By: Jesse
Music Festivals are daunting experiences. With 4 stages and over 100 artists at Electric Zoo this year across 3 days, choosing who to see when can seem impossible, Fortunately for you, I'm here to break down a few choice acts each show, from a headliner, to a side stage, to someone you may or may not have heard from. Welcome to your 2012 Electric Zoo preview (now with spotify tracks!). Enjoyment guaranteed or your money back (for this article, not the festival. Your own your own for that one).
Friday:
Must-See Main Stage: Pretty Lights
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: I can see it in your
face
Nothing is quite the feast for the eyes like Pretty Lights,
and no one out there does a better show as the sun sets. The lights will come
on, the glitched out samples will flow, and you’ll find yourself in a trance
that won’t end for the whole set. This has a strong chance of being the most
memorable set on Thursday.
Must-See Side Stage: A-trak
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: Heads will roll (ft.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
You can’t go wrong at Electric Zoo with an award winning DJ. When you have the first ever five time world champion, it becomes a must-see
set. On top of many awards, A-trak is bringing house, hip-hop, techno, and various other beats that will have the
entire crowd dancing well into the night.
Random non-headliner chosen at random: Mat Zo
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: Mozart
At any festival there are bound to be people you don’t know. Here at Random non-headliner chosen at random we try to inform you of those artists that tend not to make the top lines of a poster. Enter British Import Mat Zo. He builds up his beats well and will turn a mid-afternoon set into a party. Verdict: Go See.
Noteables: Tommy Trash, Marcus Schossow, Nadastrom, Dillon Francis
Saturday:
Must-See Main Stage: Above and Beyond
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: Sun & Moon
The #5 DJ(s) in the world (if you take DJ Magazine as a
reliable source. I don't. Despite being named DJ magazine after all) is a set you don't want to miss. This British imports (what’s in the water over there?) trance
beats that seem to infect the brain and take over your body. The three man
team knows what a crowd likes and will have your head nodding and feet moving
from start to finish with spiritual tunes and custom visuals to match.
Must-See Side Stage: Benny Benassi
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: Cinema
I might be biased here since I’ve been listening to
Satisfaction since its release in 2002, but Benny Benassi’s electro beats can’t
be matched. This is definitely a show where you are going to let loose and get
freaky (though if you’re not doing this at every show, you’re doing it wrong). Expect some original works along with
remixes of classic songs you already know.
Random non-headliner chosen at random: Kill the noise
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: Muscle Rollers
You might not know that you do in fact know Kill The Noise
(mind bending stuff, I know). Having performed with everyone from Skrillex to
Korn, Kill The Noise (once Ewun) brings dubstep beats to everything he touches
(like a dubstep King Midas). During his set the bass most certainly will drop
and many of your favorite songs will be remixed. Verdict: If you’re a fan of
dubstep (and I know you are), Go See.
Sunday:
Must-See Main Stage: Skrillex
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: Bangarang
It’s your last day at Electric Zoo. The sun is setting. Your
composing in your head what to tell everyone when you get back (best time ever
is a good opener. You see your friends (or your mom, if friends do not apply)
and they ask you what was the best act. Honestly, your answer might not be
Skrillex. I mean, look at all those top ranked DJ’s. When they ask who was the
biggest spectacle is, though, your answer will be the guy who loves to get into
spaceships that rise 20 feet above the stage while making the bass drop endlessly.
And that’s what festivals are all about. Putting on a show. As a matter of
fact, let’s make it his new tagline. Skrillex: Dinner and
a show (Skrillex is not responsible for feeding you during the show).
Must-See Side Stage: Diplo
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: Sunsets
Thomas Wesley Pentz, aka Diplodocus, aka Wes Diplo, aka Wes
Gully, aka Diplo has enough nicknames to be a criminal on a CBS drama. What he
does instead is bring an experimental DJ style that produces sounds not
normally heard by the human ear. No one genre seems to fit Diplo, which is
probably why he’s teamed up with everyone from M.I.A. to Electric Zoo headliner
Tiesto. This Philly native will have your head spinning by the end of the set
(and that’s a good thing).
Random non-headliner chosen at random: Djedjotronic
Spotify top hit for the uninitiated: The invisible landscape
Sometimes my random choices are random. But when I get to
type out Djedjotronic repeatedly in a blurb, I can’t pass on that
chance. Djedjotronic isn’t just a
website content editors nightmare, but a DJ who majors in field of techno with
a minor in computer beats. And what beats those are. Seemless transitions, bass
that seems to move your body with each hit, and immaculate samples, Djedjotronic (last time I have to spell that, thank god)
is my Random non-headliner chosen at random to see.
Noteables: W&W, Krewella, Clockwork, Dash Berlin, Umek
Check out the Full Electric Zoo Preview 2012 Lineup Here
Check out the Full Electric Zoo Preview 2012 Lineup Here
.png)
.png)
