EDC Orlando 2021: Learning that Dancing Under the Electric Sky is Literal [Review + Photos]
Written and Photographed BY MATTHEW DEMARKO
I had been reading about “dancing under the electric sky” for so long that I forgot the phrase isn’t just a tag line.
It’s a literal description.
And although it’s a magical set of words, it barely scratches the surface of the color, energy, ecstasy and awe that defines EDC Orlando 2021.
It’s a monumental task trying to describe the enormity of what it’s like to attend an EDC. Driving from Atlanta down I-4 on Thursday night took me right by Tinker Field, giving me a preview of the setup and lights. My jaw dropped, and I didn’t really pick it up till Monday.
This was the 10th iteration of EDC Orlando, with Insomniac simultaneously celebrating throwing EDC’s across the world for 25 years. With a quarter century under their belt, it should come as no surprise how good they’ve got at this. But that’s the exact reason to attend an EDC - surprises at every turn.
Starting at 1pm everyday (awesomely early compared to other non-camping stadium festivals) the colorful outfits started pouring in very much like a flood of rainbow paint. And what a floodground to pour into. In 360 degree beauty, every angle you turned had lights or music or animation or messages of love or all of that at once.
Maybe you couldn’t put your finger on the fact that they covered every inch of fencing with colorful billboards and quotes like “Together, we create beautiful experiences that will never be forgotten.” But they did. And it made a visceral difference; this place had been completely transformed, and maybe we would be too.
Walking in from the North Gate, I was met with three stages right off the bat.
Directly ahead was the Corona Electric Beach stage, which would serve as one of the biggest surprises of the weekend. That, plus sand provides a dancing vibe that plastic platforms or grass just can’t touch.
Next, to the left, I saw Circuit Grounds, the heavy bass stage that extends its screens all the way halfway through the field.
But to get there, I had to pass the Rynobus, an iridescent, frisky art car embedded in the Pixel Forest. This is where you could catch a set, buy/collect NFT’s at Coinbase’s Insomniac gallery, and play MarioKart pretty much all at the same time.
The phrase “kid in a kandi store” comes to mind.
Getting the party started at Rynobus on Friday was Evalution, an artist we met at the beginning of the year in Tampa at SMF. Not slowed down by a broken arm, he whipped the early crowd into an appropriate frenzy. Just take a look at the bass-faces below.
Hearing his new song with Stellar that proudly demands “Get ready for that Florida sound” reminded me of just where we were and the reputation that Florida proudly owns: we were here to get down and dirty.
Raging with the Rynobus was fun, but I was energetically pulled to Circuit Grounds. Its size, although not the main stage, is magnetic. Its repeating triangular screens felt like they were cutting upward into the sky, and the perimeter’s LED billboards stretched like wings deep into the crowd.
During the day the crowd here included everyone from Jesus to cigar-smoking college kids. One lovely embodiment of PLUR ran up and down the rail fanning everyone in sight with his heart-warming EDC fan.
The VIP section here went deep into the stadium, offering Space Fruit (nitrogen-frozen fruit), a fully stocked Beauty Bar, and the extra room that always makes VIP worth it.
I wanted to get the full Circuit Grounds experience, but the possibilities of an unmapped, giant festival beckoned. My vision rolled towards the giant colorful lights and spiky orbs hung in the trees lining the possible paths. These road signs skillfully lead my eye onward in mystery to “what could be that way?”
A whole other subcompound immediately opened up to me. From here, I could walk the Daisy Lane bridge over to Stereobloom, a stage literally blooming in lights outwards from its domed center. Sending videos of this stage to friends I got asked several times if the stage was a roller coaster.
Having a bridge as a water feature just takes any festival to a whole other level. Should I have decided to walk on that water, I would have had access to the first carnival ride, an elevated spinning twister that overlooks Stereobloom directly.
But I didn’t go that way, because an even bigger main road opened up in front of me. And these aren't just any roads: they’re lined with every genre of colorful and shiny thing. Swings and angels on flexible stilts beckoned. The whole visual was like glittery breadcrumbs that I couldn't help but follow. While traveling the road, the lake and Stereobloom teased me visually from the horizon to my right.
That is, until the ferris wheel courtyard opened up before me. Complete with an LED bouquet of towering silver daisies (designed by festival mainstay Feral Studio) the courtyard was the shiniest thing in my periphery, and so I took that path.
The courtyard itself was where I found hot food when I could remember to eat, and where I found others in the quintessential selfie spot soothing their spirits.
The ferris wheel acted as hub for meetups all weekend long. One of the biggest, hosted by Frisky Hug and Radiate, met Saturday under the giant neon wheel.
And while the hustle and bustle was exciting, I was doing my first walk through, so the music to my left carried me towards it. Grass began to run into the distance, teasing a giant field. This, THIS, is where I began to understand the enormity of the festival.
As I rounded the corner, an owl as tall as the stadium presented itself. I double and triple-taked, because the size ratios were something completely new for my brain to process. Kinetic Field, an aptly named stage if there ever was one, stretched on for about as far as the eye could see.
Early in the day, the owl’s eyes would be closed in slumber. But that didn’t stop people from gathering in the tens of thousands to hear main stage DJ’s prepare them for the adventure ahead. Or troupes of clowns bringing their antics and drums to the participatory crowd.
This spot felt a bit like the leaning tower of Pisa, where if you looked around you could see various hordes of girls cajoling their boyfriends into photographing just the right angle. This made piggy-backing on photo shoots easy, fun and hilarious.
It was also here that the epicenter of the EDCO love seemed to emanate from. As I visually wandered from crew to crew, I saw an almost halo-like radiance of awe and care. It was not strange to hear “This is my first EDC, and this is the best time of my life,” from multiple directions.
Richard Minichiello, who proudly hoisted his forever rave bae Syd onto his shoulders, had this to say about the stage:
“The energy at Kinetic Field is inevitable, it’s almost as if you can feel the emotion of your peers in the air before you have a chance to engage with them. The hugs feel warmer, the hellos are happier, the smiles are brighter.”
To wander through the crowd was to be wading through a river of those smiles. All with the backdrop of that insanely massive owl! It was truly surreal.
Not just a beautiful scene, the immensity of Kinetic Field presented itself as proof that things we didn’t think possible certainly were. And we didn’t just bear witness to it, we were the participants. This is what it means to be a Headliner.
An incredible example of love and care infused with this unique Kinetic Field energy was the birthday crew of Andy Chen. There were a ton of birthdays at EDC, but this crew of around 30 all seemed singularly focused on projecting power into the one body of their birthday boy. There’s an incredible feeling when you see a guy up on someone’s shoulders.
When we spotted Andy, flames were erupting behind his face that was already erupting in laughter. His palpable excitement for life, that moment, seemed as if it was manifesting itself with the pyrotechnic display beyond. And he was just a reflection of the crew and his friends behind him. His words begin to convey this ethos:
“...there aren’t many times when we’re encouraged to spread love and treat each other like family. True family that looks out for each other and just wants everybody around them to experience joy.”
He continues: “Even if it’s for a brief moment when you’re dancing through the crowd and you groove with a total stranger. Or when your entire crew wears party hats and celebrates your birthday. Or when you see a six-foot-four alpha male dress up as Tina Belcher just because he knows it’ll make somebody smile, those are the moments that I live for - that we should all live for! Moments where we get to spread love and turn joy into euphoria!”
It blew my already blown mind that this wasn’t the end of exploring.
My eyes wandered towards the South Gate of the festival. In this direction I caught visions of the market bazaar, a novelly covered vendor village. Then, in the center of my skyline was Daniel Popper’s beautiful wooden statue “Anima,” a giant praying Gaia gifting lush nature from her hands. And to the far right, and the far end of the festival, rose Neon Garden, a massive temporary hanger pumping house music all weekend long.
