EDM.com’s Better of 2021: Performances & DJ Units – EDM.com
EDM.com proudly publishes 4 installments of annual year-end protection: Trade Leaders, Performances, Music Producers, and Songs.
To honor their creativity and seminal influences on the stay music business, we have acknowledged 10 of the yr’s greatest performances and DJ units from across the digital dance music sphere.
Swardy
Secret Sky
Again in April, of the scene’s most under-appreciated artists was given an opportunity to showcase his inimitable efficiency capabilities to an enormous viewers in a prime-time slot on Porter Robinson’s digital competition, Secret Sky.
Swardy’s efficiency on the fest was one in every of sheer originality and creativeness. He blew the lid off of what followers might count on from digital performances with practically 35 minutes of virtuosic stay instrumentation, like in his sensible renditions of “Right here On My Personal” and “The Gold Line,” amongst others. All of the whereas, he intertwined the music with quirky puppets, spellbinding visuals, and quite a lot of costumes.
The ultimate end result was one of the vital feel-good performances of the yr throughout a time when the dance music neighborhood wanted it essentially the most.
Skrillex
Dwell at Avant Gardner
Skrillex did not carry out a lot in 2021, however his present at Brooklyn’s Avant Gardner on October twenty seventh will go down as one of the vital memorable of his profession.
Whereas the EDM neighborhood toiled by means of a revolving door of trite livestreams and not-so-immersive metaverse DJ units due to the pandemic, Skrillex threw down in New York Metropolis for the primary time in three years. In what was a “you needed to be there” type of evening, his efficiency represented the quintessential Skrillex set. He dropped a slew of never-before-heard songs whereas concurrently igniting the nostalgia machine with a few of his most prized hits, like his remix of Benny Benassi’s “Cinema,” which noticed Benassi himself take the stage alongside the dubstep icon.
It was one in every of numerous surreal moments in a efficiency akin to a fever dream. And contemplating the relentless nature of COVID-19 and its influence on stay music, it’s going to take some Inception-like wizardry for a present like this to occur once more any time quickly.
Moore Kismet
EDC Las Vegas
Within the midst of a bona fide breakout yr, Moore Kismet grew to become the youngest artist to ever carry out at Insomniac’s storied EDC Las Vegas competition. But it surely appears nobody informed the digital music prodigy, who threw down with the unassailable gusto of a seasoned vet and proved there isn’t a second they can’t meet.
Kismet’s stentorian EDC set was the eruption of a profession that had been broiling beneath the floor. At solely 16, they took EDM’s largest stage and etched their identify into it with an hourlong set chock filled with ferocious drops and signature, hypnotic bass music. The efficiency showcased not a starry-eyed teenager, however an genuine artist who belonged there—and who represents the way forward for digital dance music.
WhoMadeWho
Dwell at Abu Simbel, Egypt for Cercle
The celebs aligned for WhoMadeWho’s efficiency at Abu Simbel, an historical temple complicated in Egypt lower into dwelling rock by King Ramesses round 1264 BC. On the rigorously chosen filming date of February twenty second, the daybreak daylight illuminated three of the 4 statues contained in the sanctuary of Abu Simbel. Solely the statue of Ptah, the god of the underworld, remained in darkness.
Cercle’s implausible cinematography, WhoMadeWho’s electrical chemistry, and the surreal backdrop of Abu Simbel culminated in a jaw-dropping efficiency. The Danish trio introduced forth their full stay band setup to play an all-original set, grooving on drums, singing tenderly, and experimenting with synths and percussion.
It is a rarity to see underground dance music so superbly filmed in a historic location.
Amelie Lens
EXIT Competition
Serbia’s EXIT Competition made headlines this yr as the primary main music fest to return to Europe for the reason that begin of the pandemic. Main the pack of its top-notch performances was Belgian mainstay Amelie Lens, who celebrated the occasion’s twentieth anniversary with a heart-pumping techno set.
Immaculate transitions and transportive alternatives powered her riveting two-hour efficiency, which was rife with unbridled vitality due to “L’Obscurite,” “Raver’s Coronary heart” and “Area Program,” amongst different Lens originals. DJ units like these are precisely what the physician ordered after an extended 18 months in quarantine, and Lens’ supply at EXIT reigns supreme.
Porter Robinson
“Nurture Dwell” at Secret Sky
Nothing units the digital music neighborhood ablaze like a brand new enterprise from Porter Robinson.
Only a few days after the discharge of his long-awaited—and breathtaking—sophomore album Nurture, Robinson debuted a shocking stay set at his curated digital fest, Secret Sky. That includes stay edits of fan-favorite Nurture cuts in addition to classics like “Unhappy Machine” and “Shelter,” the spine-tingling efficiency was introduced solely to life for the primary time—one thing followers will always remember.
Kaskade
Dwell on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
After performing a shocking set atop the Grand Canyon Skywalk final yr, Kaskade reaffirmed his dedication to taking dance music the place it hasn’t gone beforehand.
Like the previous livestream set, Kaskade’s newest vacation spot efficiency from a fowl’s eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge was captured in top-quality and from a number of breathtaking angles. Soundtracked by the nice and cozy and welcoming sounds of Kaskade’s traditional home hits, viewers float comfortably by means of the well-known San Francisco fog for an immersive expertise which shines a complete new gentle on one in every of America’s most photogenic landmarks.
Yula
Venus EP Launch Livestream
Yula writes relatable music that tugs on the heartstrings, and his intricate work is solely produced by himself. He’s a grasp at with the ability to manipulate sound to suit any temper and style.
Ergo, Yula’s musical skills have launched him into the highlight as a formidable stay artist and attention-commanding performer. His March 2021 livestream—held in celebration of the discharge of his Venus EP—was a efficiency that showcases his sturdy stay palette. Yula bounces between guitar, piano, vocals, and digital drums, all of that are used to carry out poignant stay renditions aided by jaw-dropping stage manufacturing and visuals.
ILLENIUM
“Trilogy” at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
The breakneck ascension of ILLENIUM’s profession reached a peak milestone in 2021 when he hosted “Trilogy” in Las Vegas.
Going down in July at Allegiant Stadium, the house of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, the momentous evening discovered the Grammy-nominated celebrity performing for slightly below 4 hours in what he known as his “largest headline present but.” ILLENIUM’s “Trilogy” efficiency comprised three completely different units, every one turning again the clock to his first three albums: Ashes, Awake, and Ascend. Not like typical live shows, he carried out on a towering cylindrical stage on the epicenter of the venue, with the group spanning 360° round him.
ILLENIUM’s “Trilogy” spectacular in the end grew to become one of many largest headlining digital live shows of all-time. And because the first-ever present at Allegiant Stadium, it allowed the EDM neighborhood to thrust a flagpole right into a mecca of Las Vegas leisure.
Cosmic Gate
“Miami Open Skies”
Longtime followers of iconic German trance duo Cosmic Gate have bared witnessed to the evolution of their sound, from their origins in onerous trance to a extra progressive route. Shifting gears but once more, their 2021 album Mosaiik showcased a darker, extra techno-influenced sound and their “Miami Open Skies” DJ set in March moonlighted because the opening act to these new sounds. That includes tracks by Franky Wah, Cristoph, ARTBAT, Grum, and Story of Us, the efficiency and its brooding undertones completely match the darkening Miami skies behind Cosmic Gate.