Live

Electric Daisy Carnival: Olympic Park, London 20th July

Electric Daisy Carnival… That’s right, you heard it! You’re probably thinking it sounds like a foreground for hippy-induced fun. However, don’t be fooled by the name because it’s one of the biggest electronic events of the summer. Originating from America, this electrifying festival comes to the UK for the first time. In collaboration with Insomniac and Cream, they team together to make its European debut, and boy have they left an impression.

When walking into the grounds, it appeared EDC had turned the athletic abode into a fantasy like dream. Having had a quick scout around, it was obvious that theatrical performances from dancers and circus-like acts would soon come to life. It was exciting to know that something very special was about to commence in London.

Then there it was. The jaw-dropping signature prop rose high above the stage like the statue of liberty. The so called, ‘Electric Daisy’ stood a whopping 100 feet above the main stage. The first act I caught to perform under the cowering monument was the one of a kind… Or, should I say two of a kind… Nervo. Dropping some sweet, heavy, dirty electro beats, they were nothing short of impressive as the crowd was beginning to warm up. Finally, the one we’d all been waiting for, “The Way We See The World” from Like Mike, Dimitri Vegas and Afrojack. Absolutely killing the set, I was beginning to wonder how I was going to have the energy to last right up until 11!

Nevertheless, before you know it, it was soon forgotten and the next huge act appeared on the vast stage, Hardwell. Before 2012, I had only really heard of him when his “Show me Love vs. Be” mix was played. Now looking back, I shouldn’t have underestimated this global super electro house heavyweight, as by 2012 he was earning a respectable place in the charts in several different countries. Hitting the decks hard, he soon showed EDC fans how to rave by dropping “How We Do” Featuring Showtek, this soon got everyone jumping and breaking into a sweat before 5PM (And yes the sun was out which made it worse!). After getting everyone onto his or her feet, the sound coming from the main stage seemed to be lacking in volume, as it seemed to have been turned down. However, this may not have been the case as I was stood at an awkward angle from the enormous speakers, either that, or I was just going plain old deaf! Finally finishing his set, he lays down crowd pleaser hit “Spaceman” (Original mix), making this one-hour and half set one to remember.

So it’s only hit 5pm and the sun is shining and my feet are aching. I’m pretty sure this means there’s only one thing to do… GET A BEER. Reasonably priced and very quick service, I bought a Tuborg at £5 for a 500 ml bottle at one of the three tents near the main stage, quenching my thirst with a refreshingly appetising brew. Re-energised and ready to go again I made my way back to the Main stage and waited for Alesso. Jumping straight into the depths of his set, he cracked on by impressing the 50,000 EDC fanatics with the killer krunching electronic house tune “Years”, which was intoxicatingly good as it spread into some sort of dancing mexican wave. At this point, we started to feel the festival come to life as we witnessed performances from dancers, fireworks and a huge spider moving it’s way across the stage! Creepy!

To take us swiftly on into the evening we made way for Swedish House Mafia giant Steve Angello, not hesitating for one minute, he instantly familiarised ourselves with the record from SHM “Don’t You Worry Child”. Crowd surfing (including a man in a wheelchair!), flare lighting and visual effects were just a few of the many spectacles that I had witnessed. Delving into deep/electro house “Knas” was brought in to get the crowd two stepping away, before finishing on one of his songs from his new album, “Children Of The Wild”. Sensational.

Now, after nearly 8 hours of dancing, my feet started to feel the toll. BUT… This didn’t stop me as Avicii was set to blow the festival out from under its feet, entering with “I Could Be The One”. I mustered the strength to power through the pain and take it to another level. So excited, Avicii “Levels” started to play and kept me jumping right up until the end of his set, by that time, I was knackered.

Headlining for the last part of the evening was Tiesto, with stunning Laser effects, the ‘electric daisy’ on full show, fireworks and ‘Adagio For Strings’ playing, it truly was an awesome sight. Despite the reasonably early finish time of 11 pm and darkness falling a lot later on in the evening, Tiesto did not disappoint. Playing his classics as well as his new, (“Maximal Crazy” really was crazy!) he played a phenomenal set to see out the rest of the event that would make it worthy of remembrance. The only thing we can hope for now is that we will see EDC back here in 2014 for another show stopping performance… Thanks EDC!
Words ((((B&S))))