EDC Orlando, once again, has a stellar line up this year thanks to Insomniac Events and there are tons of artists on the line up to be excited to see. I would like to bring to your attention ten MUST SEE ARTISTS for this year’s lineup IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER…
Eric Prydz is one of the most influential artists in dance music and also one of the most innovative. His ability to produce a wide range of (dance) music has enabled him to release mountain sized tracks under Eric Prydz, dark techno under Cirez D and mesmerizing progressive house under Pryda. Prydz runs Pryda Recordings and Mouseville, which are home to his Pryda and Cirez D tracks. Since Prydz has three major aliases that he releases music under, his live sets contain multiple tracks from each and they enable him to have have some of the most legendary sets around. For example, listen to this edition of his Beats 1 Radio podcast. Eric Prydz plays on Friday at the kineticFIELD from 6:43 p.m. - 8:07 p.m. and this is not something you want to miss, trust me.
Bassnectar, aka Lorin Ashton, has been recruiting an army of bass heads since the release of his first album back in 2001. Ashton's live sets can be remembered by the breathtaking light shows, the body n soul shaking amounts of bass and the tremendous spirit of the bass loving crowd. His live sets are filled with Drum & Bass, Dubstep, Hip-Hop, Glitch-Hop, Trap and whatever else contains a f*ck ton of bass. From personal experience, I can tell you that being in the middle of a Bassnectar crowd is one of the most epic feelings of all time. Every direction you turn you see smiles, in-synced headbanging and possibly even crying (happy tears of course). This is an EXPERIENCE that will change your life forever and something you will want to relive over and over and over. Bassnectar plays on the circuitGROUNDS from 9:40 p.m. - 10:55 p.m. To get a taste of what to expect check out this mix "Bassnectar - Mixtape 13." See you there!
No Mana has recently made a giant leap into the scene by playing his first live show ever in front of a crowd when he opened for deadmau5 at the Allentown Fair. No Mana has had a pair of releases on mau5trap including “Momentarily” and his most recent single titled “Tell Me” which is blowing up and is showing no signs of slowing down. Since his opening set for deadmau5, he has opened for Armin Van Buuren along side big names including KhoMha and Orjan Nilsen as well as having played at Monster Mash in Toronto. No Mana makes his EDC debut this weekend at EDC Orlando on the circuitGROUNDS from 2:45 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. His electro/industrial house sound is very similar to that of deadmau5, and with the mau5 being a huge influence to No Mana you can expect to hear a few tracks from the man himself this weekend as we saw on Twitter ... 😉 you're welcome mau5 fans. To get pumped for his set this weekend check out his "We Are Friends Mix" that was posted by mau5trap on Soundcloud!!!!
Justin Martin is the funky music and pizza lovin' guy that you'd probably want to hangout with. Being one of the original members of Dirtybird, aka one of the most groovy and innovative record labels around, his sound is soulful but at the same time he will slap you across the face with a bassline that'll have your mom shakin' her ass. For example checkout the Ardalan and Justin Martin collaboration "Function". The Dirtybird crew (Claude VonStroke, The Martin Brothers, Catz 'n Dogz, Shiba San, Justin Jay, Eats Everything, J Phlip, Kill Frenzy and Ardalan.. etc) are hands down the most friendly group of artists that you'll come across, and they know how to make you wanna dance all night long. Martin's DJ sets are something that you'd have to experience to understand, things to expect during his set are funk, groove, dirty house beats and quite possibly some PIZZA! Justin Martin plays at the neonGARDEN from 6:20 p.m. - 7:35 p.m. so be there and be ready to dance! To get in the mood to groove check out his mix "south africa tour mix" and i'll see you at the neonGARDENS.
Simon Patterson or Psymon as most call him, is nothing short of a legend in the world of trance. As the host of Open Up radio, (a weekly radio show) he is able to feature some of the best and brightest artist psytrance has to offer. He always receives heavy support from Armin van Buuren on both his ASOT radio shows and tour dates. His style ranges from psy to uplifting trance and he is guaranteed to take you on a sonic journey. When armin asked "Who's afraid of 138?" He definitely wasn't speaking to Simon. You can check out his most recent episode of his weekly mix show "Open Up - 143 - Live from Melbourne"... enjoy your journey! Be sure to check out Simon close the neonGARDEN down Friday night from 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. and rest assured he will go out with a bang.
