Electric Forest is just days away.
This weekend, from June 25-28, the long-running music campout returns to the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, Michigan, for its 14th edition, bringing together yet another massive roster of leading electronic talent and festival-favorite instrumental acts.
This year’s lineup features headline performances from Chris Lake, GRiZ, Excision, ILLENIUM, Disco Lines, Sammy Virji, Kaskade, Galantis, Lane 8, and The String Cheese Incident. But while top-billed acts sell tickets, the best musical discoveries are found in the undercard.
As we prepare to step beneath the Sherwood Forest’s Ponderosa pine trees yet again, read on for five supporting acts we’re excited to catch at Electric Forest 2026.
Midnight Generation
Thursday – Ranch Arena, 8:15-9:15PM
Hailing from Chihuahua, Mexico, Midnight Generation is a well-oiled machine fusing disco, synth-pop, and soul. Fronted by founder Fernando Mares on keys, guitar, and vocals, the five-piece electro-funk outfit and its 14-piece live electronic setup, dubbed “the Mothership,” have become one of Latin electronic music’s most exciting international success stories after their breakthrough world tour last year.
Amid another massive international run this summer, their TalkBox melodies, organic grooves, choreographed dance moves, and matching tracksuits return to Electric Forest for a second consecutive year. The Mothership lands in the Forest at dusk on Thursday.
Close Friends Only
Thursday – Tripolee, 7:45-8:45PM
“DJs will put anything before the drop.” The popular video meme format adequately sums up Close Friends Only’s breakthrough. Clips of the California DJ trio’s lively Twitch B2B sessions—each bass hit preceded by any number of hilarious one-liners delivered by members Angel(tiz), KEESCO, and JustJake—exploded on TikTok in 2024, making the group as well known for their comedy as their energetic Latin electronic tunes.
But in addition to what comes before the drop, CFO are just as good at what comes during and after. Fans came for laughs and stayed for the beats. Two years later, the group’s special guest mix series, La Carne Asada Stream, is one of the scene’s most popular and has propelled the trio to major festival plays and their first official label releases earlier this year. John Summit called them “the Brockhampton of EDM.”
Jkyl, the Wicked
Friday – Honeycomb, 2:30-3:30AM
This late-night session brings together two of the most closely watched names in experimental bass for their first-ever B2B.
Jkyl & Hyde is the dynamic bass project of Luke Enderle, an Atlanta-based producer and DJ known for his two-faced productions and high-flying sets, combining dark and heavy riddim with deep 140 and earworm hooks. Nikita, the Wicked, is Louisville-born, San Francisco-based artist Nikita Madorsky’s delightfully sinister-sounding experimental bass act. With a movie director’s vision, he injects his gritty, low-end bass tunes with an array of rare jazz and hip-hop samples.
After collaborating on “HORSEPOWER” earlier this year, their highly touted alter-egos clash in the Forest for a 360-degree set you won’t want to miss.
Shpongle
Saturday – Sherwood Court, 11:30PM-12:45AM
Shpongle is probably the trippiest music you’ll hear in the Forest all weekend. The renowned, deeply psychedelic electronic project of Englishmen Simon Posford and Raja Ram redefined its corner of the scene with their trailblazing fusion of psychedelic trance and ambient music in the mid-1990s—the original reference point for “psybient music.”
At Sherwood Court, Posford revives the legendary alias for a heady Saturday night live set. If you find your head spinning, hang in—Shpongle’s oddball beats and ambient drones give way to beautiful tribal rhythms and technicolor melodies.
Richard Finger
Friday – The Observatory, 2:30-3:30AM
You can bet your bottom dollar the bassheads will be at Richard Finger on Friday night. After years of mystery, hype, and internet trolling, dubstep’s favorite appendage is on the festival circuit IRL this year.
After they showed off their ridiculous sound design tricks in another major appearance at Bonnaroo earlier this month, it’s clear that the masked duo’s brand of bass is unlike anything else in the scene right now. If you haven’t caught Richard Finger yet, don’t miss your chance.
Featured iamge courtesy: Electric Forest.