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10 EDC acts to catch at this year’s festival (beyond the biggest names)

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(Top, left to right): Dustycloud, Elephante, Habstrakt, Moore Kismet, Noizu. (Bottom, left to right): Purple Disco Machine, Said the Sky, Tchami, Sidepiece, VNSSA. (Courtesy Insomniac; Moore Kismet credit Brandon Densley; Sidepiece credit John William Chiaravalle)

It wouldn’t be EDC without festival heavy hitters like Alesso, Martin Garrix, Diplo and DJ Snake. But there’s plenty of other performers worth catching on this year’s loaded bill. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Night 1

Moore Kismet

(7 p.m., Cosmic Meadows) They might be new to EDC, but this nonbinary EDM virtuoso is already making history. At 16, Kismet will become the youngest artist ever to perform at the festival, having already spun at Lollapalooza earlier this year. Breakout single “Rumor” showcases Kismet’s melodic bass and glitch-infused style so well, it’s hard to believe the DJ started working on it at age 14.

Tchami

(11:30 p.m., Circuit Grounds) Some partygoers equate listening to EDM to a religious experience, in which case, Parisian producer Tchami is spreading the gospel of future house music. Dressed in all black with a clerical collar, the internationally recognized DJ assumes a priest persona onstage, blessing listeners with a sound so soulful and distinctly Tchami, you’ll confess your devotion on the spot.

Said the Sky

(10:45 p.m., Cosmic Meadow; B2B Slander: Sunday,4:17 a.m., Kinetic Field) What Trevor Christensen produces isn’t so much EDM as it is an emotional experience meant to be shared by many. Said the Sky’s music melodically builds for takeoff, soaring at just the right moment and leaving you exhausted but exhilarated. Christensen’s style favors that of fellow EDC juggernaut Illenium (the two even toured together), so if you like him, you should love Said the Sky.

Noizu

(1 a.m., Stereobloom) Kudos from the likes of Diplo, Oliver Heldens and A-Trak don’t come easy, but Noizu has garnered those accolades and more. The LA-based DJ has been a staple of the house scene since 2017, when he debuted on Skrillex and Chris Lake’s DJ compilation HOWSLA. Noizu has since remixed DJ Snake and Lauv’s smash hit “A Different Way”—which has been streamed more than 8 million times on Spotify—curated the label Techne Records and taken house heads back in time with latest release “Summer 91 (Looking Back),” a piano-driven dance track paying homage to the grooves of the ’90s.

Night 2

Sidepiece

(5 p.m., Cosmic Meadow) We wish we could say Sidepiece is EDM’s best-kept secret, but the dynamic DJ duo blew its cover with “On My Mind,” a collab with Diplo that samples 702’s classic “Steelo’’ throughout. Nearly 150 million streams later, the song’s a delightful call back to ’90s R&B—and an example of Sidepiece’s range as a tech house force.

Elephante

(7:49 p.m., Kinetic Field) Tim Wu started producing under his DJ moniker to address an elephant in the room. After studying economics at Harvard University and graduating, Wu worked a quaint corporate job. Meanwhile, “all I wanted to do was quit and make music,” he told EDMTunes in a 2014 interview. Wu, a self-taught guitarist and classically trained pianist, eventually took a chance, pursuing a melodic mixture of progressive house, synth-pop and whatever other styles he’s feeling.

Dustycloud

(2:45 a.m., Stereobloom) France’s Dustycloud is one to watch. The burgeoning bass house producer has garnered the attention of French EDM stalwarts like DJ Snake, Mercer and the aforementioned Tchami, while releasing music on the latter’s Confession label. Deep, gritty bass lines define Dustycloud’s signature sound, and the dancefloor is better because of it.

Night 3

VNSSA

(8 p.m., Cosmic Meadow) Before VNSSA ever got behind the decks, she rocked the sticks, playing drums for indie bands in the Newport Beach area. After discovering Justin Martin’s Ghettos & Gardens record, the DJ quickly fell in love with house music. A musician from a young age, VNSSA incorporates everything from house, techno and the occasional disco into her sets, making each performance pleasantly unpredictable.

Habstrakt

(8:56 p.m., Kinetic Field) Like many other artists on this list, Habstrakt began as a live musician, playing guitar and keys, before EDM beckoned him to bass. He and Tchami recently combined their French power to create “Eternity,” an airy house track featuring soaring chords and melodies by Lena Leon. Habstrakt’s other collaborations need little introduction. His 2017 team-up with Skrillex on “Chicken Soup” is iconic and Habstrakt’s remix of Must Die’s “LOL OK” demonstrates why many regard this multifaceted DJ as the bass house king.

Purple Disco Machine

(10:02 p.m., Kinetic Field) Tino Piontek, the German producer and remixer behind Purple Disco Machine, stands as one of the most influential disco house DJs of our time. For more than a decade, this music maestro has slung hit after groovy hit, from the funky synths of “Hypnotized” to top-tier remixes for Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa and Elton John.

Tags: Featured, EDC
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Amber Sampson

Amber Sampson is a Staff Writer for Las Vegas Weekly. She got her start in journalism as an intern at ...

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