Electric Zoo Celebrated Its Big Ten 100,000 Animals Deep [Event Review]

It’s a known fact that no one knows how to party like the city that never sleeps. We were reminded of this once again when over 100,000 of New York City’s wildest animals made their way to Randall’s Island  – aka the 6th boro – for the 10-year anniversary of Electric Zoo. For many New Yorkers, this doesn’t come as a shock; this festival has become one of the most sought-after summer sendoffs since its infancy in 2009. Ten years ago, Electric Zoo was the electronic music experience The Big Apple lacked. Fast forward a decade, it’s the festival that revelers from all over the world flock to, and New Yorkers need to close out their Labor Day weekend.

The 3-day event delivered a celebration-worthy lineup, welcoming artists from decade-long veterans like Tiesto and Kaskade to new kids on the island like Loud Luxury and Marshmello. Staying true to its New York-styled roots, the sounds of the underground have always been equally prioritized to the chart-toppers of the Main stage. This year was no different as the festival featured a variety of local artists, brands, and labels that played to every genre and sub-genre one could wrap their head around.

For its Big Ten birthday suit, Electric Zoo went back to basics. It stripped away the elaborate stage designs we were introduced to during its transformation years. In the spirit of less is more, this year’s setup allowed for zero sound bleed, better visuals, more room for dancing, and one of the best experiences we’ve had at the zoo in years.

Day 1 started off smooth sailing on the ferry from Midtown East to Randall’s Island. Whether it’s via the footbridge or pulling up on a boat, the initial view of the festival’s landscape in all of its electrifying glory never gets old. A packed house could be seen at the Main stage in the early afternoon, commanded by the rising Toronto artists Loud Luxury. Festival goers belted out the words to “Body,” before seeking shelter at the tented stages during the only hour of rain showers the festival would have to deal with all weekend long. Jersey girl UNIIQU3 brought a heavy dose of swag to Sunday School Grove, kicking off one of our favorite stage takeovers of the weekend, HyperHouse x Night Bass. We found it nearly impossible to leave with players like Redlight and Chris Lorenzo behind the decks, as AC Slater jumped around like a proud dad filming every second of their fire sets.

Future bass sounds flowed through the Riverside stage with powerhouses Crankdat and Zomboy leading the charge. Our only Sunday School break took place when Gramatik hit the decks at Hilltop Arena. He played a heavy handful of his classics including the crowd-pleaser “Good Times Roll.” Over at the Main stage, Virtual Self and Marshmello shut down the first night, while Anna Lunoe lit the Sunday School roof on fire for what was by far our favorite set we’ve ever seen from the HyperHouse boss.

Day 2 was another one for the books. The sun’s rays were hot and heavy as the weekend’s first sold out crowd flooded through the gates. DESTRUCTO brought ALL MY FRIENDS to Sunday School rounding out with an impressive b2b set with Wax Motif, Shiba San, Justin Martin, Mija and GG Magree. Troy Boi and Mija murdered it at Hilltop for Zeds Dead’s Deadbeats takeover, while Hippie Sabotage brought the vibes to Riverside. Meanwhile, the Treehouse stage illuminated with the house sounds of Black Caviar seeping out its vines.

Billboard die-hards packed in the Main stage for Martin Garrix. He delivered a high energy performance that made all the females melt, setting the scene for the standout set of the night from Kaskade. As a veteran of Electric Zoo who played its inaugural year, he showed up to the Big Ten raring to go with all of his classics, including tracks he said he had regretted not playing in his 2009 set like “Look Into My Eyes.” These throwbacks paired with the show’s closing fireworks triggered a  waterworks display from the crowd, making it an emotional end for all in attendance.

Day 3 saw another set of sunny skies and one of the most gorgeous sunsets of the entire weekend. On Sunday, we rolled in dressed in all black everything for HYTE. The brand took over Sunday School to host the set we’d waited months to witness, Chris Liebing b2b Dubfire. Ferocious, roaring techno pierced the air and shot straight into our bones for an incredible 3-hour journey we’ll never forget.

Before this, we experienced a full day of techno from the relentless Break New Soil and GTO label boss Gregor Threser, followed by a ravenous set from German powerhouse Matthias Tanzmann. And of course,Pete Tong, the staple of Sunday School who’s seen many Electric Zoo moons, arrived guns blazing to deepen his mark on the island.

Outside of our techno bubble, L.A.’s essential party series Brownies & Lemonade took over Hilltop with bass-heavy sets from Gryffin, Ekali, Cray and more. Riverside radiated with feels all day long from a trance-induced takeover from Anjunabeats. Its highlight of the night was a special triple b2b set from label artists Ilan Bluestone & Jason Ross with Andrew Bayer.

Providing a haven for New York’s electronic music lovers to revel in for a decade long is something that should be celebrated big. Electric Zoo made their 10-year anniversary legendary and reminded us once again why summer wouldn’t feel complete without a 3-day weekend trip to the 6th boro.

Thanks to Made Event for having us again! We’ll see all you animals in 2019!

 

Connect with Electric Zoo:
https://www.facebook.com/ElectricZoo
https://www.twitter.com/ElectricZooNY
https://www.instagram.com/electriczoony
http://electriczoofestival.com

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