I returned to New York City’s Randall’s Island Park on the second day of the Electric Zoo Festival in time to watch Jon Hopkins‘ live performance at 1pm. I was able to leave a bit earlier the night before, drive home, wash off all of the dirt, and get some rest before another full day of electronic music festivities. Too bad I didn’t wash all of it off, I’ve been fighting a cold for the second day, and I’m sneezing non-stop as I’m writing this. I guess that’s what I get for spending two days with over fifty thousand people packed like sardines in a dancing, sweaty frenzy.
Hopkins put on a great show, although the sound in an outdoor tent was not comparable to the club in Montreal, where I saw him last June at MUTEK. Be sure to pick up his latest album, Insides out on Domino – it’s my favorite! After a few bites and drinks, I gravitated towards the Hilltop Arena, which I completely neglected the day before. There, I lost a few hours immersed in the progressive trance sounds of long time German veterans, Claus Terhoeven and Stefan Bossems, collectively known as Cosmic Gate since 1998. I went through a few pleasant flashbacks, and heard a couple of new tracks, mostly released by Black Hole Recordings.
Photography by Bennett Sell-Kline for ElectricZooFestival.com
After Cosmic Gate, Avicii turned up the heat in the tent, and I had to get some rest, quickly swinging by the Red Bull Academy Riverside Stage where Savoy was just handing over the decks to the West Coast nasty boys, The Glitch Mob. Here, Justin Boreta, Josh Mayer and Edward Ma (edIT) got the crowd careening to their IDM sprinkled, bass-heavy, instrumental hip-hop, raising the roof even where there was none to raise. The mob has recently released Drink The Sea album on Glass Air. Be sure to also pick up their individual singles.
I went back to the Hilltop for the sounds from Above & Beyond – these guys are the regular Anjunabeats trance stars, continuously flooding the scene with quality tracks. For a taste of their sound grab a compilation they mixed, Anjunabeats Volume 8. There I danced myself silly among the candy ravers and fist pumpers. I was going to stay for some more to hear Sander van Doorn, but I got pulled away to listen to Moby on the main stage. Moby? Really? The only artist on the lineup with a “(dj set)” next to his name? Yes, there was that album, Wait For Me (Little Idiot, 2009), but is Moby even relevant these days?
What can I say? Moby turned over one of the most exciting DJ sets of the weekend! Perfectly beat matched, phrased, paced, plateaued and peaked, Moby mixed quality selections from tech-house to dirty electro and techno. Yes, I was floored, impressed, and pleasantly surprised. I was a Moby fan in the early 90s, so it was nice to see his comeback, even if it was as a DJ. Wish I had the track list. After his set, I was ready for another break, grabbing a bite by the Red Bull Academy tent once again, from which Aeroplane blasted some beats, with the follow up of deep dropping bass from Diplo. Here, once again, dubstep ruled the scene, rolling hips and spliffs from the ground into the air.
Photography by Bennett Sell-Kline for ElectricZooFestival.com
As the night came to a close I was faced with a tough decision. Which tent to attend to catch the headliner? Should I choose Steve Aoki who many of the party-goers I interviewed came to see? Will it be the world renowned John Digweed and his progressive tech-house beats? Should I try to squeeze in through the crowd for the main stage event with Armin van Buuren, or should I end the party with the sweet oozing beats of Bassnectar? Well, the choice was made for me – as my friends dragged me towards the main stage, where van Buuren entered in the shadow of his own video projection, expanding his sound and light as if it was an extension of his whole being. There, far at the end was a little figure who must have been Armin himself, but here, all around me, the earth, air and fire shook with vibrations of that inner being, projecting himself via the energy throughout.
Before I go, I promised to share with you a story I have learned, from a petite 19-year old dolled up candy raver, Aurelia… You see, Aurelia is a huge fan of Bassnectar, and last time she saw Lorin Ashton perform, she threw a pair of her undies on the stage, which apparently Ashton put in his back-pocket and later bragged about to his friends. She was back again to make it count this time! Another pair of underwear, which she excitedly whipped out from her bag to show me, had a message and a phone number inscribed on the inside. Her plan was to send these his way, as soon as she could get close enough for another throw. There you have it, folks… Who needs Twitter?
Photography by Bennett Sell-Kline for ElectricZooFestival.com
Looking back at the festival I can say that I had a lot of fun. If it wasn’t for this cold, I’d be probably still jumping around my studio to the latest tunes from the above mentioned artists. Just to get all of that trance out of my system! If I had any suggestions for the organizers, I’d say that the number one complaint I heard was about the garbage and the long lines for the porta-potties. I realize that it’s tough to plan for such a large crowd, but a few extra sanitary stations and containers would probably save a lot more time for cleanup post event. Ending on a good note, I hold two thumbs up, only wishing I had the time to check out all of the artists and DJs… Sure enough, if Electric Zoo survives for another year, I’ll be there again!!! Well done, and thank you for a fun weekend!
