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Rothbury, Michigan’s premiere electronic music festival Electric Forest is less than a month away, and attendees can finally begin to plan out their days as the set times have now been released. On top of this announcement, Lettuce, Raw Russ, Basscrooks, The Unsheathed, The Fugineers and Cellojoe have been added to the lineup.

The festival-goer’s greatest dilemma is deciding which show to catch and which to skip. These are touch decisions to make, and can really shape your experience as a whole. We are WRR break it down for you and give you our recommendations for who you should see and who you may want to skip out on.

Day One – Thursday, June 27

For the straight-up raver, my first suggestion would be heading to the Tripolee stage. Starting at 5:15, you’ll be blasted with the raging dubstep of Helicopter Showdown, followed by other great acts throughout the night such as Ana Sia, Michal Menert and RL Grime. Some other interesting acts to consider throughout the evening: Cosby Sweater and Beard-O-Bees at the Forest Stage, and Morgan Page at the 8:30 in the Ranch Arena.

At night is when problems start to arise. Madeon will be playing at the Ranch Arena from 10:15 to 11:30. 30 minutes into his set, EOTO will begin at 10:45 in the Sherwood Court. If this wasn’t tough enough, Orchard Lounge begins a set at 11:15 at the Forest Stage. These are three must-see acts. Our suggestion? Get a taste of all three. If this doesn’t work out for you, I would possibly skip Madeon; while the French-phenom is extremely exciting to watch, EOTO and Orchard Lounge both offer a very different side of electronic music from what most are used to. These two acts will be sure to not disappoint.

Ending the night, check out Benny Benassi if your into house music, Lotus if you like jam bands, and Quixotic if you want a full on live performance, filled with music and dance. All three are very different and must-see shows at some point in your life.

Day Two – Friday, June 28

Up until the evening of Friday, there is a host of lesser-known artists, ranging in varieties. I would suggest you explore the forest after your first night, and dabble in different artists and activities. Though, I would suggest seeing Thriftworks at 1:30 in the Tripolee Stage; he opened for Bassnectar over his spring tour, and has a very unique downtempo style that sounds great live.

Starting at 6:30 in the Tripolee Stage, one should see Milkman’s progressive house bangers, and stay until 8:45 to catch the unique styles of The Polish Ambassador as well. If your into livetronica, Up Until Now, featuring David Murphy from STS9, will play at 7:00 on the Forest Stage. At 9:00 is when you make the big decision: Grizmatik with friends, or Baauer? For me, this is a no-brainer. While Baauer’s live trap is great to rage to, Griz and Gramatik‘s set in the forest will be one to remember for years to come. These two have never played an official sanctioned set before, so you know this one will be huge. Plus, the possibilities for “friends” is endless, so this is one set you don’t want to miss.

The Grizmatik unofficial secret set from Electric Forest 2012

At 10:30, you have to make a big choice as well. The String Cheese Incident, who runs the festival, play in the Ranch Arena until 2:00 AM. I would suggest that at some point in the night you check them out; they are a great jam band with incredible live improvisational skills and a very eye-catching live performance. Feel free to skip over to the Tripolee Stage during this to see Clockwork, Kill the Noise and Noisia, all of which should be very good sets. Passion Pit may also be an option, starting at 1 AM in the Sherwood Court. End the night raging with Krewella at the Tripolee Stage from 2AM to 3:15, and you may sleep soundly.

Day Three – Saturday, June 29

Again, I would explore around in the morning. Raw Russ at 1:30 at the Tripolee Stage may be interesting to readers of this blog. Starting at 4:30, I would go to the Tripolee Stage for a Fool’s Gold Clubhouse showcase. This will definitely be a giant party going on all night, including acts such as Treasure Fingers, Flosstradamus, and of course, A-Trak.

For the rest of the night, check out String Cheese again if you liked it the night before. Otherwise, check out Manic Focus at 5:45 at the Forest Stage, Boombox at 7:45 in the Sherwood Court and 3LAU right afterwards. Personally, I would just stay at the Sherwood Court the rest of the night to then catch trance gods Above & Beyond, followed by the always-fun Knife Party. Empire of the Sun at 12:45 in the Ranch Arena may also be a unique act to consider during your downtime between A&B and Knife Party.

Day Four – Sunday, June 30

The last day of the festival. Hopefully you paced yourself, because it’s not over by any means. Definitely swing by The Floozies at the Tripolee Stage at 2:30, and if you like jam bands, Dopapod at 2:45 at the Forest Stage. Robert Delong at 3:45 at the Tripolee Stage may also be a good show to see, as he has a very interesting, futuristic style.

Eliot Lipp of Pretty Lights Music will be a great show to catch at the Tripolee Stage starting at 6:15, followed by the eerie bass magician Eskmo at 7:30. Once again, if you like livetronica, Future Rock will be playing from 7:00 to 8:15 at the Sherwood Court. I personally would just skip Future Rock for Lipp and Eskmo, which are two very unique artists. However, I would head to the Sherwood Court at 8:45 for Emancipator; for a Sunday night when your practically a zombie, Emancipator will be a nice, slow reprise from raging.

I would catch Tommy Trash after this at 10:00 at the Tripolee Stage, and then head over to Yeasayer at 10:30 at the Sherwood Court for their unique, world-music sound. From this, I would go to Pretty Lights at the Ranch Arena at 11 and stay the whole time. His set in the forest will be one to remember, and will include many new track drops off his upcoming album. End the night with Beats Antique at 12:15, and you will leave the Sherwood Forest a contented human being.

Check out “21 Rare Pretty Lights Tracks”

Check out all the set times here, and buy tickets for Electric Forest while they still last.

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