Alongside EDM heavyweights, EDC 2016 has an unofficial undercard stacked with up-and-comers and can’t-miss veterans. Here are some to make room for on your schedule.
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Juan Atkins
The word “legend” gets thrown around quite a bit—as does the phrase “must-see set”—but both descriptors fit like a glove for this Detroit techno pioneer. Monday morning, 2:45 a.m., Upside Down House.
Gunz For Hire
Between its sledgehammer beats, urgent production and lyrical inspiration from the seedier side of life, this ominous Netherlands hardstyle duo isn’t for the faint of heart. Sunday morning, 2:45 a.m., Wasteland.
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Tycho
You’re going to need a chill-out break at some point during EDC. Might we suggest San Francisco-based Tycho, whose DJ sets drift toward ambient electro and downtempo house bliss? Sunday morning, 4:15 a.m., Cosmic Meadow.
Julia Govor
She’s come a long way from her days singing for a Russian military band. Govor now resides in New York and specializes in inventive deep house tinted by techno. Friday night, 7 p.m., Neon Garden.
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Hannah Wants
In between a summer Ibiza residency and dates around the U.S., the Birmingham, U.K., DJ makes her Vegas debut at EDC. Expect a house- and bass-focused set with the occasional old-school garage track thrown in. Monday morning, 3:30 a.m., Cosmic Meadow.
Go Freek
The Aussie duo has worked with Crookers and released remixes on Ministry of Sound and Mad Decent. Its appeal? A cliché-despising, early-’90s sound indebted to electro house and techno. Saturday night, 7 p.m., Cosmic Meadow; Sunday morning, 3 a.m., Upside Down House.
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KRNE
Jazz-influenced trap? Hip-hop-tinged house? Phase-shifted electro? Between remix work—including a recent renegade Drake redo—and originals, the Oakland-based producer/DJ slices and dices influences with glee. Monday morning, 2:45 a.m., Stage 7.
Brookes Brothers
Drum ’n’ bass doesn’t get much better than this London-based duo, whose remixes and originals can be hardscrabble and frantic—or, if appropriate, downright tranquil. Monday morning, 4:30 a.m., BassPod.
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Snails
The Montreal-based producer/DJ’s party-smashing mix of dubstep, hip-hop and trap (dubbed Snail Music) is colorful and wildly creative. It’s a no-brainer that both Skrillex and Flosstradamus are his buds. Saturday morning, 1:30 a.m., BassPod.
TroyBoi
Trap has a pronounced influence on EDC this year. For one of the genre’s best, look no further than this versatile London-based producer, whose imaginative compositions swerve through soul, house and electro. Sunday night, 10:30 p.m., BassPod.