Part 2 of the Electric Zoo festival in New York City. If you havn’t checked out Part 1, you can [do that here]

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Day 1: The Arrival

We had a heck of a time getting down to the festival for Day 2. The subway was closed for our route to Randalls Island, and we were forced to backtrack. Then we decided to take a cab, and of course we picked one of the only taxi’s who didn’t have an electronic pay-pass to bypass the toll booth on bridge.

Avicii:
Luckily we only missed the first few minutes of the Avicii (one of the reasons why we made the trip down in the first place was to see Avicii in NYC) But we got in (quickly and efficiently, again – Kudos to the security team, they were great).

So we raced to the Hilltop Arena, got in a good spot, and watched Avicii do his thing.

Wow. I haven’t enjoyed a set that thoroughly for years. From start to finish Avicii dropped house bomb after house bomb.  Teenage Crime, Hey Boy Hey Girl, Hide & Seek, Hey Hey, Nothing But Love For You, Bromance, Leave the World Behind. You name a house anthem from 2010, and he played it.
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Click here to view the embedded video.

[The sound isn't Smuncky quality, but at 1:34 it gets mental!]

The best part was his mixing style.  He would let the song lead out, and mix very late in the track. What this did was create a tension.  As every track ended, it was like Christmas morning…he had us saying “What’s next?!? What’s next?!” every single time.  I could have listened to him go for another 2-3 hours at least. I can’t wait to check out Avicii again.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(This vid isn’t one of ours, but its from a different spot, with 2 banging tunes, showing just how crazy Avicii was)

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Laidback Luke:

After the insanity that was Avicii, we headed to the Mainstage to see what Laidback Luke had to offer.  LL brought the beefy house music. Almost verging on Electro, Laidback Luke threw down stormers, and the crowd was eating it up.  It was a little much for me, especially after Avicii’s more melodic/anthemic house sound.  I got into it and we hung out on the grass just enjoying the energy of the mainstage waiting for Moby to come on.

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Moby:
I was expecting vocals; I was expecting melodies; I was expecting a chilled out Moby. Not so. Moby was relentless. He mixed right into Laidback Luke’s last track (this was uncommon throughout the festival, as usually they would stop the music for the next artist).  Smuncky mentioned that if he didn’t turn around to see Moby on stage, he wouldn’t have noticed the Dj change. Banging, powerful and unforgiving – Moby played hard, and played to the crowd.  It was good, but not really our style, so we headed over to Sunday School Grove for Marco Carola.
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Marco Carola:
This was where the party was at. People were bouncing, moving and shaking under the tent – and kicking up more dust than I had ever seen in one place.  The grass had been completely stomped away from the house-heads in the Grove, and now every kick, spin and move just stirred up more dust.  You can see the haze in the pictures. That’s not from a smoke machine, that’s from the dust being kicked up around the fairgrounds. As the music got better, the dust got worse. 

Marco Carola was getting better and better with every track.  A whole lot of tech house with a dusting (pun intended) of melody to keep everyone paying attention.  People who thought ahead brought dust masks from hardware stores, others had bandito bandanas, which again, added to the carnival feel. (I guess they also spent more time at the Grove to know the dust was bad).

At this point I had to cover my face, my lungs were crying out for mercy.  I put my T-shirt over my mouth and nose, and carried on. Glad that I did, because Carola continued to pound out great techy numbers, and the ambience of the sunset was awesome.

We stayed until the sun went down and headed to Chris Lake

Chris Lake:
He was good, kept everything moving and seemed to have an awesome ping pong between big-room house and really dark proghouse stuff. It was a refreshing change of pace that everyone seemed to enjoy (again, easy to tell how much everyone was loving the music – the better the tunes, the bigger the dust clouds!) I didn’t ID any of Chris Lake’s tunes, I just enjoyed the variation and danced in the dirt with my t-shirt gas mask.

After Chris Lake wrapped up, we headed back to the Grove to see what Victor Calderone was up to, but at this point we were exhausted, dirty, stuffed up from the dust, and our lungs just wanted some clean air.  Calderone didn’t give us a 2nd wind, so we decided to skip out early as Digweed was getting started (to avoid the insane bus rush at the end and so we could breathe).

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Overall:

Techno Penguin is not impressed with my T-shirt?

It was a fantastic weekend, full of a wide assortment of tunes.  Not often do you get 50+ of the world’s biggest Dj’s together in one place. The stages were gorgeous, the lighting was fantastic, and the sound was always good.

The thing that really made this festival fun was the people.  There were people dressed up in costume, people hardly dressed at all and people rocking band t-shirts, but everyone was there to party.  Every time I caught someone’s eye as I looked around the various arenas, people smiled back.  The place was full of energy and excitement.  It was aptly named, the Electric Zoo.
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Awards:
Best overall set of EZ2010: Tie between Avicii and Tom Middleton

Best technical set of EZ2010: Pete Tong

Biggest mind changer set: Joris Voorn (AWESOME!)

