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I’ve been to a lot of festivals this year. I’ve interviewed a lot of artists, I’ve downloaded a lot of sets, I’ve planned out my get-a-reaction-from-the-crowd outfits and I’ve mapped out my recovery. So post Ultra Music Festival, Coachella, Governor’s Ball, Snowball, Mad Decent, Escape to New York and a stint in Myknonos, I was expecting a whole lot of the same. Except for the usual can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t stop tapping my feet cycle, this year’s Electric Zoo proved me, and many other festival fanatics, delightfully wrong.  

The three-day dance party on Randall’s Island had no shortage of new; new acts, new tracks and new grass (really!) filled the 24-acre island for 12-hours-a-day over Labor Day Weekend. The festival grounds had an upgrade too: a well thought out floor-plan made the trek from the Sunday School Grove Tent (packed with acts like Luciano, Gui Boratto, Carl Cox and Richie Hawtin) to the Mainstage (Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren and David Guetta) surprisingly do-able. And with over 100 DJ’s to decide between, the well thought out plan made set hopping an unusually fun part of the gig. 

Despite the record number of attendees (over 85,000 fans), Electric Zoo didn’t lose its sense of ease and comfort. Thanks to an increased number of restrooms, a variety of food vendors and use of RFID wristband technology, which minimized entrance time, there were no lines to be found. And when you wanted to dance deep inside the tent, there was an actual dance floor and ample space to do so. When you’re talking about music marathons, these are small details that many festival producers overlook, the small details that can make a great event into an exceptional one.  

Zoo-goers wasted no time arriving on Friday for Josh Wink and High Contrast. The Dutch duo, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, came with a serious set full of hard beats and high energy. The post-work crowd came in time to catch Gareth Emery, Europe’s favorite dance party producer, and Feed Me, a new dub-stepper on the Mau5trap label. Carl Cox (and his infectious smile) brought some Miami techno to the Sunday School Grove tent, while Max Vangeli and Antoine brought the Size Matter’s sound to the Mainstage. But it was Moby who caused the most mayhem during his show at sundown, and Tiesto, who ended Day 1 with a flood of confetti into the dark night sky. 

Saturday was all about the tents: SBTRKT, Guti Live, and 19-year-old wonder, Porter Robinson, proved why they’re three of the hottest new acts on the scene. Beardyman (Darren Foreman) beat-boxed some Bob Marley, and played one of the weekend’s most innovative sets. Sander Van Doorn set the mood with his impeccable, technical trance followed by a night of big-room sound with back-to-back Dirty South (who covered for Martin Solveig on Friday), ATB and Ferry Corsten. 

The heavy bass from 12th Planet, Skrillex and Bloody Beetroots could be felt from the FDR. 12th Planet stood backstage as Skrillex, who describes his sound “a mix of dubstep, electro and glitch all thrown together,” took over the minds and bodies of thousands of fans who turned the tent into a nineties mosh pit. 12th Planet’s set followed suit, with screeching sounds and screeching fans as dove head first into the crowd. Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, the Italian trio of Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo, Tommy Tea and drummer Battle, mixed the madness of their most famous track “Warped,” with the surprise of live guitar, drums and punk-rock vocals. While the masks may have scared some fans away, it was easily one of the most electric shows in Zoo history.

On Sunday, Gramatik, Alesso and EDX rocked out to a packed house, despite their early time slots on Day 3. Calvin Harris, Afrojack and Armin Van Buuren took over the Mainstage and while the sounds were a bit all over the place — let’s not forget the adorable yet odd open-format performance by Snoop Dog, and the out-of-place yet delightful performance by Chromeo — the A-listers pulled it off, and kept the massive crowd in one place for most of the day. Those who wandered off hit up Diplo, Boyz Noize, Infected Mushroom, Fake Blood and Richie Hawtin, but the cult-chords of Armin Van Buuren brought the festival to a final close.

There’s a stigma that comes with electronic music — and in some cases, it may be appropriate — but there are also many reasons why thousands are flocking to bass boot camps like Electric Zoo. It’s not the first or the largest electronic dance event in the United States, but it’s certainly one of the most exhilarating. Standing in the middle of Bloody Beetroots during “Warped” was an adrenaline rush on par with my first skydive in South Africa… (and we all know how I feel about a good ol’ skydive).

The duality of exhaustion and energy, and the challenge of fighting through the fatigue and heat for something you love is part of the appeal. And in the end, the fans who stand are the ones who believe in the escape of electronic dance music, the power of letting go and the chance to dance it all away. Screaming, jumping, fighting to catch that one, last drop with 30,000 like-minded people? Well that’s what Electric Zoo is all about.

