EDC Vegas may still be the flagship Insomniac event, but a smaller spin-f has become its own force nature. It’s suitable for a festival set in a state threatened by hurricanes, heat waves with scolding sunburns and the dreaded Florida Man. Thankfully, this festival is in November, away from hurricanes and the worst the Florida sun. No promises on Florida Man though…but expect a lot happy ravers.
EDC returns to Orlando next weekend, this time running three days and spanning five stages. EDC Orlando launched nearly nine years ago in May 2011 at Tinker Field, with artists such as Skrillex, Calvin Harris and Goldie on the lineup. Flash forward to 2019: EDC Orlando is still at Tinker Field, but has expanded to be almost a new event entirely.
Last Friday, EDC Orlando announced the festival’s daily lineup by stage, and it’s exciting to see the breadth talent on display. From pure EDM to rolling tech house, EDC Orlando’s lineups and stages have something for everyone.
Our stage lineups by day are here, Headliners! ?⚡️? Which stage will we find you at? #EDCOrlando
Passes are running low! Get yours now → https://t.co/iFA3QgfP8v pic.twitter.com/ABvRLnMLVU
— EDC Orlando (@EDC_Orlando) October 25, 2019
Need help deciding who to see? We’d like to help. We picked our favorite artists for each stage, three for each the bigger stages (kineticFIELD, circuitGROUNDS and neonGARDEN) and bonus picks for the two smaller stages (the debut stereoBLOOM and the Wide Awake Art Car). Check out our picks below!
kineticFIELD
deadmau5
Deadmau5 made his EDC debut this past EDC Vegas, bringing elements his new live show along with tunes fitting his deeper testpilot alias. We expect a similar display for EDC Orlando, but interestingly he’ll play kineticFIELD instead cosmicMEADOW this time. This stage normally focuses on the original EDC production rather than an artist’s unique production, so we’re curious how his set turns out. Deadmau5 also rarely plays Florida outside Ultra, so this makes for a rare appearance from a legendary artist.
REZZ
REZZ‘s rise to popularity is nothing to second guess. In 2017, REZZ played an early afternoon slot at kineticFIELD. Two years later, she has become the top producers and live performers in EDM, accompanied by a loyal fanbase and plenty new music (a new album and EP, specifically). We hope she plays at night this go-around, equipped with her psychedelic, frantic visuals.
i_o
Speaking fast rising producers, i_o has become one EDM’s greatest success stories. i_o has managed to do the seemingly impossible: bring underground sounds and styles to main stages and EDM fans. Even with collabs with artists such as Jauz, i_o takes the best EDM and Drumcode-style techno and creates his own unique blend. For fans curious to dip their toes in the deeper side the pool without jumping in headfirst, i_o is for you.
circuitGROUNDS
Eric Prydz
Another tough artist to catch in Florida outside Ultra and Miami Music Week, Eric Prydz makes his sweet return to EDC Orlando. Prydz last played EDC Orlando in 2016, and there’s a lot that’s happened since then. Prydz has fleshed out his deeper Cirez D alias, not to mention released three albums worth his progressive Pryda material. As usual, we anticipate Prydz’s set to merge all his musical sides together for a memorable experience.
Nora En Pure
The progressive queen makes her ficial EDC Orlando debut this year. Nora En Pure‘s original tracks and remixes evoke a sense brisk sunshine and st waves, a perfect soundtrack for a festival set in Florida. Her sets are dynamic, able to fit both the day and night scenery. However, we hope to see her in the dark so we can see how her music suits the massive circuitGROUNDS production.
13
Thanks to artists like REZZ, 1788-L and Blanke, glitchy, wubby, static bass and house music has taken EDM by storm. 13 is one the rising stars innovating in this sonic spectrum, with releases on Deadmau5’s Mau5trap label to boot. He previously played circuitGROUNDS at EDC Vegas this year, so we look forward to the rising artist’s return to arguably the best EDC stage.
neonGARDEN
ANNA
House and techno continue to provide a fertile ground for female producers and DJs. Case in point? The up-and-coming Brazilian ANNA has raised her prile considerably as late, including an amazing Jon Hopkins remix and great singles on the esteemed Kompakt label. She once again joins Adam Beyer and gang for a Drumcode takeover at neonGARDEN—she did the same in Vegas this year—and we can’t wait for the booming basslines.
Tiga b2b DJ Tennis
EDC loves to present unexpected b2bs, and one b2b in particular will light up neonGARDEN. Alumnus Tiga returns to play alongside DJ Tennis, a new EDC Orlando entrant. Both artists skate between house, tech house and techno, so we wonder how their styles will come together for the EDC crowd. We’re not even sure if the two have ever played together before, so this could go down as a historic one.
Charlotte de Witte
There’s no faster rising star in techno than Charlotte de Witte right now. The Belgian producer and DJ used to make EDM as Raving George, but has since gone fully into dark, rolling techno. Her rise has included a brand new label called KNTXT, b2bs and collabs with the likes Chris Liebing and touring all over the world. This marks Charlotte’s EDC Orlando debut, but even newbies will get entranced by her hypnotic sounds.
stereoBLOOM
VNSSA
DirtyBird has become the record label the moment thanks to stars such as Fisher, Claude VonStroke and Justin Martin. But an up-and-comer named VNSSA is quickly taking claim as one the label’s best artists. Her releases skirt the typical DirtyBird sounds with deeper elements, and her DJ sets swiftly bounce around genres. She’s a perfect fit for the stereoBLOOM’s first year at EDC Orlando.
Wide Awake Art Car
Sian
Sian has been in the underground scene for a while, founding the renown Octopus Recordings and touring the world. He also is linked to Mau5trap, deadmau5’s record label hosting the Wide Awake Art Car on Saturday. Deadmau5 has played plenty Sian records in his testpilot sets, as well as releasing Sian’s EPs Ultraviolet 1.0 and Ultraviolet 2.0 on the Mau5trap label. Sian brings a heavier sound to Mau5trap, and we can’t imagine anything lighter for his EDC Orlando set.
To see the full EDC Orlando lineup and to get your tickets before they sell out, head to the EDC Orlando website. See you next week!
Cover Photo: Calder Wilson for Insomniac Events