Electric Zoo 2012 Preview: Main Stage (Day 1) 8/31/12

If house or progressive house is your jam, the main stage is where you want to be on the first day of New York’s premiere electronic music festival. Brace yourself, you are not likely to survive the Main Stage on Day 1, if you are not ready for this huge lineup. See which artists will be taking your breath away on the first day of the festival on August 31, 2012 at the Main Stage on Randall’s Island Park.

David Guetta

Riding off of an incredibly successful year, Guetta has his sights aimed at Electric Zoo. Although criticized for his mainstream crossover, Guetta’s album Nothing But The Beat is an absolute dance floor destroyer. Although he has proven that he can conquer the radio, tracks like “Sunshine” with Avicii and “Lunar” with Afrojack prove that he can swoon even the savviest of EDM fans. His latest alongside Sia Furler in She Wolf (Falling to Pieces) is definitely a track to look out for during his New York set next week.

Pretty Lights

To quote Pretty Lights’ SoundClound, he is giving the world “electro organic cutting-edge party rocking beats that fill venues with energy and emotion and send dance floors into frenzies.” I think this sentiment would be agreed upon by the massive fan base supporting Pretty Lights. He brings an excellent stage presence and some of the most stunning visualizers an artist has ever brought to a stage. His music is soulful and inspiring, not to mention fun. He’ll be closing out Friday night and his playful music will help you unwind your mind and prepare for the second day!

Laidback Luke

Master of the big room sound, Laidback Luke destroys massive sets like this. Although he will not be hosting a ‘Super Me & You’ tent at Electric Zoo like he did at Tomorrowland, Luke is sure to catch the stage on fire with his incredibly tight spinning. Brace yourself for the bass, Luke is not one to be missed.

Hardwell

Hardwell’s sets bring a tremendous amount of fun and energy, he’s a sure-fire way to start off your first day with a bang. His recent collaboration with Showtek provides us with a massive, festival-ready “How We Do.” His original production “Spaceman” has been tearing up set after set on the DJ circuit and is bound to tear up Electric Zoo. And nothing is quite as satisfying as hearing his legendary collaboration with Tiësto on “Zero 76.”

Nicky Romero

Nicky Romero is one of the fastest rising stars for 2012. He brings us massive collaborations with the likes of David Guetta and Tiësto on some of the biggest tracks of 2012. His most recent collaboration is with an EDM Insider favorite, Zedd on “Human.” “Generation 303,” and “Nicktim” pack a ton of power but who could ever forget about his remix of “Flash?” Catch Romero on the main stage for an energy-packed bumping set.

Adrian Lux

Known all around for being the mastermind behind “Teenage Crime,” 2012 only seems to have positive things in store for Adrian Lux. He has been featured on some of the most massive tracks of recent dance music, including his magical collaboration with Sander van Doorn with “Eagles.” Lux’s single “Angels” has been remixed by Ken Loi and has received huge support from the EDM Insider staff. “Fire” and “Alive” are excellent tracks and have made their way in and out of the sets of some of today’s biggest DJs. Although he was a little late, his take on Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” is also probably one of the best remixes out there. Check out his Summer 2012 mix in preparation for this epic set.

Alvin Risk

Alvin Risk gained massive amounts of attention with not one, but two of his remixes of one of this summer’s biggest songs, “We Are Young.” Playful and dubby, he transforms the original track into a booming dance track. This up-and-comer has been opening for Kaskade on his Freaks of Nature Tour this summer. Check out his absolutely insane remix of Steve Aoki and Rivers Cuomo’s track “Earthquakey People.”

Marcus Schössow

Schössow brings amazing energy to his sets. “Who You Are” is one of the biggest trance tracks and the summer and catching Schössow’s set is probably worth it simply just to hear this song live. Although he might not be one of the flashiest names on the first day, if you are at the main stage make sure to catch his set and hear some of the best trance New York will get in 2012. His recent release “Never Say Never” is dark, powerful and fuses elements of house into trance with ease. “Hurry Up” is a heart-wrenching anthem and is likely to get some airtime in his E-Zoo set.

Michael Menert

Michal Menert is the first artist signed to Pretty Lights Music, after co-producing Pretty Lights’ debut album and contributing to a handful of the project’s tracks. So it would make complete sense that Menert will be setting the mood right before Pretty Lights takes the stage. Michal’s second release, the mega-LP “Even If It Isn’t Right” dropped in spring of 2012. Check out his SoundCloud because there is a lot of free music up for grabs there.

Netsky

Drum & bass prodigy Netsky will be blessing New York City with a sure-to-be-epic performance on day one. If you have yet to experience a drum & bass show, a festival is a great place to explore it. The energy just flows through everyone in the crowd and is sure to have you incredibly energized for the rest of your day. “Come Alive” is Netsky’s most recent production, which mixes melodic progressive sounds with a playful drum & bass beat. Netsky is one of the few opportunities to catch some non-house tunes at the Main Stage! Check out: “Give & Take,” “Tomorrow’s Another Day,” and Netsky’s remix of “Anticipate.”

About the Author

Daniel Shaw Economics student by day, raver by night - Dan hails from Poughkeepsie, but tries to make it into New York City when classes aren't in session to catch a DJ set. Dan is overcommitted and usually sleep deprived, but that wave of emotion sparked by the best of tracks keeps him going. Twitter: @thedanielshaw