Illenium Ends 2017 With A Sold-Out Tour And A Slot At Coachella

By: Elizabeth Lee

2017 was a huge year for the world of electronic music. We saw the return of old veterans such as deadmau5 and the coming of his new protege REZZ with her unique, dark industrial sound. A huge genre turn around occurred, as big room house faded and set the scene for dubstep and its subgenre riddim. Long-standing king of bass music Excision pulled off one of the most successful first festivals in history with the birth of Lost Lands Music Festival in Ohio. But there was another name who had been rising to fame long before this last year. 2017 was the year everything paid off for Denver-based producer Nick Miller, otherwise known as Illenium.

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Illenium came from humble beginnings as a producer who released several remixes on Soundcloud and then eventually his debut EP Ashes in 2016. His music captured the hearts of fans who were looking for the emotional depth and complexity no other other artists seemed to be able to replicate. From there he shot to fame, touring and playing major festivals across the US and the rest of the world. September 2017 saw the release of his sophomore album Awake.

Nick Miller.

Nick Miller.

BolderBeat was lucky enough to catch the last stop of his sold-out Awake tour at Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles on December 28th.

The venue was packed and buzzing with an excited crowd warming up to the sounds of artists Dabin and Said the Sky. Delivering over an hour and half of music, once Illenium took the stage each person watching was enraptured and caught in a beautifully woven soundscape. With a live keyboard and drum pad setup, he dropped tracks such as “Sound of Walking Away” ft. Kerli and “Rush Over Me,” his song with artists Seven Lions, Said the Sky, and HALIENE. Fans of his older album would also recognize classics such as “Afterlife” and “It’s All on U.” Dabin and Said the Sky returned to the stage to join him for a few tracks on electric guitar and piano. Besides his ability to create a fully immersive experience, Illenium also demonstrated his versatility as an artist as he played his unreleased collaboration with Kill the Noise and Mako. This track strayed away from his usual melodic style and into heavier dubstep. He continued to delight the crowd throughout the night with a mixture of heart-wrenching melodies and energetic beats.

As a recently announced artist on the 2018 Coachella lineup, we’re looking forward to what’s next for Illenium. Keep up with him here.

-Elizabeth

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.