UTG PHOTOS: Mija in Grand Rapids, MI (2/25/16)

March 7th, 2016

Benjamin Howell

Mija Feature

On February 25, Mija phased through The Stache in Grand Rapids, MI with VANTAGE and Attak in a blur of lasers, smoke and bass. The venue was packed before the show even began; everyone came to party. Equipped with glowing everything, the crowd was happy to show me why they believed Mija to be one of the most anticipated artists at Electric Forest this year.

From a technical aspect, this was a very exciting shoot for me. Within minutes of receiving my new Nikon D750 photo kit, I called in a special favor and ventured down to Grand Rapids for the learning experience of my life. The Stache is a very personal, smaller venue with low light and no real photo pit. There was no main frontal light source, and the lasers were very close to the artists, making for a challenging shoot. This was the perfect location to stress test the low light capabilities of my new camera.

Vantage - 5

First up was a local artist by the name of VANTAGE. With expectations set high, the show went off with a bang. Popping up on shows all over Michigan, VANTAGE has really begun to make a name for himself in the local EDM scene. Spinning a mix consisting mainly of today’s top hits, VANTAGE has proven that he has what it takes to step out on a stage and own it.

Attak - 1

Next up was Attak, whose set perfectly reflected his name. Feeding off some powerful bass and wild glitching, Attak had a wide variety of tracks for us to sample while completely decimating his board. Jumping between hollowed-out sub-tones and full body bass that could shake your ass for you, I never really knew what to expect from one second to another. You can check out some tracks by Attak over on his Soundcloud page.

Mija - 8

As Mija took the stage, the whole place turned upside down. The crowd was packed in tight for an all-out dance party. Glowing with confidence and skill, Mija is a force to be admired. There’s a raw charisma that just radiates from her, and she seems to love it just as much as the crowd. With a huge variety of tracks and unmatched interaction with the audience, Mija just jumped to the top of my most anticipated EDM artists to shoot in the future. Check out her Soundcloud page to sample her work and enjoy the full gallery of photos below.