If Coachella wasn't enough of an indication that Electronic Dance Music is back and here to stay, then last weekend's Electric Daisy Carnival in New York will be. Thousands of people from across the country flocked to Citi Field in Queens last weekend for a neon-soaked, bass-thumping, laser-filled spectacle as the festival stopped over before its next stop in Las Vegas.
Eric Prydz's 90-minute set on Friday kept the momentum going through ATB's monstrous light show, which closed out the first day. But Saturday was easily the day to go. A sea of Day-Glo 20-somethings packed themselves into the main stage area to see EDM big-shots Thomas Gold, Calvin Harris, Afrojack, and Porter Robinson spin back-to-back sets. As night fell, the lights became brighter, the beats got heavier, and the crowd never ceased to lose energy. Harris was the standout of the lineup when he looped in fan favorites, like "We Found Love," Ellie Goulding's "I Need Your Love," and his track with Florence Welch, "Sweet Nothing," that would have set the roof on fire — had there been one.
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Don't expect any style roundups though. EDM style and festival looks aren't as trendy as Coachella or SXSW (furry boots, gold lamé hot pants, and candy bras aren't going to make the best-dressed list anytime soon), but that's not the point. It's about experiencing the full spectrum of sound — you could feel the bass from the subway station even before entering the stadium, not to mention the lights, the pyrotechnics, the occasional neon-lit sea creature surfing the crowd.
If you want more of a taste of what the weekend was like, you can stream the sets here.
Photo: Courtesy of Hayden Manders.