See also:
*Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac's Hologram
*Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Move GIFs
*Coachella: Five Signs You're An Aging Hipster
*Radiohead at Coachella: No Alarms and No Surprises
The weekend is over and Coachella came
and went in a blink of an eye. It was pure amazingness, and there were
so many talented artists to see. For electronic dance music fans
though there was one stage we couldn't stay away from. The infamous
Sahara tent continues to grow year after year and has hosted some of
the top EDM artists in the world, including Daft Punk and Paul
Oakenfold. This year was no exception as the production continues to
grow at all music festivals. These were the standout performances at the Sahara tent from
Coachella weekend one.
]
5. Dada Life
Sunday April 15
This Swedish duo never fails to show
their crowd a great time, and Coachella was no exception. They came
out full force with their bananas and champagne ready to show the
desert how to party! Everyone loves doing the Dada and going bananas
over their energetic sets. Their Duck Sauce remix of the “Big Bad
Wolf” had everyone going nuts, howling along and jumping up and down
with excitement. They had giant blow up letters covering the stage
with their name spelled out along with blow up champagne bottles and
bananas floating around the sea of dancing people. I was almost
tempted to get on a giant inner tube and crowd surf, but was a little
scared of all the floating champagne spraying everywhere! Hey, there's
always week two or EDC right? At any rate, it was an epic dance party,
and that's what everyone going to this tent was hoping for!
[
4. Madeon
Friday, April 13
French 17 year-old electro producer
Madeon is another up-and-coming DJ who killed it at the Sahara tent.
He played remixes of everything from Skrillex to Blur's “Song 2.”
His electro/dubstep sound was just what I needed to forget about the
cold and break a sweat despite the weather. You could never tell that
his first performance was in April of last year as he takes control
of the stage and crowd like he has been doing this for years. For
someone who is influenced by the Beatles and Daft Punk, Madeon was
just my cup of tea as the sun started to set across the desert
skyline.
[
3. Alesso
Friday, April 13
Swedish DJ/Producer sensation Alesso
blew the crowd away on Friday with his progressive house sound as
lasers and lights filled the Sahara tent. He choose hard hitting
remixes of Swedish House Mafia's “Greyhound” and “Antidote.”
The flashing LED walls with his name and everyone's fist pumping
hands in the air made for the perfect photo op during his memorable
performance. By the time he played his remix of “Pressure” the
crowd was lost in a trance dancing the night away. Yes maybe he did
play “Levels” but that doesn't take away his EDM cred. His new
single “Calling” with Sebastian Ingrosso is already in every DJs
hand and you can expect to hear it all over the club scene this
summer.
[
2. Kaskade
Saturday, April 14
As Kaskade closed out the Sahara tent
on Saturday you could tell that the main stage headliners had a lot
of fans absent. Not sure if it was because Radiohead is so mellow or
because Kaskade is more current, but the Sahara tent was the place to
be that evening. As he opened with “Eyes” the excitement in the
tent was magical and full of EDM love. Coachella was the perfect
place for him to promote his new “Freaks of Nature” tour which
will go all across North America. I saw kids everywhere sporting the
masks and tattoos. It is no doubt Kaskade is on his way to being a
common household name. His set at Coachella was some of the hardest I
have ever see him play as he rocked the house with most of his own
produced original tracks like “Room for Happiness” and “Angel
On My Shoulder” like I have never heard them before. It was a pure
hard hitting dance party and everyone was raging!
[
1. Calvin Harris
Sunday, April 15
The Sahara tent was already as packed
as ever on Sunday night with huge LED lights and screens adding to
the excitement of this massive dance party. As soon as Rihanna came
on stage and surprised everyone the crowd went wild and absolutely
lost it. Katy Perry was with her getting the crowd excited as Riri
sang “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been.” These
collaborations just go to show how big the EDM crossovers really are.
Calvin Harris has really blown up in the US with hits like “Awooga,”
“Bounce” and “Feel So Close.” Collaborating with Rihanna and
then having her surprise everyone with a performance at one of the
biggest music festivals in the US just skyrocket his popularity. It
was the perfect example of how music can bring different people
together and be enjoyed just the same. Even Katy Perry enjoyed it
getting as wild as everyone else, crowd surfing near the end.
[
Honorable Mention – Swedish House
Mafia
Friday April 13, 2012
Even though they weren't at the Sahara
tent Swedish House Mafia turned the Main Stage into a dance party on
Friday night. They opened in typical SHM fashion with a visual light
show that changed with the beat of “Greyhound.” Everyone was
clapping along, jumping up and down, shuffling and enjoying the set
any way you could possibly think of. When they dropped their SHM
“Antidote” vs. Knife party mash-up the crowd just lost it and
went wild! With hard hitting banging dance music, original tracks
with amazing vocals and remixes, fireworks, and fire bursting from
the stage what more could you possibly want from a dance party? Swedish
House delivered a performance just like they would in Miami or at
Electric Daisy Carnival and now the rest of the music world got to
experience it without stepping into the Sahara tent.
