By Maha Chaudhry
If you are one of many fans of EDM, then you probably look forward to the month of November every year! EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) is a three-day music festival to remember. And every year in November, tens of thousands of fans flock to Tinker Field near Camping World Stadium for the immersive experience. The festival features world-class EDM artists and headliners, elaborate stage designs that never fail to amaze you, immersive art installations, and interactive activities for everyone to enjoy. There is something to be said about the energy that fills the air and brings about its own kind of high. And if you’ve ever attended EDC, then you know exactly what I am talking about. This makes sense considering the EDC community embraces the PLUR culture, which stands for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. With that said, the days and nights are full of positive vibes, inclusivity, self-expression and bright creative outfits to add to the already whimsical atmosphere.
Every year you have the option to explore four of the larger stages: KineticField, CircuitGROUNDS, neonGARDEN, and stereoBLOOM, which feature a variety of sets from DJs around the world. Having options is amazing, especially when all of them are good, however, your only problem being, what if you want to see multiple DJs performing at the same time? I definitely felt that this year as I was so pleased with the lineup that ranged from the OG of EDM, to modern-day house. Here are some of my headliner top picks from this year, which I must say was hard to do because everyone was memorable.
HEADLINER PICKS
FISHER:
Friday night ended with a bang because FISHER headlined as one of the closing sets for day one. Paul Fisher is an Australian DJ and producer known for his infections-crowd-pleasing tech-house tracks and larger-than-life personality, and it was indicative on the kinetic stage. Even though his home lies in music scenes including EDC, Tomorrowland, and Ibiza, his outrageous persona is getting him more noticed in mainstream. FISHER is definitely in the limelight and we love to see it.
Dimitri Vegas and Steve Aoki:
This collaboration made day two truly unforgettable. The set was on fire, literally! (thank you, amazing stage designers and engineers). Dimitri Vegas is part of the Belgian DJ duo Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike. The two together are high-energy, and theatrical live performances. And when you combine that with Steve Aoki, what you get is nothing short of show stopping. Steve Aoki, known for his high-octane performances and cake-throwing antics, knows how to captivate his audience. This makes him one of the most recognizable figures in EDM. His music covers electro-house, in which he often collaborates with mainstream artists across genres. This set had you dancing harder, singing harder, and just enjoying every minute.
Gareth Emery:
Known as an original when it comes to electronic dance music, Emery knows how to put on an unforgettable set. He’s recognized for his melodic trance and progressive house sound. And when Emery is on stage, you just know because of the awe-inspiring laser-focused shows, which combine advanced laser visuals with his music. And on EDC day three in stereoBLOOM fashion, he took us on a mesmerizing journey of modern combined with nostalgic dance beats.
John Summit:
And last but not least, you have Summit closing out the last and final day three of EDC. And what an ending to a weekend it was. No stranger to EDC Orlando, Summit has been consistently showing up with undeniable talent and high-energy tracks. I am a firm believer that most people who stayed or joined for Sunday, did so because Summit would be in attendance. He might be a newer face in the mainstream EDC scene, but he is blowing it up with tracks that topped the charts and playlists worldwide. There was not a single person who didn’t look like they were living their best life while Summit was on set of CircuitGROUNDS. Thank you for brining EDC to a memorable end, as always.
