Just like that the New York edition of Electric Daisy Carnival has come to a close. Two long days have come to a close with a lot of naked ravers going home tonight wondering why they didn't check the weather report this morning. Day 2 had arguably a stronger lineup with names like Eric Prydz, Alison Wonderland, Jauz, Don Diablo, Kaskade, Hannah Wants and Throttle all going. With five different stages there were plenty of great moments or acts, but we managed to pick 10 of them at EDC NY.
1. Throttle - The young Australian may have had a 2:15 slot, but he was able to keep the crowds from moving past him and showed that the massive stage behind him did not overmatch his own abilities. The temperatures were already chilly, but the warmest they were going to be all day and Throttle had some summer house music ready for the crowd including some of his own cuts like his remix of Earth Wind & Fire "September," "Waiting" and "Moneymaker" that was played several times over the weekend.
2. Don Diablo - Someone who has rebranded himself completely over the past two years into festival-friendly house music, Don Diablo brings out a large crowd for an early time slot. He played plenty of his own music, but showed some dexterity to adapt to the situation dropping "Singing In The Rain" just as some moisture started to fall. He also mixed in some drum n bass and heavier electro sounds to keep listeners on their toes.
3. Hannah Wants - In an arena where very few women are booked on lineups, especially at the highest level, it is great to see Hannah Wants getting a solid spot at 4:15. Someone who is known for her talents as a DJ first, she knows how to spin a set together with the right track at the right time with some super clean mixes. Unlike many producers who become DJs to play out their music, Wants is a DJ and you couldn see it in the first 10 minutes.
4. Ephwurd - The dubhouse duo of Datsik and Baishaus weren't like many duos first starting out in that they didn't have to start from scratch. Datsik was a well-known dubstep producer and Baishaus was on the cusp of something big. Together they helped to create a new trend with Jauz, who would come later on the evening. They played plenty of the dubhouse that was quite popular on the main stages on the first day and has populated sets all across the dance music spectrum.
5. Alison Wonderland - The Cosmic Meadow stage was very, very good once again. Fans could have stayed from Hannah Wants to Alison Wonderland and heard some very different sounding music, but all worth the while. Alison Wonderland brought her technical prowess and eclectic selection to the boards for one of the more entertaining sets of the weekend. This was shockingly the first time we heard "Panda" dropped, but no doubt it was played elsewhere.
5. Eric Prydz - This comes with a painful caveat. Normally Eric Prydz absolutely dominates every venue he takes over, especially festivals. He brings a sound that is melodic, uptempo and works in a main stage setting, but isn't the derivative one expects from that arena. He started his set with some Cirez D techno, but then about 25 minutes in the gusting winds curiously shut down the stage for 20 minutes, despite all of the other stages staying open. He came back to close out with another 30 minutes of music, but didn't have the full momentum all the way to the "Opus" finale.
7. Jauz - The second to last man on the Cosmic Meadow stage, Jauz had a good time and so did the crowd. Mixing in the selections he has done with the likes of Netsky, Skrillex and Ephwurd, the set moved at a breakneck pace including dubstep, house, rap and more. As one of the final guys playing on a frigid night, Jauz had to keep the crowd from going home and he was able to keep the crowd swelling up to Dillon Francis.
8. Kaskade - Attendees had to make the choice between Dillon Francis and Kaskade on the two main stages. For those who wanted more melodies, Kaskade was the answer. He started out with two of his Anjunabeats mashups of "Move For Me" with Sunny Lax's "Enceladus" and then Jason Ross & Jeneux's "Solaris" with the vocals of "Atmosphere." He dipped into some classics that are reappearing in his sets like the Dada Life remix of "Dynasty" and the dance.love mix of "I Can See." Despite the frigid temperatures that had dipped into the 40s, Kaskade kept the place moving and the crowd very engaged until he had to step away right before 11.
9. Dillon Francis Signs - Dillon Francis is a funny guy. He spends a lot of time cultivating his funny guy image and it has worked with his legion of fans that buy in and deliver some funny signage of their own at shows. EDC was no different. There were the standard pics of Dillon's head on a taco and on a dolphin in a kiddie pool, but also more updates ones teaming Francis and his alter ego DJ Hanzel as the men to make America deep again. There was also another with DJ Dillon Francis in his red button down as seen in the "Need U' music video.
10. Candy-Induced Smiles - The media work room was packed with snacks and with only a few hours to go a few of us decided to share the wealth with the world outside who had in effect paid for these snacks. Seeing people's faces light up when you offer them the smallest thing like a bite size Milky Way or a tiny bag of fruit snacks was almost as good as being at the festival. Sometimes it is the little things that make the most difference.
