Coachella 2016 | Grant's Top 10 EDM Picks

Love it or hate it, electronic music has dominated the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival over the course of the past 5 years. Sure, there was representation of electronic styles of music in the past and there have been many notable artists who have dotted lineups…but it is clear that the festival has shifted to include more electronic music than ever before. I have been attending Coachella since 2012, and it quickly became one of my favorite festivals to attend. Why? Because alongside some amazing Rock and Hip-Hop, EDM was presented in a fairly unique and different way than ever before. You could see Nas, walk over to Motorhead, and then finish your night with Duck Sauce. How cool is that!

The amount of EDM on the lineup has spurred me to split it off entirely from the rest of my top 10, so here are my selections of EDM Artists performing at Coachella 2016!

Grant’s Coachella 2016 Top 10 EDM Picks

ZHU

“Baby I’m wasted, all I wanna do is drive home to you..” If you don’t know this song by now its time to get out from the rock you’ve been living under over the past two years. ZHU has become one of the driving forces in electronic music, and his tracks have infected the radio airwaves and sets of many fellow artists. I had the chance to catch his live set at CRSSD Fall back in October and was blown away by how awesome it was. Granted, it definitely was not your traditional electronic set, but it actually brought a lot more to the table than you’d imagine. I also have listened to his BBC Radio1 AfterHours Mix so many times that I am lucky to have unlimited data on my phone.

RL Grime

Henry Steinway, aka Clockwork, aka RL Grime, has developed into one of the premier trap artists currently on the scene. As someone who personally has not been all to fond of the trap genre, I actually have enjoyed plenty of his work. I caught his set at HARD Summer last August and was blown away by the quality of his set. One of my favorite things about him is that he has truly enveloped himself with the spooky vibe. Each year he releases a Halloween Mix, and the 2015 edition was great as it even included some cameos from R.L. Stine (of Goosebumps fame).

https://soundcloud.com/rlgrime/halloween-mix-2015

Fur Coat

I first heard about Fur Coat from my good friend Joe Pea. Hailing from Venezuela but residing in Barcelona, Fur Coat is comprised of Sergio Munoz & Israel Sunshine. They intend to bring you some groovy beats that are inspired by their love for salsa and soul music. Their music makes you want to dance, and that is exactly what you will be doing when you see them play at the Polo Grounds this April. Found by Damian Lazarus all the way back in 2010, this dynamic duo has been doing nothing but impressing everyone I’ve spoken to about them. Their debut album in 2012 only was the tip of the iceberg for the success to follow, and the duo was granted an essential mix on BBC Radio1 in 2015!

Flume

I love Flume, I really do. I’ll be honest though, I almost missed him at Coachella 2014. The Glitch Mob had just blown our minds at the Sahara Tent and we were working our way to other stages with our friend Krista leading us. We stopped walking and waited for a little while and all of a sudden amazing music filled our ears. Flume took the energy of the entire crowd and played one of the best sets I’ve ever seen at Coachella that year. His music is so infectious and beautiful, so I am happy to see his return to the Polo Grounds this year. Check out his remix of “Tennis Court” by Lorde that he dropped on us back in 2014.

Parov Stelar

Parov Stelar is someone who I was very excited to see at Coachella 2013. Unfortunately due to illness he was forced to cancel. Now I get a chance to see this Electro-swing Artist in action. Jazz and swing have always been two genres that are near and dear to my heart, and incorporating an electronic beat with either has me definitely wanting to dance. While I seriously doubt the genre will see much success outside of the niche, you can hear some of the style sampled in other popular songs such as Fergie’s “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody”. If you’re looking for a great time and something to actually dance to, Parov Stelar is not a set you should miss.

Nicole Moudaber

If there is one DJ that continually keeps me dancing at events, its Nicole Moudaber. Whether she’s spinning at EDC Las Vegas or a club in LA, she is always bringing her A game. While I consider her to be one of the top DJs around right now, she has always been underrated in her craft. Techno is the name of her game and I’ve had the pleasure of catching her spin on multiple occasions. She is just coming off the recent release of tracks “Where Shadows Lie” and “Old Soul”, and is approaching the 100th Episode of her radio show “In The Mood”. Check it out!

Claptone Immortal Live

Oh boy we are in for a treat on this one. I don’t even know how to describe how excited I am for this show to take place. In fact, I believe that seeing Claptone is something that everyone who is attending Coachella and loves music should do. Immortal Live isn’t just a set, it’s an entire experience. It’s split into three parts (Past, Present, and Future) and is a true journey. With some amazing visuals, this show is definitely one that you better not miss. I’ll let the video below speak for itself:

Major Lazer

I can not hate Major Lazer. They have sure come a long way since the first ever massive I attended back in 2011(Big ups to Abstract 2010 and their forward thinking lineup). I’ve caught them more times than most other artists and whether it’s at EDC Las Vegas and Mad Decent Block Party or Burning Man and Coachella, it’s always been a party. You might hate on them for their catchy singles, but I will forever remember that Major Lazer that produced one of my favorite tracks of all time “Get Free”. If you want to party, this is where it will be.

Maceo Plex

When you talk about the best of the best in regards to DJs, Maceo Plex better be on your top list. Whether you’re grooving to his beat or checking out his more experimental sets, he’s definitely among the top-tier of talent right now in the electronic music world. He recently save FNGRS CRSSD after Tale of Us was forced to cancel, and I’m sure he will bring the heat to the Polo Grounds next month. Don’t believe me? Check out his set from the Boiler Room Berlin!

Calvin Harris

I know I’ll take a lot of flack for this, but at the end of the day Calvin Harris(much like Kaskade) just seems to fit perfectly for Coachella. After this upcoming year’s festivities, I will have seen him a grand total of 3 times at Coachella (he’s only played 4 overall). Why do I go? Because at the end of the day he’s just a damn fun time. Up until Kaskade’s main stage performance in 2015, he held the title for largest crowd at Coachella when he had taken the main stage in 2014. Honestly, is his placement here surprising to anyone at this point? Sure, if Swedish House Mafia hadn’t split up they might be Coachella main stage material but realistically I don’t see many other electronic artists fitting the bill as a headliner of Coachella.

I seriously hope they don’t snub him again as they’ve done with both him and Kaskade in the past and give him the full set time instead. You may not agree with his changes, sound, or actions, but there is something to be said about Calvin’s ability to be appeasing to pretty much everyone I know to some degree or another. Plus, can you imagine who he’s going to bring out as special guests?