Hypnotizing Visuals, Disco Dance Parties and More: The Best EDM Moments of Coachella 2023

Electronic music held its own at this year's Coachella festivities. Magic was made and moments were had, but which did you miss?

Every so often, the right elements combine and create these sublime, blissed-out moments that make Coachella such a unique experience both for its attendees and the artists who perform on its many stages. Each year the iconic festival is home to several of these moments and—like a shooting star—they glow, commanding the attention of the music industry at large.

But they’re gone about as quickly as they appeared. However, when the magic of these particular moments is made possible by guest stars, gadgetry and gumption, you can bet they’ll live on rent free in the car camping lots of our minds.

As thousands of festival-goers leave the sun-kissed Southern California desert, Coachella 2023 will probably be remembered most for Frank Ocean-gate. However, as unfortunate as the circumstances of Ocean's headlining set were, the shakeup paved the path for a historic Coachella EDM moment.

As we decompress after attending both weekends of Coachella 2023, we here at EDM.com are highlighting the best electronic music spectacles that echoed through the grounds of the Empire Polo Club.

Whether you were there vibing with us or you’d just like to get a glimmer of what you missed, strap in and soak up the best that Coachella 2023 had to offer. From surprise sets and mind-bending visuals to nostalgic singalongs, these were the festival's top EDM moments.

Tale of Us captivate Sahara with stunning visuals

Renowned for their immersion of contemporary techno sounds and eye-popping visuals, superstar Italian duo Tale of Us enraptured those attending their Coachella set. The pair, who are beloved for their viral Afterlife productions, concocted an elevated electronic experience as their humanoid graphics came to life before our eyes.

Nia Archives fed hungry junglists

Fans leaving Nia Archives' set said her "future classic" take on jungle, breaks and drum & bass satisfied a craving that is often left unsatisfied at big festivals, even Coachella.

To the electronic music connoisseur, her set was every bit as important as bigger acts on the mainstage because it made them feel seen. To fans who were unfamiliar with Archives but happened to be walking by at the time, it was a chance see what the world of dance music is like with the BPM cranked up.

Disco Dombresky to the rescue

As the events of Ocean-gate began to unravel, an unlikely hero came to the rescue: Dombresky.

As upset fans looked elsewhere for entertainment, the French house music star took to the Do Lab for a rogue disco dance party. From "Disco Inferno" to "Funky Town," Dombresky proved that disco never dies.

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Calvin Harris' guided trip down memory lane

Armed with a string of hit records in his back pocket, Calvin Harris was firing on all cylinders and delivered a truly nostalgic set.

With every transition, the dance music powerhouse relentlessly delivered hit after hit as the crowd sang along to every memorable cut. Notably, Harris also included a heartfelt tribute to the late Migos rapper Takeoff, who passed away last year.

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ODESZA's surprise return to the Do LaB

During the festival's first weekend, the floodgates at the DoLab opened.

The stage was teeming with eager fans, who poured in to catch a surprise set by none other than the beloved electronic music duo ODESZA. Having just announced their highly anticipated 2023 tour, the pair dazzled as they debuted a new remix of Sudan Archives' "Selfish Soul."

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SOFI TUKKER and Bob's Dance Shop rule the Outdoor Stage

Having only recently been plucked from the crowd at San Diego's CRSSD Fest, the synergy that Bob's Dance Shop and SOFI TUKKER have onstage is undeniable. The L.A.-based dance crew has joined the Grammy-nominated duo on multiple occasions, but their contributions to this year's Coachella stand out above the rest.

Colorful outfits, a jungle gym of props, live guitars and, of course, killer choreography all combined to deliver a remarkable performance.

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The Chemical Brothers got positively silly

Leave it to the veterans to show you how it's done. Esteemed U.K. duo The Chemical Brothers, whose new album is due out later this year, delivered a knockout performance.

Flanked by trippy visuals of giant robots, their set was a sight to behold. In lip-syncing 3D video and sometimes silly sequences—which ranged from Mighty Morphin, Voltron-like characters to 80s pop band fashionistas like Devo—the iconic electronic tandem served up brain-basting basslines and affirming lyrics like "Believe in yourself."

Eric Prydz's HOLO blitzes the senses

One of the can't-miss performances of the entire festival, Eric Prydz did not disappoint as he brought his subversive 3D production, HOLO, to the desert.

When the prince of progressive house took to the Coachella Stage, his fans basked in the glow of cinematic, sci-fi bliss. With its cybernetic beings and humanoid characters tumbling through space, it was arguably the trippiest show of 'Chella.

Chris Lake and Fisher's parade of eccentricity

It's one thing to present audiences with one house music superstar, but two of them back-to-back is asking for mayhem. And that's exactly what Chris Lake and Fisher cooked up on the dancefloor: good, old fashioned mayhem.

Their collaborative DJ set featured an assortment of bangers, including a rollicking spin of Fisher's chart-topping hit "Losing It."

Skrillex, Fred again.. and Four Tet make EDM history

Weekend 2's attendees got to experience one of the biggest festival moments in a generation for EDM.

Combining the superpowers of Skrillex, Fred again.. and Four Tet, Coachella's mainstage—where finales are usually reserved for the industry's biggest players—reverberated with the sounds of electronic music in a historic headlining set.

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ISOxo and Knock2 bring down the house

With surprise sets galore, Do LaB returned to Coachella to celebrate their 15th anniversary, once again building a stage rightfully also considered an art installation. ISOxo and Knock2, the rising stars and EDM.com Class members of 2022 and 2023 respectively, brought unfettered energy.

Monolink reached his goal of performing on the Gobi stage

Cool, calm and collected, Monolink shyly got on the mic during his performance at Gobi to tell everyone that he came to Coachella five years ago and saw a performance from Moderat. The same goes for Radiohead, whose performance Monolink said "shook me deeply."

Underworld went over the top in Mohave

For people who know where dance music came from, Underworld's set was a must. With a boatload of red lasers and visual accompaniments that somehow lended to the dusky warehouse rave vibes of the Mohave stage, they didn’t disappoint either.

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LP Giobbi vibed out in Yuma

Accompanied by the members of SOFI TUKKER, LP Giobbi’s showomanship is as irresistible as her signature "piano house" sound is impressive.

As she flicked her heels along to the beats of “All in a Dream” and "If Love Is a Skill," the Yuma Tent went absolutely bonkers. On vibes alone, Giobbi's set was unforgettable.

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Labrinth brought out Sia, Zendaya, Maddie Ziegler and Billie Eilish

Labrinth's performances were chock full of bravado and grandiose spectacles. Over both weekends, he brought out a formidable roster of female artists, like Sia, who headlined the festival in 2016; alt-pop superstar Billie Eilish, who headlined in 2022; and Zendaya, the star of HBO’s hit show Euphoria.

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