New York’s finest EDM festival, Electric Zoo has been getting bigger, better and longer each year. This year’s incarnation was a phenomenal event – at least the Saturday when the M2I crew was in attendance. Click below for a review of the artists M2I heard, as well as a link to a stream and download of each of the sets.
Morgan Page:
Having never heard Morgan Page live before, I was pleasantly surprised by his hard-hitting mix of electro and house. The highlight of his set was definitely at the end, when he played his own remix of Meiko’s “Leave the Lights On, and then quickly transitioned into his remix of The Outfield’s “Your Love”, a sequence that caused the crowd to explode.
8.5/10
Bingo Players:
Bingo Players played a super funky, eclectic mix of dubstep and electro. The highlights of their set were their upcoming track, Out of My Mind, which is an explosive big room track, and a wicked mashup of Alesso vs. Keane – Silenced By The Night (Alesso Remix) w/ The Killers – Mr. Brightside (Acapella).
8.5/10
Sander van Doorn:
SvD played a somewhat out-of-character set, dropping some dubstep into his otherwise typically trancey, progressive house set. For me, the best parts were all of his original tracks, as well as all of the bass-heavy tracks that I had never heard of before. The two highlights were the acapella of Gotye – Somebody I Used to Know on top of Koko, and the bootleg of Eagles and Inpetto – No More Serious Faces.
8/10
Dada Life:
Dada Life gave a phenomenal set, but with less than a usual amount of the usual banana and champagne accoutrements. Unfortunately, they didn’t spray any champagne or throw the bananas that were on the stage, but they did play all of their hits, as well as play the acapella of Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl on top of Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso – Calling, which was both fitting and amusing.
8.5/10
Axwell:
Axwell, as you would expect of – hands down – the world’s best DJ, played a phenomenal set. Unfortunately, as someone who tracks his sets and style relgiously, it was too stock for me. The ending, of Axwell – Heart Is King w/ Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin – Save The World (Acappella + Knife Party Remix + Original) w/ Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash – Reload, is the same ending to every SHM set, as well as many of Axwell’s own sets. The best moment was the new ID he played (apparently its an upcoming track on Axtone remixed by DubVision).
8/10
Wolfgang Gartner:
From the small part of Wolfgang Gartner’s set that I caught, I would argue that it was the BEST set of the night. Not many DJs still play dirty electro and tech house the way Wolfgang Gartner does. His technique is peerless, and he doesn’t play all of the tracks that everyone else does. Tracks like Menage a Trois, which Gartner dropped and to which the crowd exploded near the end of his set, are like nothing out there.
9.5/10
Sorry, can’t find a set of this.
Benny Benassi
Benassi played a lively set, up to his standards, but nothing phenomenal. His opening track, his own remix of Bob Marley & The Wailers – Jammin’ was unequivocally the coolest part.
7.5/10
Steve Aoki:
Along with Wolfgang Gartner, Aoki took the cake for the best set of the night. Literally, he threw three huge cakes into the crowd, along with loads of Dim Mak merchandise, himself, champagne, and anything else that was on the stage. Rocky Aoki (Steve’s dad, who founded Benihana, and was very crazy) would have been proud.
Aoki’s manic energy always creates an epic vibe, and this night was no exception. The crowd was absurd, making the tent so hot that confetti that was shot into the air stick to the roof because of all the perspiration on the roof. If the temperature of a set is any indication of how well a DJ is doing, then Aoki deserves a big trophy. Best tracks were the first and last: Steve Aoki feat. Polina – Come With Me (Jidax Remix) and Steve Aoki & Angger Dimas feat. Iggy Azalea – Beat Down. Of course, No Beef also blew the roof off of the place.
9.5/10
Above & Beyond:
I thought Above & Beyond’s set was great, showcasing their unique trance sound. However, it was sad to see that most people did not feel the vibe on this one, leaving in droves. The absolute highlight was hearing Sun & Moon, which got all the true trance fans singing along.
8/10
No set for this one, unfortunately.