Craziest visuals/lights: Chemical Brothers

Best Unknown (to me) Set: Tie between Marco Carola and Boris

In case you missed it, a handful of Toronto’s Vital Crew headed down to New York City to check out the massive Electric Zoo Festival. Here’s a run through of the highs and lows, and the other cool stuff we noticed along the way. (Full Review After The Jump)

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Day 1 – The Entry:

We took a cab across the bridge, and let the rumble of the bass guide us to the fairgrounds.  We got there pretty early, (about noon) and there were no lines for Will Call tickets.  Security was really friendly and helpful, and got us through the gates very quickly.  As a bonus the Sunday School Grove area was right beside the lineup, so we got to enjoy the sounds of Joris Voorn as we went through the entry process.

At this point, Joris had been playing some great techy house, the sun was shining and we were raring to go – so we got in, got our little EZ set times booklet, and headed straight for the Sunday School dancefloor. (…er…dancegrass?)

The scene was amazing. A huge tree in the middle of the tent, the décor on the stage was fantastic, and just added to a great summer, partying-in-the-outdoors vibe.  It’s funny how nature and electronic music always go so well together.

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Joris Voorn:

This guy was unstoppable.  I wasn’t sure what to expect as we walked through the gates, but the second we stepped under the tent, the familiar vocals of Nalin & Kane – Beachball (Joris Voorn Remix) blasted through the speakers, and our feet hit the floor. (This was a huge surprise for me, because until that day, I never really liked Voorn, now I’m all over his sound!)

Absolutely amazing set, and the vibe in the tent, and on the grass all around the tent, was just incredible.  Joris’ set was coming to a close, and we realized we hadn’t checked out the rest of the grounds yet, so we went to explore before  Tom Middleton on the mainstage.

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As we headed across the field, all the low end frequencies from all the tents converged on a central point, and it added to the excitement. More people were starting to fill into the grounds, and I could tell that the day was going to be action packed.

As you looked around there were all kinds of people – the younger hipster crowd was in full effect looking for some electro-inspired beats.

The oldschool candy kids with furry boots and butterfly wings out for some trance, and people in costumes just looking to express themselves in the open air among like minded people.  All this added to the energetic carnival vibe.

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Mainstage:

The mainstage was impressive. Pictures almost don’t do it justice.  Massive suspended speaker stacks, with an army of bass bins below, a huge 100 LED screen with full lighting system behind it producing visuals, and an immense array of lighting devices.

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Tom Middleton:

The set of the day.  He truly knew how to work a crowd and produce a party vibe.  He started out with his usual Tom Middleton funky/deep house, but threw in all kinds of surprises. A classic Shaggy track, a few dubstep tunes, a drum and bass remix of Robyn S – Show Me Love, some breaks.  Middleton was wild! It was all over the map, but boy did it work.  He got on the mic a few times to say “what’s up” and get the crowd into it.

His mixing was great too, he transitioned between the genres flawlessly and did a great job of keeping everyone interested.  If he played a drum and bass track, he’d make sure to layer an element of a house anthem over top. It was energetic, interesting, and added to the unique party atmosphere that had been building since we got on the island.  For his final track – an awesome mashup of Oribtal – Halcyon (Tom Middleton Remix) and ATB – It’s a Fine Day. Perfect!

Boris:

After Tom’s set, the group split up.  While a bunch went up to the Hilltop Arena to see Markus Schulz work his magic, Bobby and I decided to hang around the Main Stage and see what Boris had to offer.  I knew nothing about him while we were there – I just was hearing some great driving house, with just enough melody to keep me really into it.  I grabbed a beer, had a seat on the grass, and soaked in the great weather and the amazing music. After just over an hour of Boris and the amazing sights and sounds of the Main Stage, we decided to head up to the Hilltop Arena where Afrojack was playing.

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Joachim Garraud:

There was something distracting – the Red Bull Music Academy Riverside Stage… As I walked by the beats, the energy and the music were infectious.  We stepped into the tent into a sea of partygoers with their hands in the air and their feet on the floor. I checked my book – it was Joachim Garraud. WOW. This guy had serious stage presence. Throwing CDs into the crowd, fist pumping, jumping around, wearing alien masks and autographing extra masks and tossing them too.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Afrojack:

After we remembered that we were actually on our way to a different tent – we headed to the Hilltop Arena and it was going WILD! It was so packed under that humongous tent that people were spilling out onto the sides, and going nuts to Afrojacks aggressive brand of house.  I was glad I made it up there in time to hear him drop his anthem Pacha on Acid.

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Pete Tong:

He had to reset the room, so he brought the music down, and came in with a slower house sound, and did a great job of building it back up. He got on the mic (in his BBC Radio 1 voice) and said “It’s good to see all you party people out so early – Glad I didn’t come all the way from Ibiza for no reason!”  Technically, this was the best set of Day 1.  Tongers actually programmed a proper set with a good buildup and great musical journey.  It was all low-key-ish until he dropped a house remix of Prodigy – Breathe and then Swedish House Mafia – One, and the place exploded.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

After Tong we took a break, sat down grabbed some food from the vendors and just caught our breath. We’d been going since noon and it was now after 6pm.  I meandered to the restrooms, which seemed to be in short supply. This was my second biggest complaint about the event – nowhere near enough facilities for the amount of people on the island.

