Vancouver is THE place to be next week thanks to these incredible Contact afterparties

Early next week Vancouver becomes one of the centres of the electronic dance music world thanks to the Contact Festival which for many will be the highlight of their holiday season. Contact is stacked as it features established producers like the trance godfather Armin Van Buuren along with Marshmello, and other DJs that are changing the game like Tchami, REZZ, Alan Walker, Malaa, and more. Thanks to the recently unveiled Contact afterparties (Pictured above), the event hype has gone to a whole new level. 

Not only do fans get a chance to do a double take on their favourite acts, but also allows them to see what else these top DJs have to offer in an afterparty setting. Usually DJs like to change it up for the afterparty: to dig deeper in their discography and showcase tracks not big enough to make their mainstage set, or get to preview a top secret ID that they want to test infront of a smaller crowd. Afterparties are a way to keep the party going but for many music lovers, it's a way to experience their favourite acts in an intimate setting at a cheaper cost. 

This year's Contact afterparties are on point as it features one headliner (Marshmello), and a few established acts that have been selling out venues across the world like Tchami and Malaa from the successful Redemption Tour. Pay special attention to Ekali as he will no doubt deliver a memorable hometown afterparty set. 

Tickets are on sale now, click on each individual poster above to get your tickets today! 

For those that haven't bought your Contact Festival tickets yet, check out the link below. 

5 must-see artists at Bud Light Dreams Festival

Bud Light Dreams Festival is coming up fast as Echo Beach will feature 3 stages and a whole host of artists for this 2-day festival. It's easy to recommend the festival headliners as a must-see act but this post is taking the hard road as it finds the gems in the lineup that you may not have thought of checking out. Some of these names are newer faces like Ekali, while others have been around the scene for a long time and deserve a bigger spotlight. While you're making your final personal set schedule amongst your friends, consider making room for these 5 fantastic artists below. 

Ekali (Friday, Echo Beach: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm)

Via FB

Ekali, a Vancouver based artist who has been making waves thanks to his strong productions and mixes that have been played millions of times on Soundcloud. Known for his future bass tunes, Ekali is currently much bigger in the States than in his own country as he's about to make his Eastern Canadian festival debut at Dreams. If you like your mixes to feature bass, future bass, and a bit of trap - seeing Ekali is a must. 

Anna Lunoe (Saturday, Echo Beach: 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm)

Photo by Jasmine Safaeian

Anna Lunoe is well known amongst electronic dance music connoisseurs but is quickly getting her name out there as one of the premiere live performers in the scene. Her performance at this year's Coachella was one of the highlights of the festival as she puts genres aside and mixes a multitude of different tracks into her sets. Expect a dynamic, fun, and light hearted set to kick off the evening portion of Saturday's festival lineup.

Orjan Nilsen (Saturday, Dream House: 5:20 pm - 6:35 pm)

Via FB

He is well known within the trance community and is a monster in the studio as he's been responsible for creating the most heart pounding trance records. He's been skirting at the edges of trance by pushing the boundaries between that sound and big room without it sounding trashy. Even though he's playing at an early time slot, I can guarantee that Orjan Nilsen will be giving fans a set worth coming in early for. 

DJ Hanzel (Saturday, Waterfront Stage: 7:55 pm - 9:00 pm)

Photo by Rukes

DJ Hanzel is Dillon Francis' techno meme alternative personality that somehow managed to snag a primo time slot at this year's Dreams Festival. I predict this set to be one of the more popular ones as curious fans will pack the waterfront stage just to see what "DJ Hanzel" will do. Will he pull a reverse Deadmau5 and try to troll the underground scene? Will Hanzel give the crowd a diva moment or two at any point during his set? Or will he simply smash the festival crowd with the hottest tracks? Who knows what will happen, and that's why you have to be there. 

Malaa (Saturday, Waterfront Stage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm)

Via FB

Ever since the mysterious French artist known as Malaa made his big festival debut at Ultra Miami back in 2016, the buzz has been full on. Fans have been looking for something fresh to experience since big room has taken a sudden downturn. Artists like Malaa have given these crowds exactly what they needed by showcasing the new wave of future house sounds. The new French wave of talent have taken that sound to new heights and has made Malaa a must-see at any festival as a result. Being given a headlining slot on the Waterfront Stage is a big honour, and Malaa is ready to deliver.

For all information regarding Bud Light Dreams Festival including set times, afterparties, and ticket information - click here. 

Preview the first 5 upcoming tracks off of Tchami's new label Confession

Tchami has taken his curating skills to the next level with the announcement of his own label called Confession. To hype this move, Tchami personally mixed a promo mashup of the first 5 releases from his new label. As DJ Times reported, the first track is called "Hey Girl" from Quebec producer ANGELZ, while another track is from up and coming French artist Malaa. If you're into Tchami's sound, then make sure to follow the label on Twitter and enjoy the minimix below. 

Check out this future house version of Major Lazer & DJ Snake's "Lean On"

DJ Snake has been hyping this release by French newcomer Malaa on his Twitter for the past few days and it seems like it's been fully merited. "Lean On" is potentially one of these big summer tunes and giving it a future house twist will just extend its longevity within many sets for a long time to come, check it out: