BEST Guide to EDC Orlando 2014 + Official Lineup for Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando 2014 (November 7th-8th)

by Donnie George • September 18, 2014

The official lineup for Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando 2014 (EDC Orlando 2014) — November 7th-8th has now been released. If you haven’t locked in your ticket yet now is the time to do so, especially before prices go up and passes sellout!

As someone who has gone every year since the inaugural EDC Orlando in 2011, I purchase my tickets the day they are initially available, months before the lineup exists. Why? Because I am sure that every year Pasquale Rotella, and the whole Insomniac Events group, will provide the best experience. Based on this year’s recently announced lineup and how successful the main Electric Daisy Carnival was in Las Vegas, I am sure Orlando is in for another amazing year!

Unfamiliar with EDC Orlando 2014? Insomniac? Pasquale? Not really an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) fan? Well, I can assure you it is a great time even if you are not currently following the EDM movement. After bringing countless friends who are into different music scenes, when they go once, they can’t wait to go again.

The EDC Orlando 2014 lineup boasts over 60 artists, at three different stages, over the course of two days, right outside the Citrus Bowl at the newly renovated Tinker Field. Not only are there top global DJs pumping out constant dance music, but there are a slew of rides, interactive art installations, and various performance artist creating a carnival-like atmosphere.

There are three stages which are themed based on their style of music. The kineticFIELD, which serves as the main stage, boasts the more mainstream and recognizable acts with the most amount of stage production behind them. Second, the circuitGROUNDS which focus on bass-heavy music and is to host “Bassrush” on the first day, and is promising to “bring the house down” on the second day. The final stage, neonGARDEN, will host a trance lineup on the first day and will reinforce it’s club-like feel with underground music on the second night.

With over 60 acts to cover, here are some of the highlights to this year’s lineup. We put together a list of who we’re most excited to see, who’s a freshman this year, and who’s coming back for another round!

Debuting at EDC Orlando 2014

HENRY FONG

The dreaded, Orlando native, and electro-house newcomer, Henry Fong, will make his debut at EDC Orlando this year. A veteran of the Orlando club scene, Fong has since been residing in Los Angeles ever since his career took off after being signed to Skrillex’s OWSLA label. This year alone he has performed at many of the largest festivals including Electric Zoo in New York, Hard Summer in LA, EDC Vegas, and Ultra in Miami. Check out his biggest track – a horn-hooked, sports anthem themed, club ready, insta-banger called “Stand Up”:

ABOVE AND BEYOND

British trance trio Above and Beyond are one of the top worldwide electronic dance music groups and are luminaries in the trance and progressive house scene. After being active nearly a decade, the group is involved with their own successful record label (Anjunabeats) and their own widely popular weekly radio show titled “Group Therapy.” Headlining on the main stages of countless music festivals over many years, their set will be an epic one not to miss! Watch their whole performance from Ultra Music this year to see what you’re in store for:

KNIFE PARTY

The last time Knife Party came to Orlando was back in 2012 when they performed in a dusty parking lot at Firestone Live… and it was insane! The Australian duo (both former members of industrial rock/drum and bass group Pendulum) have had a string of successful EPs, singles, and remixes (like their smashing remix of Swedish House Mafia’s “Save the World”). They have been working on their full debut album Abandon Ship which will be out just in time for their EDC Orlando 2014 appearance. Let’s just say, their shows are the closet thing to an industrial/metal rock show without using a single live guitar. Give their net-themed, social media horror story, digitally self-aware, “You blocked me on Facebook, now prepare to die,” track “Internet Friends” a try for just a hint at what I’m talking about:

DILLON FRANCIS / FLOSSTRADAMUS

Though two separate acts (and as Flosstradamus will remind you, “Flosstradamus is two people”), the DILLSTRADAMUS team have recently been inseparable. Both hailing from Diplo’s Mad Decent label, the two acts have spent the summer touring around on the Mad Decent Block Party tour (which was held recently in Fort Lauderdale). Dillon Francis is the king of moombahcore, blending the moombahton sounds of house and reggaeton with a more fun and upbeat version of dubstep mixed with woobly/dirty Dutch house music.

Flosstradamus is a Chicago-based duo that brought trap music to the electric scene and as Diplo noted in a recent Reddit AMA, if it wasn’t for Flosstradamus “no trap would be run” referring to the epic remix they did for him on “Original Don.” I have seen both acts countless times at clubs and festivals and all you really need to know is they will be where the party is at because they will be the party. 😉

Dillon’s new album Money Sucks Friends Rule will be out right before EDC Orlando 2014 with a ton of new tracks but check out his insane video for one of my favorites “Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up)”:

Flosstradamus has had a ton of amazing hits in the past couple years, but to get a true sense of where they came from, you need to check out the aforementioned remix they did of Major Lazer’s (one of Diplo’s projects) “Original Don”:

SBCR DJ SET (The Bloody Beetroots) (with possible Steve Aoki appearance or visa versa)

Wow! Wow… is all I can say. I have seen the Bloody Beetroots live performance last year at Ultra, and again this year at Firestone Live in May. I consider their album HIDE one of my favorite albums from last year. When I read that Italian badass Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo (see also SBCR) was making an appearance with a DJ set at EDC Orlando 2014 this year, I freaked out. Donning an intense light-up Venom mask and having the energy and performance caliber of a leather clad punk rocker from the 70s, this electro set is going to be insane!

With Steve Aoki, former collaborator, Dim Mak Records founder, and Gallagher impersonator (joke…but kind of true [see also cakes]), on the lineup for EDC Orlando 2014, I will not be surprised if the two team up for their 2009 classic “WARP.” Though a little dated compared to the rest of their discography in the past years, you should get a feel for their electro house insanity in checking it out:

Returning EDC Orlando Veterans:

Cedric Gervais
(2012 & 2013 appearances)

French-by-way-of-Miami DJ and producer Cedric Gervais is back again and will most likely make it to the kineticFIELD. Watch out for his standards including the drug/friend searching track “Molly” and his Lana Del Rey remix anthem of “Summertime Sadness.”

Cosmic Gate
(2012 & 2013 appearances)

German trance duo are no strangers to Orlando. This will be at least their fourth appearance here in the past two years. They give a solid, straight forward, high energy, hard/progressive trance set every time they come!

Returning Notable Mentions:

From 2011 – Claude VonStroke (house/tech), Datsik (dubstep/trap), Dirtyphonics (electro/dubstep/drum and bass)

From 2012 – Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano (electro/house), Tritonal (progressive house)

From 2013 – 3LAU (progressive house/trance), Arty (progressive house/trance), Brillz (trap/twonk), Dash Berlin (progressive house/trance), Showtek (prog house/electro), UMEK (tech/progressive house)