ATB:

The only advantage was that while I was in the colossal bathroom lineup, I could listen to ATB on the main stage. Well, at least I thought it was going to be an advantage.  I was truly disappointed.  I had seen ATB in Florida a few years back, and really impressed me at the time.  This time around, not so much.  He was playing a proggy-trancer track and cut the song in mid play…just stopped it at a random part…then restarted the track at what seemed like a slower BPM.  I would think an artist, if they wanted to slow the tempo, could be a little more creative?  ATB did throw some cool 9pm (Till I Come) samples into the mix randomly, which was a nice touch, but I didn’t stick around.

Kaskade:

After the fuel up, we caught our second wind and went back to the Hilltop Arena for Kaskade.  The place was way overpacked.  Kaskade opened up with Angel on my Shoulder – which is my favourite Kaskade tune, but then just proceeded to play the majority of the tracks off his new album. It was blatantly obvious he was promoting his new album (he had model girls running around the whole fairgrounds with big “KASKADE ALBUM OUT NOW” signs).  As a regular listener to his radio show, I know that Kaskade was capable of much more.   We stuck around until the end of the set and waited for the Swedish House Mafia’s Axwell.

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Axwell:

This man did not disappoint. Big tunes, great vibe, and worked the crowd like a true professional.  He opened up with “Leave the World Behind” and didn’t look back.  The crowd was going wild, Dennis Ferrer – Hey Hey, Prodigy samples, Axwell’s own track Together.  What great energy.

Without fail the track of the night was Swedish House Mafia – One vs Calabria. It was insanity. Our resident photog/videographer Smuncky got this one on tape:

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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Chemical Brothers:

At this point half the team was toast, so they decided to make an early exit, while the other half went down to the Main Stage to check out Chemical Brothers.  This was where it went from club-festival style party, to true full concert experience.  Any videos and pictures I post just won’t do these guys justice.  Huge screens, intense, complex, well-timed videos in the background – it was intense.  (The other problem was that the group that left had all of the cameras)

This is all I could pull together with my Blackberry

The only downer was that the power went out in the last 10 minutes of their show.  We thought it was over, but then they came back for one last track, and left us with this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This was one of those songs that really got me into electronic music in the mid-late 90’s – Its always been a dream of mine to hear this one live, and well worth the 5 minute power outage just to experience it.

Getting off the Island:

Now this was my biggest complaint, and if you’ll pardon my French, was a clusterf**k.  20,000+ or whatever people, trying to get off an island, in New York City. Are we allowed to walk across the bridge? Nope. We have to wait for shuttlebuses. How many? There’s 3.  Guuhhhhh. It took almost 2 and a half hours for us to get off the island and get back to the hotel.  Brutal.

But we got home and showered and blew the dust out of our noses and hair and got a good rest for Day 2.

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[READ ABOUT DAY 2 HERE ]

Well it’s Wednesday, and I feel like I’ve finally recovered from this past weekend’s Vital Events / Liquid Stairs boat cruise. We had a great boat run by a really professional crew, and the best crowd we could have asked for. I’ve tried by best to gather pics from everyone that was taking them but I know I’ve missed TONS – so if you’ve got more let me know and I’ll post them up here with the rest.

I honestly can’t identify my standout party moments because the whole thing was so freaking awesome…  that and I had at least 5 beers in the first two hours I was on board. But what I will say is an immense thank you to everyone who partied on the boat with us, and to Andrew Wright (aka DJ Ups) for organizing the cruise. I’m already looking forward to next year.

Drop us a line and let us know your stories from the cruise!

Oh, and something else… How does everyone feel about a rooftop pool party sometime in the near future? Yes/Yes? Let us know

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Definitely not the busiest night we’ve seen at Libra Lounge but, by the beard of zeus, was the vibe ever amazing when I showed up. Had to attend an engagement party for two of my good friends so we rolled-in around 12:30 when DJ Ups was wrapping up. The boys had things WELL under control.

One of my favorite things about our lovely Toronto residency is the consistently electric vibe that takes hold of you as soon as you enter the venue. More of the same in a few weeks – I’ll be back at Libra on Saturday, May 29th alongside the always stellar Aren DeJong and your Vital Radio host, DJ Endgame.

I think our camera man was having entirely too much fun to take photos anyhow

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If you didn’t make it out to Libra Lounge this past Saturday night here’s what you missed – many a sexy birthday girl. See you all next time on Saturday, May 8th as we celebrate what I am sure will be another set of fantastic birthday peoples!

Don’t forget that starting in May we’re moving to our summer party schedule – that means twice the good times!

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The Vital Experience was in full swing last Friday at Libra Lounge as we celebrated DJ Endgame’s birthday with 300 of our closest friends. I know I had a McBlastyBlast and I hope you all did too. Whether a pair of over sized novelty sunglasses or an impromptu Rockband guitar solo while spinning – our beloved radio host knows how to put on a show… and it’s something he’s known for. Here’s to you Drew, happy birthday!

Thanks so much to everyone who made it out, and thanks to our lovely photographers Sam Tan and Alex Soloviev. See you all this Friday, March 12 at Libra Lounge for more of the same!

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