Electric Zoo couldn’t be a more appropriate name for the music festival that takes place on Randall’s Island in New York every fall. If you swap out the animals for artists and metal cages and aquariums for tents and stages, that’s pretty much what you’re left with, a zoo!
So why this music festival? What’s so special about Electric Zoo that would make someone buy a three-day pass and a plane ticket to the concrete jungle?
One thing I feel confident about is that this is a weekend for all dance music lovers. Although that should be expected from such large scale music event, it is Made Event’s delivery of the multi-genre festival known as Electric Zoo that separates it from several others. The event has something for everyone from Vagabundos to Bro Hat wearers (trust me it’s a wide gap). One of the best memories I have from last year was walking through the front gates and looking at the whole festival’s set-up from a distance. Using tunnel vision, I could easily zoom in and focus my attention on every performance that was happening. Each of the four stages managed to create its own atmosphere, without secluding itself from the whole, obviously with our favorite artists at the source. Simply put, Electric Zoo offers a variety of unique experiences to its visitors — all of them. If you find yourself at Main Stage and you just aren’t really feeling the music, jumping over to check out Robert Dietz or Chris Liebing in the Sunday School tent will be a completely different experience.
With more than 100 acts on the 2012 Electric Zoo lineup, where does one begin? It’s always difficult to narrow down who it is you’re actually going to see. I think it’s best to shoot for your favorites or whoever you’re dying to see, but never plan too hard. It prevents you from seeing shows that you weren’t expecting to enjoy, and will encourage you to see shows from artists you’ve never heard of.
Although “good” music is all determined by personal preference, here’s some of our recommendations, or at least where you can find us booty-shakin’ all weekend:
Main Stage
Newbie: Nicky Romero
Veteran: Pretty Lights
Group Therapy
Newbie: Ferry Corsten – Awesome set last year
Veteran: Gabriel & Dresden
Fool’s Gold Clubhouse
Newbie: Nadastrom – Moombahton, if you’re into it
Veteran: Dillon Francis
Vagabundos
Newbie: Luciano
Veteran: Robert Dietz
Main Stage
Newbie: Sander Van Doorn
Veteran: Above and Beyond – Personally, I think they’ll be better on this stage
Group Therapy
Newbie: Rusko
Veteran: DallasK – Never seen him, but I’ve heard great things
Dim Mak
Newbie: Kill The Noise
Veteran: Angger Dimas featuring Polina Live
Sunday School Groove
Newbie: Sasha – BEYOND EXCITED FOR THIS!
Veteran: Maya Jane Coles/Claude Von Stroke – Always excited for these two, tent should be packed
Main Stage
Newbie: Skrillex – If you’ve never seen him, you must
Veteran: Knife Party
Group Therapy
Newbie: Flux Pavilion and Doctor P
Veteran: EOTO – Must see
Riverside
Newbie: Diplo
Veteran: Zedd
Sunday School Groove
Newbie: Marco Carola/Umek
Veteran: Better Lost Than Stupid – Buttrich/Squillace/Tanzmann
Of course, those are just our recommendations. Switch writers and I’m sure the list would be quite different. If you’re one of those people who aren’t even into electronic music and are just going for the experience, the festival is in freaking New York City. More specifically, Randall’s Island, which is on the East River and almost 25 acres in area, meaning there will be plenty of space for all your needs. When a festival is being hosted by a big city, be it Austin City Limits in Austin, Texas or Ultra Music Festival in Miami, everything is that much more fun. Electric Zoo is really quite the experience, just check out the trailer:
If you’ve yet to purchase you’re tickets to Electric Zoo 2012, click here to buy them now. Although a weekend pass is obviously the best way to get the full experience the festival has to offer, remember, single day passes are also available!
In the post-festival hours of the weekend, all the best NYC clubs will without a doubt be hosting tons of after-parties. Chance are, if you don’t get tickets to them early, you’re going to be left out in the cold (well, heat.) Be sure to check back with mybeatFix for all the details on the official Electric Zoo after parties that will be going on each night after the festival at the Best Buy Theater and the Roseland Ballroom.
See you in New York!
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