Heard It Here First's Top 12 Acts of Moonrise Festival 2019 (Playlist + Exclusive Photos)

We’ve hit Moonrise Festival the past few Summers and it’s year to year one of our favorite festivals. It’s consistently deep and diverse lineup is what pulls thirty-five thousand ravers each day from all across the country.

Put on by esteemed East Coast entertainment outlets, Steez Promo and Club Glow, this Bass-heavy lineup has drawn in newcomers and past moon-crew alike with huge headlining acts like Bassnectar, Marshmello, Zeds Dead, Griz, DJ Snake, Above & Beyond, The Chainsmokers, Rezz, Diplo, and tons more.

This year, it seems as if almost every act on the lineup is headliner caliber.

Since we couldn’t break it down to our top ten acts of the festival, we decided that twelve would have to do. At the bottom is a 40-50 song playlist with a couple tracks from each of the artists and we’ll be sure to give you a little taste beneath their write up as well.

Let us know what you think in the comments below and hope to see you in Baltimore! Grab your tickets now at MoonriseFestival.com!

12. Wooli b2b Sullivan King, Solar Tent — Genre: Dubstep, Bass, Metal, Psytrance

One of our most looked forward to sets of Moonrise 2019 is Sullivan King’s return to Pimlico. Last year, the metal-shredding, long-haired producer performed a back to back set with fellow Excision protege Dion Timmer. Another alumnus of the Icon Collective, Sullivan King intertwines the worlds of EDM & Rock. King is up there shredding and singing throughout the set, and it’s certainly a sight to see for Dubstep, Punk, or Metal fans.

This year he’s taking the stage alongside another headbanger favorite, Wooli. The two have played back to back sets in the past on Excision’s Apex tour and King just took on one of Wooli’s biggest hits for a Punk-Rock makeover, his track “Island” with Seven Lions and Trivecta. The one drawback about this set is that between these two hitmakers, it’s gonna be hard to fit each of their huge artilleries of jams into that b2b. We caught the two at the Hampton Coliseum near Virginia Beach opening up for Excision and we can attest this show will be sick. They were one of the highlights of the night.

Definitely don’t miss Woolivan King tearing down the Solar Tent, which is arguably the best stage at the festival. Here’s a pic of Sullivan King from Moonrise 2018 under the tent.

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@dion_timmer b2b @sullivanking @moonrisefest at the Stellar Tent

A post shared by Heard It Here First (@hearditherefirstmusic) on Aug 13, 2018 at 11:57am PDT

11. Lucii, Solar Tent — Genre: Freeform Bass

Lucii provided support for Liquid Stranger on his nationwide Infinity tour and her originals in 2019 have been some of our favorite releases of the year. Between her masterfully crafted mixes and her own power-packed freeform Bass music, Lucii is sure to throw another set that will blow you away.

We wanted to share her “i like wubs mix“. It’s the perfect showcase, mixing her own music with some of her biggest inspirations’. Lucii has a long career ahead of her…at only 21 years old, she became the first female artist to release through the Wakaan label, the breeding ground for all the weird and wonderful underground Bass (and one of our personal favorite labels here at HIHF).

With such an impressive opening set for Liquid, it’s hard to imagine anything we’ll get less from Lucii’s 2019 festival sets!

10. i_o, Celestial Garden Stage — Genre: Techno, Tech-House, Trance

Following his debut on mau5trap at the end of 2017, i_o has quickly risen to notoriety in the electronic music world. He went from Trance roots to full Techno in 2019 and he’s taking the festival scene by storm. He just took on Above & Beyond’s “Alchemy” and it got a phenomenal fan reception. i_o also drew some of the biggest crowds of the festival at both Ultra Miami and EDC Las Vegas last weekend.

We wanted to share his Hello Friend mix from mau5trap Radio, it’s an hour-long mix from the mysterious, young, always cig-smoking DJ and we think it’s the perfect introduction to one of the biggest names in Techno. If your planning on spending time at the Celestial Garden, which is the smallest and most intimate stage, be sure to get there before i_o starts because this one will be PACKED.

9. SVDDEN DEATH, Solar Tent — Genre: Dubstep, Riddim

SVDDEN DEATH is responsible for some of the biggest bangers out there. His remix of Zomboy’s “Biterz” and his Marshmello collab are festival favorites, and his epic Riddim staple, “Behemoth“, may have been the most played drop of 2018. SVDDEN DEATH has the lumbering, boisterous Dubstep sound on lock.

Not only is he fostering a huge fan base from his aggressive and heavy music, but Dubstep fans are also flocking to SVDDEN DEATH’s sets because of his ‘bubbling’ personality. From screaming “AFK is a Bitch” in the middle of his sets to taking bites out of sticks of deodorant or urinal cakes, the man has a bit of a Jackass/Steve-O factor to him. Check out his Ultra set below and we’ll definitely see ya under the tent for this one.

