Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival will return to Sunshine Grove in Okeechobee, Florida for four days of music in the sun.
With wonderfully eclectic lineups year after year, Okeechobee is widely known as one of the United States’ premier music festivals.
Okeechobee 2023 has all of the tunes to start festival season right, with performances by big-time festival favorites like Excision, ODESZA, and GRiZ, as well as acts from beyond the world of EDM, like Earth, Wind & Fire, Baby Keem, and Goose.
Notably, as the popularity of drum & bass continues to rise in the United States, Okeechobee has recruited some legends and groundbreaking talents in D&B to take the stage this year.
Here are five great drum and bass acts at Okeechobee 2023.
1. Wilkinson
It would be wrong to start this drum & bass shortlist with anyone but UK-based producer and DJ, Wilkinson.
With an incredible catalog of releases on Andy C’s RAM Records, Hospital Records, and EMI Records, Wilkinson has amassed more than half a billion streams. His double platinum single “Afterglow” and debut album Lazers Not Included both reached No. 1 status on the UK dance charts in 2013.
Since then, Wilkinson has been around the world on iconic tour stops from Auckland to Ibiza. Carrying a massive live reputation, he has sold out London’s famous Brixton Academy three times and has played major festivals like Glastonbury, Creamfields, Let It Roll, Parklife, and EDC Las Vegas.
Wilkinson’s most recent album, Cognition, includes the hit single “Used To This.” We expect his set at Okeechobee to be a euphoric taste of some of the best D&B that the UK has to offer.
2. Flava D
A shapeshifting legend of the British dance music scene, multi-genre producer and DJ, Flava D seamlessly weaves a variety of styles including drum and bass, UK garage, bass house, and grime.
With a style firmly rooted in the underground, her music encapsulates the days of 90’s pirate radio in the UK. Prior to signing with renowned drum and bass label Hospital Records in 2020, Flava D worked with fellow Butterz artist Royal-T, eventually leading to the creation of three-piece UK garage super group TQD, with the prolific DJ Q rounding out the trio.
In addition to her music on Butterz and an EP on Night Bass, Flava D self-released her debut album More Love in 2018. Her most recent D&B releases include a beautiful remix of LP Giobbi’s “Sinner,” a collaboration with S.P.Y called “Losing You” and “All We Ever Do,” with Paige Eliza.
3. Nia Archives
Not much can be said about Nia Archives that hasn’t been said already.
Living in London by way of Manchester, the 22-year-old producer and DJ is a powerful creative who has risen to widespread critical acclaim at lightspeed.
In 2022, she won DJ Mag’s breakthrough producer of the year, NME’s best producer, and was nominated for a BRIT award.
Nia Archives’ music is a fascinating intersection of drum and bass, UK garage, jungle, and old school R&B. Archives embraces her heritage in jungle music, Jamaican soundsystem culture, and the DIY spirit.
Singles like “Mash up the Dance,” “Baianá” and “So Tell Me,” as well as EPs Headz Gone West and Forbidden Feelingz have helped Archives’ career explode in the past year.
Archives’ newest single, “Conveniency,” from her upcoming EP, Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against the Wall, was released earlier this month.
Archives’ infectious live presence was introduced to the masses during her killer Boiler Room set. She also played ADE, HARD Summer, and Glastonbury in 2022.
Archives’ Okeechobee performance will kick off her busy festival season, which also includes Coachella, Primavera Sound, Parklife, and Outlook Festival later this year
4. IMANU
French-born, but Holland-based producer and DJ, IMANU broke through at the age of 16 and hasn’t slowed down since.
Now 24, IMANU’s uniquely technical style of punishing drum and bass has made waves in the industry. In addition to music released on Deadbeats, UKF, Critical, RAM Records, and VISION, he has remixed tracks for the likes of Skrillex, Apashe, TOKiMONSTA, Noisia and Camo and Crooked.
IMANU’s debut album, UNFOLD came out on Deadbeats last September and features collaborations with What So Not, DROELOE, Pham, and josh pan. Also in 2022 he played ADE, Lost Lands and HARD Summer.
5. Craze (Drum & Bass Set)
An ever-humble and talented workhorse in the industry, Miami native, Craze is a masterful DJ and turntablist with origins in hip-hop dating back to the 90s.
One of only two people to win the DMC World Championships three years running, Craze went on to found Slow Roast Records in 2009, an imprint of A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold label.
Over the years Craze has released songs and remixes from a wide variety of genres that seem to define his style perfectly: he simply does it all. Most of all, he has been carrying the torch for stateside D&B for two decades.
Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival will take place March 2-5, 2023, in Okeechobee, Florida. Click here to purchase tickets.
Feature photo provided by Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival’s Facebook Page.
