummed you missed the first weekend of Electric Forest.

MIJA B2B LOUIS THE CHILD B2B JAUZ

B2B MANILA KILLA

Truth of the matter is, this insane B2B will probably never happen again and what a way to cap off the weekend. The artists seemed to effortlessly transition back and forth. And yes, that’s Jauz wearing a shark onesie. Mija was a little badass, as always. Louis the Child and Manila Killa brought a sincere vibe.

GRIZ

The joy on his face was overwhelming. After his performance as Griz Live Band at Ranch Arena on Saturday night, he made his way down to the bus to put his hands to the deck. He took the reigns and immediately started spinning – Mad Liberation style. It’s rare to see Griz without his sexy sax, but it’s always a treat to listen to him DJ. It’s amazing to watch him focus on the mixes, because he puts out a vibe that gets everyone pumped. We danced, we laughed, we even cried a little. The headbangs were serious at this secret set.

BUKU

There’s something every artist had in common that played upon the stage, they were grinning from ear to ear. Sippin’ on a Corona and stepping away from his usual trap sound, Buku brought some dark techno beats to the stage. As the sun was coming up, he was breaking everything down. When you’ve had a long day of music and another one ahead of you … 6am might be a little crazy to be up, but we’re not mad about it. It was worth it.

UM . . 

Of all the artists listed, Um.. was the only one not listed as a “special guest” on the initial lineup. The experimental trap duo threw down Friday morning and kept the crowd hyped up for the long night ahead. The duo mixed that sick dirty trap we know and love for over an hour as the crowd kept growing. Um.. isn’t just a filler anymore.

GOLF CLAP B2B DREAMERS DELIGHT

This is third year running that Golf Clap has got the party started atop the bus on Wednesday night. Basically making it the most official, unofficial pre-party.  The house duo, reigns from Michigan and has a soft spot for the local music scene. (Read our feature story on them from EF 2017). We were fortunate enough to catch them with Denver based DJ, Dreamers Delight. Whew, try saying that three times fast. Dreamers Delight brings an inspiring, transcendental feeling to the stage. A perfect way to warm up for the 4 days of festival ahead.

Photo and Video by: Alycia Grace
Additional Commentary by: Jenna Vagle