Photo Courtesy of Together
For the past few years, Together has cemented its place as Boston’s foremost electronic music festival, bringing in some of the best acts from around the world to shake the walls of the city’s nightclubs (and the butts of those in attendance). Organized each year by the dedicated crew over at Mmmmaven, a music production school that also operates as a booking organization, Together 2018 will be the ninth version of the fest. It’s been nearly a year-and-a-half since the last Together: the festival went up in May for the past few years, but this year, all will go down in September. This decision will be a great way to accommodate Boston’s large student population,
For previous festivals, Together has brought some of the biggest names that fall under the wide umbrella that is electronic music for both live and DJ sets. The 2017 lineup included talent like Alessandro Cortini (a touring member of Nine Inch Nails), Princess Nokia, UMFANG, Avalon Emerson, Kerri Chandler, Jacques Greene, and many more. This year’s lineup certainly doesn’t slouch, boasting some incredible talent at a host of the area’s coolest venues, including the Sinclair, Middlesex Lounge, Zone 3, and more.
Some of the highlights this year include a Friday night boat party with experimental pop producer SOPHIE, who is fresh off the heels of her new album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-insides. If you’re not familiar with her work, you may have heard some of her production credits for the likes of Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Madonna, and more. On Saturday night, there’s the dream DJ double-booking of the Black Madonna and Honey Dijon. Having stopped in Boston several times over the past few years, Black Madonna brings the thunder every single time. She’s as likely to make the club walls shake as the butts of the people piled in to catch her set. There are also a handful of local Boston acts set to perform this year, notably Bamboozle (Eli from Soul Clap, who helped get the first Together fest off the ground), Fox, and Lenore.
Another returning performer this year is British producer Jon Hopkins (Wednesday, 9/26), who last played Together in 2016. Touring in support of his new album Singularity, released earlier this year, it will be interesting to see how Hopkins incorporates new material into an already-polished live set. His music runs the gamut of electronic sub-genres, and he has the capability to take the audience from beautiful, glorifying melodies to dark subterranean textures in one fell swoop. In past performances, he has unleashed tracks like driving, ambient “Light Through the Veins,” which you might recognize from the intro to Coldplay’s 2008 album Viva La Vida, which Hopkins helped produce with the legendary Brian Eno; the breakbeat groove of “100;” his remix of Disclosure’s “Magnets” featuring Lorde; and the perennial banger “Open Eye Signal,” an energizing techno track with an infectious pulsating bass line.
While the musical performances are always the main draw, they aren’t alone in defining what makes the festival special. Throughout the week, Mmmmaven also hosts instructional workshops for burgeoning musicians, sound designers, audio engineers, and lay-people who are interested in learning more about the intricacies of music production and technology. In past years, there have also been record fairs, where renowned DJs bring in bits of their collections for purchase. On top of these, skilled teams of visual artists work to create enticing, vibrant installations and displays. If you go to any of the shows over the course of the week, there’s a good chance you’ll run into some members of the crew, many of whom volunteered their time to help out with the festival. They’re all super friendly, dedicated people who share a passion for the music they’ve helped bring to you, so let them know that you’re having a good time!
Visit the festivals official website for the full 2018 lineup and schedule!