Music stole my curiosity yet again, and into Neon Garden I went. The only covered stage at EDC, it was its own Church to house.
Also the only stage to have plastic risers/platforms underneath your feet, Neon Garden was built to withstand the legions of shufflers that would descend upon it. Hosted by Factory 93, this stage’s lights could feel like nighttime in the middle of the day. The flurry of reflections off the iconic hanging diamond made this a very trippy stage.
It also being covered, Neon Garden was the perfect hideout during Saturday’s short Florida rainstorm. Swarming solar systems of shufflers really were everywhere. From the front to the back of this very long stage, shuffling prowess was on display at every turn.
Led by heavyweights like John Summit and Green Velvet, this stage didn’t host as many different artists as the others, but its cult following didn’t care.
I finally felt like I had a rough layout of the festival, but I knew it was just a taste. For those counting, that’s 6 stages going on for 11 hours a day for 3 days; each with their own unique culture, personality, and visuals, connected by rainbow arteries of roads lined with libations, merch, and meals. And just stop yourself before you say “well it’s not as big as Vegas” because this place felt massive.
Leaving Neon Garden from the back I had to walk by “Anima” (even though I knew I wasn’t going to wait in the sizeaeble picture line.) Surrounded by a relaxing circular bench of turf, this little oasis was a vibrant visual. Seeing art of this caliber promoted by festivals is exciting and encouraging.
I also had to check out the vendor market before going back to the music. In a more tight-knit bazaar formation rather than the usual storefront rows of 10x10s, this market felt energetic and bustling. It’s hard to imagine what main-stay vendor wasn’t at EDCO - it was nice to see the collection of the culture’s best vendors under one roof. Especially vibrant this year was Spunglasses, offering up their most maximalist yet tasteful glasses to date. And close to them was Squad Goals Beauty, running a whole beauty parlor for girls and guys alike.
Next to the vendor village was a relaxing netscape, where tired headbangers could lounge and cuddle puddle with their crews. We found old friends and new here, and loved the vibe the nets transferred onto their occupants.
Upon leaving, I didn’t want to miss the opening ceremony at 5:20 (right as golden hour was kicking in). This ritual allowed me to witness the awakening of the owl, and it was pretty much flames, fireworks, and madness from there on out.
Walking back through the roads of the festival the most colorful creations would be defined by the people instead of the environment. As sunset grew in the sky, the people grew more beautiful and plentiful on the ground. They could post up by the mythical swings (the same ones from Beyond Wonderland) and some welcoming turf by the lake; they could pose in front of the ferris wheel; basically anywhere you looked you could find an aesthetic spot for a quick reprieve.
“EDC Orlando was an experience of a lifetime, the atmosphere was truly euphoric and experiencing the festival with my best friends was something i will never forget.”
And as the sunset rolled on, I had to check back with Stereobloom, the stage physically closest to the sunset. With three different hosts through the weekend (Basscon, Dreamstate, and Insomniac Records) this was a wide and varied stage that finished insanely strong with LP Giobbi on Sunday. Her technicolor flavor of Soul-House blended perfectly with the weekend’s prettiest sunset.
“It’s Sunday, so we’ve got to make time for a little bit of church: the Church of House music, where everyone is accepted.”
That’s a pretty beautiful sentiment with which to dance your heart out. Her music was healing, seeming to carry the electric current of enlightenment.
When her healing session was drawing to a close, she told us, “Take this love and spread it around.” And we certainly did.
As night evolved EDC into a completely new creature, each stage was a new experience.
Seriously not to be slept on, the Corona Electric Beach was a surprising banger every time I walked by. The first night I heard the announcement “Welcome to the future” blast out from the speakers, and I was sold. Generally airy throughout the crowd, I could navigate the entertaining nonsense easily. While this wasn’t billed as a main stage, the lineup delivered nonetheless. It also served up surprising guests not scheduled. I couldn’t believe it when Blunts and Blondes rang out on the mic. Electric Beach was a great name for this stage, and actually felt like the most consistently entertaining nonstop experience.
