2017’s festival season is off to a polarizing start, with Coachella dropping its 2017 lineup and signaling the upcoming slew of lineup releases. Reception so far has been mixed, with many praising the headliners and unique gets, and others criticizing the amount of repeats and weak subheadliners. One aspect of the lineup is undeniable: Coachella brings a mountain of EDM this year. Whether it be radio-friendly producers or techno DJs, Coachella’s 2017 lineup contains a wealth of electronic options for attendees to enjoy. From DJ Snake Snake to Honey Dijon, read below for our five reasons why Coachella’s 2017 lineup will have the best EDM lineup among U.S. multigenre festivals this year.
1. Radio-Friendly Artists
EDM made its biggest splash yet on the charts in 2016, with artists like The Chainsmokers, Calvin Harris, Kygo, Major Lazer and more ranking supreme on Billboard, BBC and other charts. This year, Coachella gave top spots to some of the most widely recognized EDM acts with hits on the radio. DJ Snake had a huge year with a hit track “Let Me Love You” with Justin Bieber, Martin Garrix finally broke through mainstream radio with “In The Name Of Love” with Bebe Rexha and Empire of the Sun experienced a second wind with “Walking on a Dream” blazing the charts thanks to a Honda commercial. This trio is one of the most accessible trios for hardcore EDM fans and casual listeners alike, and their popularity will likely grant them top spots among the main Coachella Stage and Outdoor Theatre. Plus, the possibilities of guest performances from Bieber, Rexha and who knows who else should go over better than Calvin Harris‘ rather phoned-in headlining set with lethargic spots from Rihanna and Big Sean.
2. Deep and Deeper Producers and DJs
While big drops and frantic transitions define DJ sets from artists at the Sahara stage, deeper tunes emit from the enclosed, club-like Yuma stage. Debuted in 2013 and continually bringing in great talent, Yuma’s roster this year is impeccable. From the tech house party vibes of The Martinez Brothers and Hot Since 82 to the superb DJing from the likes of Ben UFO, Four Tet and Caribou‘s DJ alias Daphni, the Yuma packs in one hundred percent better artists than pretty much any multigenre festival in the U.S. Seriously, name another festival in America where you can see Beyoncé, Gucci Mane and Honey Dijon in the same day. Most multigenre festivals go as deep as Dirtybird for their EDM artist selection, but Coachella continually caters to an almost ignored demographic of the U.S. festival scene.
3. EDM, EDM and More EDM
On the other side of the electronic music spectrum, Coachella appeals to fans of general EDM, including house, progressive house, dubstep, trap, future bass and more, year after year, and this year is no exception. You’ve got a wide range of genres here; heavier sounds with Jai Wolf, Big Gigantic and What So Not and uplifting and progressive with Steve Angello, Galantis and SNBRN. Then, you’ve got some of EDM’s most beloved names taking up prime spots, such as Coachella favorite Dillon Francis, rising star Marshmello and the last-ever Shelter performance from Porter Robinson & Madeon. That alone could take up an EDM festival lineup and call it a day, and that’s only the tipping point of this year’s lineup.
4. Live Electronic Music is King
It’s almost overwhelming how much live electronic music is on Coachella’s lineup this year. Let’s take a deep breath and name some of the highlights: Justice, Floating Points, Nicolas Jaar, Tycho, Bonobo, Crystal Castles, DJ Shadow, Röyksopp, Classixx, Mura Masa, Breakbot, GRYFFIN and even more. It’s crazy. In comparison, Ultra only has a few live acts listed thus far (though they do have an entire stage for live electronic acts) and most other multigenre festivals usually have one to two live acts, if not zero. A lot of these artists cannot be easily seen elsewhere either, especially not all at the same festival. It’s clear that electronic music is moving toward a more live direction, and Coachella is once again straight on the curve in how it curates a trendy lineup.
5. Females Get Their Due
Even with the queen of pop headlining, and Lorde and The xx subheadlining, the female representation on this year’s lineup is a bit weak. But, electronic music comes through to shine a spotlight on some of the best ladies in the business. On the fringe, we’ve got Phantogram, Crystal Castles, Little Dragon and Kiiara taking up some of the names in bigger font. Then, producers and DJs like Anna Lunoe, Hannah Wants, Maya Jane Coles, Eli & Fur, Nora En Pure, Honey Dijon, Alison Swing and Jen Ferrer hold up the mantle for women in electronic music. It’s great to see so many female figures in electronic music play the biggest festival in America, and we think Coachella deserves props for diversifying its lineup with a wide range of female talent.
And there’s still Heineken House and Do Lab to consider, which could easily feature sets from Nina Las Vegas, Rezz, Alison Wonderland, or any number of other female artists.
Image via DoLA
