Road to Lights All Night: Five must-see undercard acts at LAN’s 10th anniversary event

Lights All Night (LAN) has become one of the year’s most anticipated end-of-year gatherings over the past decade. Held annually at Dallas Market Hall in downtown Dallas, TX, the festival earns a veritable mark this year as the South’s longest running holiday dance music festival. As LAN celebrates it’s tenth birthday in 2019, we’re highlighting some of our favorite acts on the bill’s undercard in our Road to Lights All Night series. 

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Never mind the headlining acts. Although with Bassnectar, Skrillex, Virtual Self, and Louis The Child in the prime time slots, Lights All Night’s tenth anniversary is bound to be a memorable occasion. All LAN alumni, the four acts have all rocked the main stage at some point or another over the past ten years. However, what we’re interested here—or who, rather—is the second tier talent that most folks may or may not yet know about.

Without further ado, here is our Top Five Must-See Acts at Lights All Night’s tenth anniversary event. Also, view the full LAN schedule here.

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5) AC Slater

AC Slater has begun a lengthy career for himself with his “Night Bass” sound by fusing elements of house music with the dirty basslines of UK garage and sprinkles of old-school rave synths and breaks. AC Slater’s career kicked off with a bang in 2008, with his seminal remix of “Turn the Music Up” on Trouble & Bass becoming an instant anthem.

Fast forward to the present, AC has toured the globe several times and his tunes have been played at every major festival and club in the world by DJs including Skrillex, Diplo, and so many more. Slater’s tunes and guest mixes can regularly be heard on major radio stations across the world, including the UK’s BBC Radio 1 and Rinse FM and Australia’s Triple J. His own record label Night Bass continues to release some of the most groundbreaking and forward-thinking bass-heavy dance music in the underground.

Catch AC Slater Friday, December 27, at 7:30pm on the Supernova stage & during the Night Bass b2b at 12:45am on the Planet Prime stage.

4) Subtronics

Jesse Kardon, who flies under his Subtronics moniker, is a 24-year-old Philadelphia born dubstep producer specializing in all things robotic. Heavily influenced by the sounds of Rusko, Skism, and Downlink, and the ethos of underground dubstep community, Subtronics began with a core group of followers over SoundCloud in the first few years.

Over the past year, he has grown exponentially with the widespread support of bass music legends like Ganja White Night, Excision, Bassnectar, and more. In 2019, he released what was undoubtedly the year’s biggest collaboration in “Griztronics,” which earned CE‘s Top Single of 2019, and there’s been no turning back every since.

Subtronic’s signature bouncy yet mechanical sound design is matched only by his incredibly recognizable flow. It’s a sound which makes his unique approach to bass music stand out above the rest.

Catch Subtronics on Saturday, December 28, at 9pm on the Intergallactic stage.

3) Said The Sky

Playing piano and various instruments since the age of eight, Colorado native Trevor Christensen has been serenading audience under his Said The Sky moniker for the past couple of years. During this steady ascent, he’s joined best pal Illenium as a staple member of his live band, opened at Electric Forest and countless other festivals, and generally coined the term “heaven step” with his beautifully soothing soundscapes.

Bringing a melodic background, multi-instrumentalist flare, and precise technical training into his body of work, Said The Sky is more than a person. Said The Sky is an experience through music. His blend of soaring melodies and emotive bass lines is what he hopes it to be, an experience.

Catch Said The Sky Saturday, December 28, at 8:15pm on the Supernova stage.

2) San Holo

Born Sander van Dijck, Dutch producer San Holo blurs the line between EDM genres in the pursuit of creative freedom. Originally, Holo had intended to be in a band, but he found it easier to work alone. Music production led him to Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam. After graduating, Holo worked as a ghost producer, and after some production success, he decided to strike out on his own. 

San Holo built a significant following on SoundCloud, through which he launched his Don’t Touch the Classics remix series, featuring remixes of classic ’90s and 2000s hip-hop, such as Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.” In 2014, Holo released his debut EP, Cosmos, through Heroic Recordings. The following year, Holo partnered with Monstercat for his second EP, Victory. A string of singles followed on various labels, including OWSLA and Spinnin’ Records. While the labels Holo chose to work with were all fairly open-minded and forward-thinking, they didn’t provide the level of creative freedom he craved, leading to the formation of his own his own label, bitbird.

His third EP, New Sky, was released on Monstercat in 2016, and he embarked on his first North American tour that year, including stops at Coachella and Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Following that came a succession of singles on bitbird. San released his debut LP, album1, in September of 2018.

Catch San Holo Saturday, December 28, at 9:30pm on the Supernova stage.

1) Boogie T

Born and raised in the swamps of Louisiana, and playing music since the tender age of eight, Brock Thornton (aka Boogie T) has come along way to bring the low end ruckus. Hailing from the South, the cradle of soul, it is easy to hear this influence in his music. Riddim, Dubstep, Bass, whatever you want to call it, for Boogie T it has always been about entertaining. Whether singing, playing guitar/keys/bass, acting, DJ’ing or producing, Boogie T’s goal is simple: make great music and connect with people by taking risks and pushing boundaries. It’s a goal which has made Boogie T take off over the past two years.

With releases on Atlantic/Big Beat, SubCarbon, Circus Records, and SMOG Records, as well as recent touring dates with Ganja White Night, Snails, Trollphace, Funtcase, Midnight Tyrannosaurus, Minnesota, G Jones, LOUDPVCK, Skism, pOgman, Riot Ten + many more, Boogie T is blazing a path from the bayou to the main stage. Gracing the stages of festivals like Big Dub, Imagine, 515 Alive, Nightmare Fest, and more, Boogie T is bringing his wompy swamp branded riddim to LAN to cap off the year.

Catch Boogie T Saturday, December 28, at 11:15pm on the Planet Prime stage as well as during the Gravedancer b2b take over immediately after his solo set.