Once the Corona electricity was flowing powerfully through me, the pure visual explosion of nighttime Circuit Grounds drew me over. The visuals seemed to grow ever larger at night. Have I explained yet how cool it was to have the visuals wrap around your visual field, out into the crowd? It just felt unreal.
Another unreal occurrence here was DJ Diesel, Shaq’s ever growing DJ moniker. From his first note, it was evident he was not up on stage to play around. Starting with drum and bass and quickly moving into harder realms, he was going everywhere fast. The juxtaposition of his presence with the music made for the funniest head-banging I’ve ever genuinely experienced.
“People keep asking me who I saw that weekend and I literally can’t think of anybody I saw because that diesel set was so incredible.”
With skulls, gorillas, basketballs, and Papa John’s visuals blasting behind him, his set was everything you’d have expected and a whole lot you didn’t.
His presence on the mic was another layer to the hardcore hilarity.
“I’m home dammit!”
In the town where he used to rule the Orlando Magic, that statement carried chill-inducing weight. The second line out of his mouth was “Where is my mosh pit?” Finishing with “Should I come out there?!” Shaq did not make empty threats - to finish his set, he plunged into the crowd with the playful love of an oversized puppy.
The second biggest stage by pure size, Circuit Grounds hosted a legion of other non-Shaq-but-still-as-big DJ’s all weekend. Captivating shows that we witnessed included Ekali, Liquid Stranger, and Louis the Child to close out the fest.
Liquid Stranger’s comedic monologues mixed well with his warpy tracks. “I’m Liquid Stranger, the DJ who probably loves you the most.” Playing several tracks with and from LSDream, he proclaimed:
““I love to support my friends, I think that’s the most important thing you can do in this world.””
Hearing this statement blend into “Potions” really took your heart and body all at once.
When my neck could take no more, I was wildly curious how the enormity of Kinetic Field looked at night. So one more nighttime parade through the rainbow road later, I was on my way.
When Kinetic Field finally presented itself in its nighttime splendor, the size of the crowd had grown to match the stage.
The crowd wasn’t dangerously dense but did spread out to take up every inch of the field. With the new size comparisons of all the totems, the stage seemed even larger. I didn’t know you could have that many totems at a festival. Each glowing talisman high in the sky looked like a blade of grass on the Kinetic Field. And the owl, having come alive during the opening ceremony, was in full flight.
EDC is known for it’s Disney-World-esque fireworks displays. And whether it was the constant fireworks, infinite lasers, dazzling drone show, or the the crowning fire plumes, the owl was the master of ceremonies, fanning the flames of our spirits to dance harder, laugh louder, and play stronger.
For a better view, the two story VIP viewing platform was a must. This elevated viewing experience really put things into perspective. To be able to look out over at all these people, 300,000+ over the course of the three days, was the moment awe took you and your breath and held you in its arms.
And for a larger-than-life stage larger-than-life DJ’s played their hearts out. Tiésto, Kaskade, Seven Lions, and Armin van Buuren closed out the respective nights, proudly proclaiming this as the big league of festivals.
As the final fireworks flew into the sky and the owl closed his eyes for EDCO’s 10th year, you couldn’t help but feel like your heart chakra had just been all the way opened and activated. With such a truly transformational experience, the current of the electric sky is still circulating throughout my nervous system. I’m lucky that I get to relive the experience immersed in these photographs that were an honor and a privilege to capture. I hope that they give you a little piece of the magic that you experienced in Orlando, or if you haven’t been, convince you to join us for EDCO’s 11th year, already scheduled for Nov 11-13 in 2022.
The world needs Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect now more than ever, and EDCO gave the most revitalizing dose I didn’t know I needed.
