Photo Taken From Mamby’s Facebook Page

Written By Megan Caruso

As the only beachside festival in the city of Chicago, Mamby On the Beach attendees have a surreal opportunity of dancing barefoot in the sand as the setting sun creates a fierce backdrop of colors over the illuminated skyline. This year Chicago’s own Common graces the Beach Stage on Saturday, the first day of the festival. Is this too good to be true? Not this year!

The 2018 lineup features other acts we’re dying to see, like Cold War Kids, Duke Dumont, Russ, Richie Hawtin, Spoon and Grizzly Bear. But hidden in the depths of today’s lineup release are a few acts that are worth arriving early to the beach.

Mansionair: You might’ve heard the Australian trio’s most recent single “Astronaut (Something About Your Love)” out earlier this year. Maybe you saw them on tour opening for Alt-J or Chvrvhes a few years back. If you didn’t, you’re in luck. Mansionair is making it out to Mamby after finishing a nationwide run on AltNation’s Advanced Placement tour, a showcase of new must-see talent curated by SiriusXM. The group creates pulsating synths and manipulated instrumentation that create a unique experience, seemingly bordering auditory hallucination. On the beach under the open sky, you might feel like an Astronaut, too.

Nora en Pure: The Swiss-based South African DJ layers the piano, violin and other whimsical sounds over deep-house pulsating bass lines that are bound to evoke feelings in any listener. While you groove along, you’ll be surprised by the seamless transition from elegance to funk as Nora en Pure explores her wide range of layered instrument sounds, only to be dissolved into another emotional build. Stop by the Mamby DJ tent to be mesmerized by a set that will keep you in constant motion.

Windy City Soul Club: The collection of musicians that’ll hold down this set are just a few of the hefty handfuls of artists on this year’s lineup who hail from Chicagoland. They refer to themselves both as “Rare Soul Collectors” and DJs, combining the two to bring a mix of Northern Soul, classic Motown hits and new hot tracks from the local scene.  After their set at Mamby, you might become a regular at their monthly dance parties at the Empty Bottle, the longest running Northern Soul party in the Chicago.

On top of the activities from prior years (think: yoga, water balloons, volleyball), this year Mamby will introduce a Community Village that intends to feature talent from the Young Chicago Authors and other Chicago neighborhoods, bringing awareness to the missions of local and national nonprofits. For a chance to get involved with two participating organizations before the festival arrives, check out the Mamby Plunge on Saturday, March 24. Raise $120 and take the plunge into Lake Michigan to receive a two-day VIP pass to the festival as well as Mamby goodies.

Check out the full 2018 Mamby on the Beach lineup here:

Get Your GA & VIP Passes Here:

Check Out The Offical Announcement Video Below: