Fresh Faces in the Forest: 10 of Our Favorite First-Time Electric Forest Performers

Electric Forest has built its reputation on discovering the next wave of electronic music innovators and jam band grooves. While headliners draw massive crowds, the festival’s real magic often emerges from artists making their Sherwood Forest debuts.

The team at Darkroom Music has selected 10 first-time performers from the Electric Forest 2025 lineup that you won’t want to miss. These artists represent more than new faces on the lineup; they embody the festival’s commitment to continuous evolution and global expansion.

From bedroom producers to classically trained composers, from international breakthrough artists to homegrown innovators, each brings unique perspectives that reflect their genre’s endless capacity for cultural reinvention.

Their Electric Forest debuts will serve as important career milestones, introducing them to one of the world’s most dedicated and knowledgeable music audiences. The festival’s established reputation for launching careers and cementing artistic legacies makes these performances particularly significant for artists positioned to reach the next level of recognition.

As Electric Forest continues expanding its cultural boundaries and musicians push the technological possibilities, these artists and many others on the 2025 lineup stand at the forefront of that evolution. If you haven’t already heard of these artists, keep their names close – by next year, they’ll likely be the artists everyone’s talking about.

1. NIMINO

Where: Carousel Club
When: Friday 6/20 @ 8:15PM

British producer Milo Harvey H. Evans has quietly revolutionized the intersection of house, hip-hop, and garage music under the stage name NIMINO. His London-based approach creates what is often described as hazy backdrops, sumptuous textures, and menacing vocals that blur genre boundaries while maintaining serious emotional depth.

NIMINO’s production style balances light and atmospheric elements with darker, more compelling undertones. His tracks feature complex soundscapes that feel both intimate and cinematic, showcasing his background spanning everything from Burial’s ambient textures to more accessible pop sounds.

NIMINO’s artistic journey began at age 14, influenced by underground pioneers like Skream and Burial alongside mainstream acts like Muse. His March 2025 “Creek” EP release showcases an artist who has evolved from teenage bedroom producer to festival performer, demonstrating a rare ability to translate his intricate studio work into a powerful live experience.

2. Mike Posner

Where: Ranch Arena
When: Saturday 6/21 @ 6:30

Mike Posner has come a long way from his hits “Cooler Than Me” and “I Took A Pill In Ibiza.” The Detroit native’s musical evolution spans from chart-topping pop hits to more experimental territory, with his recent work exploring deeper artistic realms while blending electronic elements with acoustic instrumentation and vulnerable lyricism.

Posner’s production approach often features layered vocals, atmospheric synthesizers, and carefully constructed sonic landscapes that reflect his personal journey from commercial success toward more meaningful artistic expression.

The evolution from mainstream pop into more introspective songwriting has created a distinctive sound that bridges accessibility with genuine artistic depth. His compositions balance polished production techniques with raw emotional honesty, creating music that works equally well in intimate settings and larger festival environments.

3. Midnight Generation

Where: Carousel Club
When: Friday 6/20 @ 9:45

Mexican disco-electronic-pop group Midnight Generation represents another side of the Electric Forest lineup with an infectious brand of funk that feels both nostalgic and completely fresh. Led by Fernando Mares, the Chihuahua-based band creates what they describe as “delicate music” compositions that maintain human warmth and emotional connection.

Their sound combines retro-pop aesthetics with classic funk vibes, featuring groovy basslines, shimmering synthesizers, and carefully layered vocal harmonies. The band’s approach to disco-electronic pop incorporates elements of synth-pop, house, and indie pop, creating tracks that work equally well on festival stages and intimate listening environments.

What distinguishes Midnight Generation is their ability to craft songs that feel immediately familiar yet distinctly their own. Their production style balances polished electronic elements with organic textures, creating a sound that honors classic disco traditions while embracing musical innovations.

4. Ahmed Spins

Where: The Observatory
When: Friday 6/20 @ 12:15AM (technically, that is Saturday morning)

Casablanca-born Ahmed Spins represents a new wave of diverse electronic artists bridging continents through dance music.

The Moroccan producer’s journey began with piano, guitar, and drums in his youth, before discovering electronic music production while studying finance at Northeastern University in Boston. This unique combination has shaped his distinctive approach to Afro house and deep house production.

His breakthrough moment arrived in 2022 when he signed his first major EP with Moblack Records, propelling his career to new heights. The success continued with his latest EP “Anchor Point,” which has amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify while receiving support from industry stars and earning him performance opportunities alongside major artists like Carlita, Keinemusik, Kaz James, and Laolu.

Ahmed Spins’ ability to seamlessly blend Afro house and deep house music, creating what fans have described as smooth, captivating transitions that maintain infectious energy. His productions range from Afro house tracks to deep house bangers, incorporating global sounds, uplifting grooves, and dreamy melodic elements.

Drawing inspiration from artists like Flume, Rampa, and Laolu, Ahmed has developed an approach that weaves a diverse sonic landscape extending beyond his core Afro and deep house foundation into disco and organic house territories. His recent collaboration “Waterfall” with Elderbrook demonstrates his growing international appeal and artistic maturity.

5. Vintage Culture

Where: Ranch Arena
When: Thursday 6/19 @ 9:30PM

Brazilian DJ and producer Lukas Rafael Ruiz Hespanhol has developed one of house music’s most emotionally resonant approaches under the stage name Vintage Culture. His sound represents a masterful evolution from Brazilian bass origins to sophisticated, emotionally charged compositions that seamlessly blend deep melodic elements with peak-time festival energy.

