January 25, 2021
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The Coachella Valley Music Festival in the desert of California is among America’s best music festivals, year in and year out. With an always extensive lineup, the Coachella Music Festival brings fans from many parts of the world. There is no doubt that Coachella is one of the grandest stages to play on as a musician, so we have our top 10 performances of Coachella 2014. Enjoy!
10 Performances We’re Looking Forward to at Coachella 2014
OutKast
Depending on how many drugs a particular Coachella attendee consumes before the OutKast set at Coachella 2014, the nostalgia of the memories of the 1990s will re-appear in front of your eyes as OutKast bangs out forever-classics from Stankonia, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, ATLiens, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
From 1996 to this day, Big Boi & Andre 3000 recorded and performed hip-hop classics that made OutKast the biggest tag-team of hip hop artists known to hip-hop culture, EVER. After a multi-year hiatus, the two reunite to perform at Coachella 2014, and people are going nuts. DON’T MISS OUTKAST!
Motorhead (Heavy Metal)
I’m excited that the otherwise electronic-heavy, hippy-heavy, hipster-heavy-infused lineup Coachella has offered in years past has made room for a kick-ass, fast-paced heavy metal band such as Motörhead.
The thrash/speed metal mixture of fast-paced, loud music and iconic sound of vocalist Lemmy Kilminster may keep the pill-popping teens away from Motörhead’s set, but guarantee that this set will not be missed by many. “Ace of Spades” can be considered the blueprint for thrash metal bands for years to come; DON’T MISS MOTÖRHEAD!
Kid Cudi
The exceedingly impressive rapper from the somewhat below-average city of Cleveland, Kid Cudi, has been a fixture in the American hip-hop game. Since Cudi’s 2009 debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day.” Day N Nite” turned into an instant classic, and “Pursuit of Happiness” featuring MGMT is still a fixture in nightclubs around the world to this day.
I remember playing this album from front to back for a solid year, and then Cudi comes out with Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager in 2010! There are no stopping Cudi besides Cudi himself. Diverging into a different style with 2013′s Indicud, Kid Cudi has only proved to the music world how wide-ranging and musically talented Cudi truly is. Please wait until you see him live; DON’T MISS CUDI!
Flume (DJ/EDM)
22-year-old D.J., producer, and Sydney native Flume has exploded onto the ever-expanding and ever-popular electronic dance music scene, a perfect fixture for the Coachella 2014 lineup card. After signing with Future Classic in 2011, Flume started making beats which eventually led to collaborating with some exciting artists, including rappers Ghostface Killah, Freddie Gibbs, T-Shirt, and Alexander Spit, to name a few.
How Flume can collaborate with such hardcore hip-hop artists as Ghostface and Gibbs have left me mind blown, and everyone is indeed excited to hear the “Drop the Game” off of the 2013 Lockjaw E.P. featuring Chet Baker. DON’T MISS FLUME!
Aloe Blacc (Soul/R&B)
Aloe Blacc has one of those timeless singing voices where you can’t tell if he is from the era of B.B. King, Gil Scott Heron, and Isaac Hayes, or if he is precisely what he is, is a modern soul artist fully capable of the Coachella spotlight.
In Aloe Blacc’s 2010 album entitled Good Things, he busted onto the scene with “I Need A Dollar” and “Miss Fortune,” bringing back what it truly meant to sing and write actual, bluesy, soul-driven music. Catching eyes and ears in 2010, house D.J. Avicii featured Aloe Blacc’s musical range in the worldwide hit song “Wake Me Up.” DON’T MISS ALOE BLACC!
Pharrell (Producer/Hip-Hop/R&B/Pop)
Tell me, what hasn’t Pharrell Williams done in the music industry? I’ll tell you the music industry without Pharrell Williams, and it certainly would not be what it is with him. His heaviest presence is within the hip-hop culture, dabbling with producing music for artists by the name of Pusha-T, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, and being featured in their songs.
Musical talent is an understatement for the all-around Pharrell. Pharrell has produced a never-ending list of artists ranging in popularity in genre. From Jay-Z to Azealia Banks, from John Legend to Maroon 5, Pharrell’s ability to morph effectively and whole-heartedly to a specific project is remarkable. Who will Pharrell bring out in his live set?? DON’T MISS PHARRELL WILLIAMS!