Ed Rush & Optical + The Upbeats.... need I say more? This is going to be one hell of a set. Not only do we get to witness the legendary live drum n bass duo of Ed Rush and Optical but we've been blessed to see them go b2b with The Upbeats. Recently The Upbeats teamed up with Noisia for a collaboration EP titled "Dead Limit" which is nothing short of f*cking epic. If you were at EDCO last year and had a chance to see Noisia, like myself, you can imagine this to be very similar. This will be an experience you tell your grand kids about...if you survive the insanity that is to come. Ed Rush & Optical run Virus Records together which has been spitting out some of the grimiest Drum n Bass around since '98. These two duos will be playing back to back from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Friday at the circuitGROUNDS. For the love of all things Drum & Bass do not miss this damn set!! To prepare you for what is to come here's Ed Rush & Optical at "Let It Roll Open Air Festival" in the Czech Republic and here's The Upbeats at "Let It Roll Open Air Festival" as well.
Calling all groovers, rump shakers & Dirtybird players - this is what you've been waiting for. Dirtybird's head honcho Barclay Crenshaw, aka Claude VonStroke, is ready to bring in a fun, groovy, and bassline heavy brand of house music to EDC Orlando. Claude is responsible for assembling one of the most gangster rosters a record label has ever seen, including but not limited to, Ardalan, Breach, Catz 'N Dogz, Christian Martin, Dusky, Friend Within, J.Phlip, Justin Martin, Kill Frenzy, Riva Starr, and of course himself. Wait did I forget to mention the innovator, taste maker and legend Green Velvet will be joining him for a special b2b set?! Get Real, the moniker used for these b2b sets has been making some huge waves in the underground community. Green Velvet is one of dance music's most unique talents. His live vocal rendition of tracks like "Flash" & "Bigger Than Prince" and his distinct sound are just two little treats he has waiting for you. Velvet will also play tracks from his original house alias Cajmere. When these two powerhouses come together expect anything from house, techno, crazy vocals, basslines that don't quit and straight groove. 'Make a cake' on the way to 'La La Land' & say #TechYes as you dance your way down to the neonGARDEN to catch them from 10:10 p.m. - 12:00 p.m., cameras ready, prepare to flash!! You can check out a 25 minute glimpse of their set at EDC Vegas 2015 here!
Joining the list is another Dirtybird member and innovative house producer named Eats Everything. Eats has had releases on some of the most respected house and techno labels including Dirtybird Records, Circus Recordings, Pets Recordings and Snatch! Records. His most recent release is a remix of a Rudimental track titled "Lay It All On Me" feat. Ed Sheeran. Eats Everything's sets often contain a mixture of house and techno and lots of funky grooves. If you've seen any house/techno artists recently you've probably heard his recent remix/rework of the Tiga vs Audion track "Let's go Dancing" but his name for it is "Dancing (Again!)". Eats Everything plays Saturday at the neonGARDEN from 5:05 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. right before Justin Martin. Check out Eats Everything live for a hour and a half here!
Gorgon City are a duo from London and consist of members Kye "Foamo" Gibbon and Matt "RackNRuin" Robson-Scott. They have a very distinct UK garage sound and they often play "Live" sets as well as DJ sets very similar to how Disclosure does it. They released a full length album back in 2014 titled "Sirens" and recently released a single titled "Saving My Life" which includes a "terrace dub mix" and a "warehouse dub mix" that are both spectacular. Check out their Beats 1 North America Tour Mix and prepare yourself for the deep UK sounds from Gorgon City. They are the only Live act of the weekend, meaning they're not just djing, so be sure to check them out at the neonGARDEN Saturday from 9:05 p.m. - 9:55 p.m.!!
G-House has made a huge rise into house music in the past year or so and the French duo Amine Edge & Dance have been held responsible for playing a big role in that. Mixing fat basslines with old hip-hop vocals is kind of their thing and hearing this at a festival is quite the rush. Following in the footsteps of Dj Sneak, they are the modern day house gangsters and have enjoyed endless shows in Ibiza during their residency at Sankeys. Amine Edge & Dance run CUFF Records which arguably releases the biggest G-House tracks around. Being label owners they have quite a large collection of unreleased CUFF tracks and you can only imagine what they have in store for us at EDC. They played an incredible set last year at EDC Orlando filled with hip-hop, house and some of the most gangster grooves your ears will ever have the chance to hear. Amine Edge & Dance are going to be rocking the kineticFIELD Friday from 3:12 p.m. - 4:11 p.m. and be ready for your inner thug to come out by listening to this mix from AE&D here!
So I just showed you my Ten Must See Sets that will be at EDC Orlando this weekend, if you still need tickets you can purchase them here! Have fun, be safe, take care of each other and I'll see you under The Electric Sky this weekend in Orlando!