Vintage Culture’s production style showcases his ability to guide audiences through various shades of house music while maintaining deep emotional connections. His tracks often feature lush progressive build-ups, carefully crafted vocal arrangements, and bass-driven grooves that honor both underground house traditions and contemporary festival demands.

His DJ sets demonstrate remarkable versatility, flowing from golden-hour deep house into sunrise-ready techno territories. The 2024 debut album “Promised Land” represents four years of artistic refinement, showcasing compositions that balance intricate production techniques with immediate dance floor appeal, creating experiences that feel both intimate and euphoric.

6. BUNT.

Where: Carousel Club
When: Friday 6/20 @ 2:15AM (technically, Saturday morning)

German artist Levi Wijk, better known as BUNT., embodies the evolution of electronic music through cultural fusion. The name, meaning “colorful” in German, perfectly describes his distinctive approach to production, creating soundscapes that honor folk traditions within contemporary dance templates while pioneering what is now known as “Stutter House.”

BUNT.’s signature sound incorporates acoustic instruments like banjos, harmonicas, and guitars into electronic compositions, drawing inspiration from Swedish House Mafia and Avicii while developing something uniquely his own. His productions feature warm melodic progressions, organic textures, and carefully crafted vocal arrangements that create immediate emotional connections with listeners.

The breakthrough single “Clouds” featuring Nate Traveller exemplifies his approach – bouncy electronic energy underscored by acoustic elements and head-nodding rhythms that lift melodies beyond typical dance music boundaries.

7. Gorilla T

Where: Tripolee and Honeycomb
When: Friday 6/20 @ 8:30PM and 2:30AM respectively

Rising bass music producer Tate Warner has developed one of the scene’s most distinctive approaches. Performing as Gorilla T, his style can be described as funky space bass with dubstep elements. His approach combines multiple subgenres while maintaining a cohesive sonic identity rooted in crowd-pleasing innovation.

Gorilla T’s productions feature intricate rhythmic patterns that blend the heavy low-end impact of dubstep with the melodic sophistication of space bass and the infectious groove elements of funk. His tracks often incorporate unexpected genre crossovers, seamlessly moving between bass funk, house, and drum and bass territories while maintaining the funky, head-nodding energy that defines his signature sound.

His tracks feature complex sound design and intricate rhythms that satisfy both longtime bass heads and newcomers, creating experiences that work equally well in intimate club settings and massive festival environments.

8. BALTHVS

Where: The Observatory
When: Thursday 6/19 @ 4:30PM

Colombian psychedelic funk trio BALTHVS has developed what they call “World Psychedelic Funk” – a genre-defying approach that fuses cumbia-inflicted percussion, Middle Eastern rhythms, and modern funk into unique sonic experiences, creating multi-layered compositions that span funk, disco, dream pop, vaporwave, soul, and R&B territories.

Crafting soothing music that honors their Colombian cultural roots while incorporating global influences, BALTHVS compositions often feature Spanish vocals that slowly transform around percussion, starting as meditative pieces before evolving into danceable rhythms that demonstrate their skill at bridging emotions and genres.

Their unique blend of multiple genres while incorporating traditional Colombian musical elements creates atmospheric and moody arrangements that work equally well for listening and dancing. This approach has positioned them as part of Colombia’s emerging psychedelic revival, bringing back what The World from PRX describes as “the short-lived psychedelic music era in their country.”

Their cultural significance extends beyond music into a broader social context. Colombia’s conservative roots have historically shunned counterculture, making BALTHVS’s psychedelic approach particularly noteworthy in their home country. The nation experienced a brief psychedelic boom in the 1960s during the “Nadaistas” counterculture movement from Medellín, before fading away. BALTHVS represents a new generation reviving this tradition, creating something new while honoring Colombian cultural heritage.

9. Arushi Jain

Where: Carousel Club
When: Friday 6/20 @ 6:45PM

Delhi-born, US-based composer Arushi Jain represents a fascinating cultural bridge in electronic music, seamlessly connecting centuries-old Indian classical traditions with cutting-edge modular synthesis.

Jain’s production technique centers on custom-built tools like “ektara,” a pitch-detection system that sequences synthesizers through sung melodies, bridging traditional Indian vocal techniques with modern electronic production. Her compositions feature lengthy, meditative progressions that float between glistening ambient, moody drone, and minimal glitch soundscapes.

Integrating Hindustani classical elements with experimental synthesis, her tracks often incorporate acoustic instruments like harmonium and traditional vocal patterns, processed through modular systems to create emotional compositions that feel both timeless and futuristic.

10. Tape B

Where: Tripolee
When: Friday 6/20 @ 1:00AM (you guessed it, that is technically Saturday morning)

South Florida-based producer Kemal Berk Alkana has emerged as bass music’s most innovative genre-bender. His distinctive approach as Tape B centers on fusing hip-hop and bass music production, creating what some describe as necessary artistry that bridges old-school foundations with new-school innovation.

Tape B’s production style showcases remarkable versatility, crafting everything from nostalgic flips of classic tracks to brand-new bangers that honor hip-hop’s rhythmic complexity while embracing bass music’s sonic intensity. His tracks often feature carefully sampled vocal elements, heavy low-end, and drum programming that creates immediate head-nodding appeal.

His work creates a seamless integration of hip-hop’s DNA with bass music’s festival energy. His compositions balance respect for both genres’ foundational elements while pushing creative boundaries in fresh directions. Known for his attention to detail and genre-crossing experimentation, Tape B creates experiences that satisfy hip-hop heads and bass music enthusiasts equally.

Editors note: Featured image courtesy of Electric Forest / Alive Coverage