Disclosure (Electric/E.D.M.)
Arguably, the list’s most recently popular musical act is Disclosure, a duo consisting of brothers Guy & Howard Lawrence. From Surrey, U.K. Guy (22) and Howard (20) formed a powerhouse Dance D.J. tandem nominated for Best Dance Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards, after the duo’s debut album release in 2013 entitled Settle.
Featuring homegrown U.K. talents and fellow Coachella 2014 acts Sam Smith and AlunaGeorge, Disclosure has put the U.K. on the E.D.M. map for years to come. “Latch” is undoubtedly a well-conducted song, but how will “When a Fire Starts to Burn” play out in a crazed crowd at Coachella. It is memorable. DON’T MISS DISCLOSURE!
Flatbush Zombies
Dirty, filthy Brooklyn hip-hop has been reborn with the Flatbush Zombies. These grimy ass rappers Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick “Arc” Elliot came hot onto the New York hip-hop scene in 2012. The Zombies released a music video for “Thug Waffle,” off of a later released mixtape entitled D.R.U.G.S., short for Death and Reincarnation Under God’s Supervision.
The young group has wrecked venues with their thrash-like hip-hop antics, and are no stranger to internationally known festivals like Coachella, after playing in SXSW, Paid Dues, and North Coast Music Festivals the past. 2013′s mixtape BetterOffDead has an eerie, deathly feel (right up Flatbush Zombies alley), featuring fellow rappers Danny Brown and Action Bronson. DON’T MISS FLATBUSH ZOMBIES!
Flosstradamus (D.J.)
I am not one to throw more than two D.J.’s on a list like this. However Coachella Music Festival does pride itself on the heavy hitters it brings to the California desert in the EDM/DJ genre. Two-piece Flosstradamus is one of those powerhouse tandem D.J.’s that will surely get the Coachella crowd pumped up. Signed to Fools Gold Recordings, they have collaborated with rapper Danny Brown in “From the Back” and pop artist Kid Sister in “Luuk Out Girl” in 2011′s Jubilation. Still, the mastery of Flosstradamus comes in the simple explanation that their mixes make the crowd move. DON’T MISS FLOSSTRADAMUS.
City & Colour (Acoustic)
Confusing to me that an emotionally fueled acoustic performance such as City & Colour is on the Coachella 2014 card, but that’s not to say that I am complaining. I am a firm believer in Dallas Green’s solo acoustic project that has flourished. Many people may (or may not) remember Dallas Green’s name from the Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, but Green’s success as an acoustic musician. City & Colour’s most known album is the 2005 debut album Sometimes; the recent 2013 album release, The Hurry and the Harm has gained significant enough steam to land City & Colour on Coachella 2014. Creating Culture is very excited for City & Colour. DO NOT MISS CITY & COLOUR!!!
Now For Our “Not Looking Forward To” list:
Lorde (Pop)
A lot of people will disagree with me, but I could care less. Living my youth in the 1990s, I have grown to despise the repetitious plays that specific undeserving musicians have received on the radio airwaves. Lorde is a perfect example of this. I gag at the sound of Lorde’s hit single off of Pure Heroine called “Royals.” I am tired of so-called music connoisseurs swearing by this New Zealand internet phenom. I’m over the hype, and I’m over everyone trying to sing (horribly) an otherwise average song. Pass on, Lorde.
Anti-Flag (Punk Rock)
Anti-Flag is one of those punk rock bands that has overstayed its welcome on-stage, and I’m baffled at the fact that this band is playing on as big of a stage as the Coachella Music Festival this year. I’ve worked on the Vans Warped Tour for a handful of summers, and Anti-Flag was one of the sets of the day that made me cringe. Every day, Anti-Flag would perform the same scripted set, down to the same scripted preaching that vocalist Justin Sane voices about his opinion of anti-establishmentism and his blunt protest of nationalism and religion. We’ve heard the same preaching since the 1990s guys, let’s change it up or retire? Pass on Anti-Flag.