EDC Orlando: Can A Stacked Lineup Beat an Oversold Crowd?
Image Courtesy: @edc_orlando via Instagram
As the 13th annual Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando comes to a close, festival pictures from the weekend begin flooding Instagram, and it starts to seem like everyone and their mom have become “ravers.”
According to WFTV 9, over 300,000 people were in attendance this year, making it one of the biggest EDM festivals in the nation. Many complained, saying the festival was oversold and calling for more crowd control. With attendance nearly equivalent to the number of people who actually live in Orlando, it makes you wonder: can a stacked lineup beat the struggles of an oversold crowd?
Individual opinions vary, but the majority seems to have come to one consensus: EDC Orlando is absolutely worth it. While the festival featured a plethora of exceptional artists performing house, dubstep, techno, and more, here are our honorable mentions:
Image Courtesy: @jessica_audiffred via Instagram
Jessica Audiffred, a dubstep artist quickly rising to legend status in the genre, did not disappoint during her 6:15 set at circuitGROUNDS, throwing down deep, prominent bass lines that create captivatingly heavy sounds. Aduifred’s set was dark, fiery, and full of energy, giving the headbangers and moshers of EDC their first taste of wubs. It could easily be argued that Audiffred performed the best dubstep show of the day.
At 7:20, drum and bass artist Hedex took over the stage at circuitGROUNDS, and while Audiffred put on a show that was hard to beat, he kept the vibe intense and the energy up. The ride through this set was non-stop, oozing with aggressive neurofunk-inspired basslines, heavy drops, and fast-paced beats. Sullivan Kin, a legendary dubstep artist, was brought out as a surprise guest on the Saturday lineup.
Over at kineticField, Deorreo went B2B with Timmy Trumpet, giving ravers a taste of a dreamy blend of big room and electro house. Timmy did, in fact, pull out his trumpet as the pair put on an electric, body-moving set with high-energy drops that made it hard to stop yourself from jumping around with the crowd.
Meanwhile, at circuitGrounds, Black Tiger Sex Machine (BTSM) came with a surprise gift to the headbangers: a B2B set with Kai Wachi under the trio’s alias, Skull Machine. Skull Machine’s performance was experimental, chaotic, and bass-heavy. Skull Machine is not a group that typically conforms to one genre, and their EDC set was no exception. Although Kai Wachi and BTSM are well-known individually, Skull Machine is still relatively underground, and while their performance was artistic, it was also fairly niche.
Image Courtesy: @followthefishtv via Instagram
Closing down kineticField Friday night was Fisher, royalty in the house world and extremely well-known worldwide, specifically for his popular party songs, “Atmosphere,” “TAKE IT OFF,” and "Losing It.” Fisher’s EDCO closing set was playful, energetic, and groovy, starting off with a more minimal style and exploding with energy toward the end.
Over at circuitGrounds, Zed’s Dead played an iconic closing set, as the pair put on an unpredictable set with fun and unique mixes. Their visuals, unique drops, and melodic mixes exceeded expectations. The group even threw in a remix of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”
On Saturday, Champagne Drip got the crowd at circuitGround warmed up with a deep, atmospheric bass sound. While the artist is still fairly underground, his sounds are worth the listen, and his EDC sunset set did not disappoint.
Dubstep artist Ray Volpe took over circuitGrounds later in the night, showcasing his lovable, high-energy, bass-heavy dubstep. Ray Volpe's set was a headbanger’s dream, his sounds sparking non-stop mosh pits and cementing him as a must-see at every festival he attends.
Over at kineticFields, Dimitri Vegas went B2B with Steve Aoki, putting on a high-energy, big room house show with iconic, anthemic melodies. This set was easy to love for all music lovers in attendance, with throwbacks to sing to and fun beats to dance to.
Next on kineticFields, Disco Lines went B2B with Dillon Franics for an electric house bass blend. Both artists are known for genre-blending, and more recently, Disco Lines has been blending in some more bass with his sound. Disco Lines threw down Tape B’s remix of Zed’s Dead’s “Collapse,” merging into Disco Line’s “Baby Girl” for an unforgettable moment during the set.
Back at circuitGrounds, Zomboy didn’t disappoint with his heavy bass-driven dubstep sound, setting up a dark and cinematic atmosphere that was a perfect transition into dubstep legend Sullivan King’s 9:55 set.
King met headbanger’s expectations with high-energy remixes and heavy metal vibes, bringing out Ray Volpe and playing his iconic remix of Chappel Roan’s “Hot To Go.”
Ganja White Night put on an amazing closing set at circuitGrounds, bringing the vibes and energy up with their dubstep reggae sound. During the set, we heard classics, and new songs in collaboration with artists Tape B, Wolli, and Boogie T. Boogie T was even brought out near the end of the set to play their freshly released song. A remix of reggae group Stick Figure’s “World On Fire” got the crowd grooving, and at the end, the crowd wished a happy birthday to one of the group members.
Sunday went out with a bang, with experimental bass artist Inzo throwing down vibey, melodic, atmospheric sounds to start off the day. Inzo’s sounds are futuristic and euphoric. His set was beyond expectations and truly set the stage for a wonderful night of good music.
House artist Alesso bumped up the energy after Inzo’s set with catchy melodies and powerful drops, creating a euphoric atmosphere. Alesso honored the late Liam Payne by playing a song they worked on together years ago called “Midnight.”
For the night, EDCO decided to switch up the vibes at the stages, giving headbangers their time to enjoy the main stage (kineticField).
Mau P took over circuitGrounds, getting the crowd grooving with his techno house blend, creating a deep hypnotic atmosphere for the househeads at the festival.
Image Courtesy: @slanderofficial via Instagram
Iconic duo Slander brought their classic mix of melodies and headbangers to the main stage, bringing the energy up high. The experience was immersive, cinematic, and a perfect intro to the main stage closing set.
Current ruler of the house genre, John Summit, closed out circuitGrounds with a high-energy musical journey. Summit blended tech house and house, rocking the crowd with house sensation “Shiver” and bringing out deep mixes such as YDG’s remix of “Go Back.” Although Summit is a tough one to miss, many did for melodic dubstep icon, Illenium, who closed out the festival at kineticField.
Illenium’s set was a euphoric experience, throwing down classic sing-alongs, heavy drops, and unreleased sounds. This set could quite literally be described as life-changing. As fireworks, drone shows, and lasers lit up the main stage, ravers headbanged, jumped, danced, sang, and held their friends as the festivities came to a close. Illenium provoked some to shed a few tears during the closing song, an extended version of “Good Things Fall Apart.”
The energy was immaculate as fans sang along and reminisced on a wonderful weekend of good vibes, good people, and good music.
Strike Out,
Morgan Harms
Boca Raton
Morgan Harms is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. She is a Pisces mermaid with a love for the ocean. She spends her free time daydreaming, wave-watching, and blasting whatever music she’s into that day. You can reach her by email at morganjharms@gmail.com or on Instagram @morganjharms and @morganjharmswrites.