8. Subtronics, Solar Tent — Genre: Dubstep, Riddim

Maybe the largest breakout name in terms of Riddim in 2019, Subtronics is the poi-spinning, neck-breaking machine, and his Cyclops Army is one of the biggest fan armies out there. His reach has been huge in 2019, collaborating with the likes of Ganja White Night, Boogie T, Space Jesus, PhaseOne, and many more. There are even rumors of him having an upcoming collab with Afrojack after the Dutch hitmaker proclaimed on Twitter that Riddim was his favorite subgenre and the two connected.

Check out Subtronics’ “That’s What I Call Riddim Vol.4” mix below, which is jam-packed with his signature double, triple, and quadruple drops and obscure Always Sunny in Philadelphia quotes.

7. Rusko, Solar Tent — Genre: Dubstep, Drum N Bass

One reason that we know Rusko will go extra hard is that, unfortunately, his set was canceled after severe weather during last year’s Moonrise Festival. The Dubstep legend took to social media to voice how upset he was he wasn’t able to play, so I’m sure he’s gonna bring that old-school madness this year. Another reason we know he will go hard is that he is the absolute king. Everyone gets their Dubstep inspiration from Rusko and that scratchy, wobbly sound he made popular back in the day is clearly starting to come back big time in 2019. He just went b2b with DJ Skream for an old-school Dubstep set at EDC Vegas and it was one of our personal favorite sets from the festival. Can’t wait to see what he brings to the Solar Tent! Check out his recent MEGARAD EP below.

6. TroyBoi, Solar Tent — Genre: Trap, Electro-House,

When TroyBoi was announced as one of the festivals first leaked artists, the writers and I were ecstatic. He’s been a name that has consistently produced some of our favorite music over the past five years and is a driving force in creativity in Trap music.

We can’t wait for TroyBoi’s first ever appearance at Moonrise Festival, something tells me he is gonna be the closing set at Solar Tent either Saturday or Sunday night. Enjoy his guest mix from BBC Radio 1’s Diplo and Friends below!

5. Güd Vibrations (NGHTMRE b2b SLANDER), Stellar Stage: – Genre: Trap, Future-Bass, Dubstep

Not only are NGHTMRE and SLANDER both two of the biggest acts in today’s EDM atmosphere, but they’re also showcasing tons of rising talents through their Güd Vibrations label. The label has housed projects from Midnight Tyrannosaurus, Shadient, and WAVEDASH in just under a year.

Both multiple year moonrise vets, SLANDER and NGHTMRE are sure to have one of the most epic sets of the festival with their slew of catchy new music in 2019.

To showcase their work, we wanted to share the live stream from the 100th episode of their Güd Vibrations Radio, which they celebrated by throwing a party for hundreds of people in LA.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/21qcZRToTb8UhYEGg37mE3

4. Peekaboo, Solar Tent – Genre: Freeform Bass, Dubstep, Trap

Peekaboo is THE breakout name to have on your radar this festival season. His G-Rex collab “Babatunde” might have been the festival track of 2018, will continue to be of 2019, and his Wrecking Ball EP off Deadbeats is just absolutely fuego. He also just appeared on Bassnectar’s new EP on one of the best tracks of the project. Peekaboo’s massive fanbase (the Boo crew) is gonna keep growing rapidly, but be sure to catch him before he’s one of the biggest acts in the country!

Enjoy his “Hide and Seek Vol. 1” mix from last October below and don’t miss Peekaboo his first time playing Moonrise!

3. Illenium, Stellar Stage — Genre: Future Bass, Dance-Pop, Dubstep, Midtempo Bass

Illenium has quickly become one of the biggest names in EDM over the past couple of years. The bedroom producer turned EDM superstar and his army of Illenials are out to prove that feelsy, emotional anthems can also be turn-up bangers.

Illenium is going to be playing a DJ set on the Stellar Stage, so expect a heavier set than his usual, mostly original, live sets. Below, we have his unreleased 2018 edits mix, which is jam-packed with staples from his biggest festival appearances.

2. San Holo, Lunar Stage — Genre: Indie, Trap, Future Bass

We had the pleasure of shooting for San Holo at the festival back in 2016 and it was an absolute blast. After headlining slots around the world and a massively successful 2018, San Holo is ready to crush the Lunar Stage.

Below, we have his debut masterpiece LP, album1. With his massive, widespread appeal and ever-impressive live show, San Holo is not a set you should be missing.

1. Excision, Lunar Stage — Genre: Dubstep, Trap,

Excision is year after year the biggest name in western Dubstep. The Canadian founder of supergroup Destroid and festivals like Lost Lands & Bass Canyon, Excision brings one of the heaviest shows in all of North America’s festival circuit. He also is a serious Moonrise vet, this is going to be his fifth time playing the festival.

Known as a tastemaker throughout the dance music industry, Excision’s shows are getting better and better with each album he puts out and year of new music that goes by. After his killer, 2018 full-length project and some of the strongest in-set visuals in the game, do not miss out on Excision this Moonrise.

Enjoy his annual mixtape below and hope to see you at Pimlico!