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With our glorious return to the holy land that is Double JJ Ranch looming almost two months away, our anticipation for Electric Forest is at an all time high. The Phase Two release of the lineup is fresh in our minds, and six curated stages are going to offer something this year that fans have never seen before (looking at your Carl Cox & Friends). The hype train left the building long ago, and by unanimous decision this appears to us as the most stacked lineup the talented people at Madison House Presents and Insonmiac have put together in its five year existence.

But then that got us thinking. Making the switch from Rothbury Music Festival to Electric Forest back in 2011, this year marks the fifth edition in a wildly successful run for EF. How does the inaugural year compare to this year? To 2012? To 2013? There certainly is no right or wrong answer, as lineup preference is subjective, but as June 25th approaches it’s interesting to take a step back and look at the progression of each past year.

Starting with 2011, take a look underneath as we break down each of the five Electric Forest lineup cards. Maybe you’ll find that you long for the artists of 2012? Or possibly you’ll come to the conclusion that yes, this indeed is a year unlike any of the others. What’ll be more interesting however will be to take a look at the highly esteemed Electric Forest undercard of each year and see what superstars EF was in on before the crowd. Check it out with us below.

Electric Forest 2011

In its first year breaking away from the success of Rothbury, Electric Forest plain and simple didn’t mess around. This talented group of guys and girls wasted no time in putting their stamp on the festival scene as a premier destination in the United States. As always headlined by three nights of Cheese, big time artists like Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Shpongle, Skrillex, Stephen Marley, and Kaskade took over the stages over the course of the weekend.

If you look at the small print, you’ll find headliner-quality talent of today like Beats Antique, 12th Planet, Big Gigantic, Paper Diamond, Feed Me, Emancipator, Break Science, Papadosio and Michal Menert among others. Oh, and Zedd is 2nd to last line on the bill. This might have technically been a first year festival, but it was apparent from the very beginning that this would be the start of something great.

Electric Forest 2012

More Cheese. More Bassnectar. This lineup however is stacked from front to back with insanely diverse talent. You got Richie Hawtin, Wolfgang Gartner, Datsik, Zeds Dead, EOTO…and there’s also the trifecta from 2011 (Big G, Beats Antique and 12th Planet) creeping their way into full blown headliner status. Go one deeper though and you’ll see that in hindsight, 2012 was the year of hidden gems.

Dixon’s Violin, The Knocks, GRiZ, and The M Machine are in tiny fine print down at the bottom, just making waves as successful artists themselves. In the middle you will find full blown superstars of today like Gramatik & Crizzly, and you’ll see Paper Diamond and Break Science moving their way on up to the top as they make their ascent to the electronic elite.

Electric Forest 2013

Ah 2013…the year of Big Grizmatik. Look at Beats Antique, a full fledged headliner and sitting high atop the lineup. With Pretty Lights, Passion Pit, Knife Party, A-Trak, Lotus and Above & Beyond supplying the feels, 2013 was business as usual for Electric Forest. Names like Cosby Sweater (now Turbo Suit), Dopapod, Russ Liquid, Keys N Krates, Oliver, Craze and The Polish Ambassador graced the lower portion of the bill. Looking back on all these lineups and undercards really drives home the point that this group of people know what they’re doing; it seems everywhere you look there’s a budding superstar about to break out.

Electric Forest 2014

And now we’ve hit the familiar lineup of last year. No Bassnectar, no Pretty Lights, no Big G, but the wealth is spread all around for a pretty well rounded lineup. Zedd in a three year span has seen himself go from second to last line on the bill to headliner, Moby came out of the woodwork to show the crowd why he’s one of the most well respected producers in the world, and The Glitch Mob made a triumphant debut showing off their shiny new album.

While it’s a little too early to analyze the lower portion of the lineup, it’s immediately apparent that they struck gold with Kygo, who’s one of the most in-demand DJ’s in the world at the moment. Only the future will tell who the next star to jump out of this undercard will be.

Electric Forest 2015

We’re not going to go to great lengths rehashing what we already believe to be the best lineup Electric Forest’s put out yet, but this year is shaping up to be something special. Bassnectar is making a hugely anticipated return, Skrillex is back, Kaskade, Flume, Carl Cox, Datsik, Shpongle, Claude Von Stroke, Flux Pavillion…honestly we could be here all day naming artists on this lineup.

It’s anybody’s guess who will emerge from the bottom of this stacked lineup to take the spotlight next year, but if previous bills are any indication there will certainly be a name or two. Take a deep breath and brace yourself…because June will be here before we know it and we’ll be home in no time. Stay posted here for all EF related news, hope to see you in Rothbury!

(photo credit to Electric Forest)

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http://www.electricforestfestival.com/

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