We are proud to present our FestivalPulse Spotlight, highlighting the career, performances and personalities of festival artists. In this edition of Spotlight, we’ll cover Galantis’ meteoric rise to fame.

The swedish duo consists of Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklöw, both of whom have extensive backgrounds in the electronic music industry. Karlsson and Eklow met in 2009 when they collaborated on a remix of “animal.” After this first collaboration, the two spent countless hours brainstorming and experimenting with EDM tracks in the studio.

Their style of making music completely changed in 2012 when they abandoned solely making remixes on computers to beginning their dance songs with a guitar or piano baseline. Eventually they found their favorite way to make songs was to start with a simple baseline beats and then add levels of complexity with various instruments and other sounds. This new approach translated into a compelling electronic dance sound that became popular when Galantis released two singles in 2013.

These two singles garnered immediate popularity from the electronic music community as well as other electronic artists. The songs “You” and “Smile” were featured on the top charts and helped Galantis become a big name in the electronic music industry as other artists remixed these tracks. In 2014, Galantis released a self titled EP that included “Smile,” “You” and four other electro-house grooves.

“Smile” also marked the first time that Galantis’ famous image, the sea fox, was used. It was a design created by Mat Maitland and has been an integral part of the group’s cover art and an image nearly synonymous with Galantis.

Galantis’ name became international after they released their hit single “Runaway (U & I)” in October of 2014. Runaway reached the top of the charts in Netherlands and belgium, and the song was listed on Billboard’s Emerging Artists charts.

In 2015, Galantis released their debut album Pharmacy. The album featured Runaway (U and I), You, four other singles, and seven original songs. Pharmacy was well received and reached number 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. This album solidified Galantis’ reputation in the electronic field and proved that they could compete with the heavyweights of the industry. Most of the songs on the album were dance-pop songs that featured vocals paired with dance beats that created a unique electro house sound.

On April 1, 2016, Galantis released “No Money,” which debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The song has nearly half a million monthly listens on spotify and reached the top of the dance charts in Belgium, Finland, and the United Kingdom. Galantis released The Aviary on September 2017 and it has since been well received on the charts reaching number four on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums.

In their recent performance at All Things Go, Galantis didn’t leave any tracks unturned, kicking off the show with a fast paced mix-up of “Runaway (U & I)”. The set incorporated new Aviary songs as well as classics like “You” and “Peanut Butter Jelly” from Pharmacy. Karlsson and Eklöw entertained the crowd by climbing on the DJ set, bringing a sea fox mask on stage, and by incorporating stunning background visuals with nearly every track.

When the intro to “Peanut Butter Jelly” played the crowd was at fever-pitch, singing along to one of Galantis’ classics. Throughout the night, Galantis maintained an enthusiastic stage presence that made members of the audience want to sing and dance along. The concert culminated with a full length rendition of “Runaway (U & I). The lively background visuals to their ebullient stage presence led to a memorable beat drop and an enthralled crowd.

Galantis’ Friday performance at All Things Go commenced their Aviary World Tour that will last until February 2018. They will tour throughout the United States before making stops in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom. Tour and ticketing information can be found here.

And while you’re here, check out our full coverage of a Jam Packed Weekend at D.C.’s All Things Go Festival.