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Paint by numbers. Last year, over 50,000 fans descended upon New York City’s Randall’s Island as over 67 DJ’s, producers and live acts banded together for Electric Zoo, New York’s Electronic Music Festival. Now in its third year, the fan favorite is back and bigger than ever with more than 100 (yes, 100) acts including Afrojack, David Guetta, Tiesto, Chromeo and more. 

From the heavy hitting house of Boyz Noize to the trance tunes of Armin Van Buuren, the new sounds of Guti to the classic beats of Moby, there’s something for the dance fiend in us all. While loyalist are mapping out their plan of attack, here’s the scoop on the DJ’s must play track….

JetsetFarryn: “If you could drop just one track at this year’s Electric Zoo, what would it be?”

Amin Van Buuren (Farryn + Armin = Farmin).
Sunday. 9:15PM. Main Stage.
Track: “In And Out Of Love” Bootleg
Why: “I did a special bootleg version of my single “In And Out Of Love” for my summer sets. People really still seem to love that song. Plus, the video just went over 100 million views on youtube making it the 12th most watched video on youtube ever! Crazy!!”

Tiesto. 
Friday. 9pm. Main Stage.
Track: Maximal Crazy by Tiesto
Why: “My new tune Maximal Crazy. Because its a festival banger!”

Max Vangeli.
Friday. 2:20 PM. Main Stage. 
Track: Whisper by Vangelli
Why: “I would drop our up coming single called “Whisper”. It’s a track Antoine and I did which features vocals from Example. This record really describes our sound - it has a lot of meaning and emotions. It’s a record I am most proud of to this day. It was magical, we finished the vocal cut in one take. It was just bound to happen.”

Alesso.
Sunday. 1:15 PM. Mainstage. 
Track: Calling by Alesso & Ingrosso
Why: “That would be my new track “Calling,” with Sebastian Ingrosso because it’s one of the most emotional tracks I’ve ever done. I’m really looking forward to seeing the reaction of the crowd at Electric Zoo as it will be the first time I play it for an American crowd.” 

Moby.
Friday. 7:25PM. Main Stage. 
Track: “Playing With Knives” by Bizarre Inc. 
Why: “Even though it’s 20 years old, it’s still the best rave track ever recorded.”

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I love nothing more than dressing the part… especially when the part let’s me play a punk-rave princess. We’re no strangers to the bangers, but this year Electric Zoo is three days, four stages, three outfits. Let’s do this. 

What To Pack: Electric Zoo Festival in NYC by jetsetfarryn featuring patent leather sneakers

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I’m counting down for Electric Zoo with my must-have men….
For lunch today: Richie Hawtin
An electro-snack a day keeps the anticipation at bay….  

Richie Hawtin: artist, DJ, conceptualist and innovator. The one-man mogul behind Techno imprints Plus 8 & Minus sends signals out all over the world from his HQ in an old fire station in Windsor, Ontario – just across the border from Detroit, where he’s been channeling the electronic past. The signals are constantly evolving: his Plastikman persona gave Techno a unique face with a series of four minimal albums, while his  live sets at the Glastonbury festival and Tribal Gathering helped invent stadium techno. In 1995, Hawtin was invited to show his work in Canada, in an event for the new millenium, in which the sculptor Anish Kapoor was also showing work, and the rest is lucky for you. Today Richie Hawtin evolves and develops his music and performance skills by deploying new technology and bad ass art. 

But don’t expect to see Richie at the Zoo… say hello to his alter-ego (think Farryn VS. Jetsetfarryn) PLASTIKMAN. The Berlin-based artist will bring his one-hour live experience of audio and visual interactivity including live real-time generative visuals:

“I’m very excited to bring my PLASTIKMAN show to Electric Zoo,” states Hawtin.  “I am very energized by the incredible developments in the electronic scene in North America, and finally we’re seeing the underground movement that I represent with my label, artists, DJing and live shows being acknowledged by the big events and festivals. This is a great moment in American music history, and I am delighted to have a platform to present my take on where electronic music is today and my vision for its future.”

And to make me swoon more… there’s an app. So think on that. 

R

oundup of my favorite things this week… follow it, don’t judge it. 

Photographer. Ryan Holden Singer.
This week has been all about family, and as I sat in my Uncle’s library last night, I was fascinated by a new piece of art he had acquired at a charity event in NYC. So the story goes “We we’re outbid at the auction, but Uncle Kevin was persistent. He went right to the photographer, and he schmoozed. Next thing I knew, the photo was ours.” 

Photographer Ryan Holden Singer has a very personal approach to photography, one that was clear to my Aunt and Uncle immediately after meeting him. Through portraiture mixed with an anthropological quality to his work, Singer creates images that not only explore the honesty in his subjects but also presents a very real and personal perspective. Singer landed on the continent of Africa where he documented the San Bushmen tribes in Namibia. These powerful images resulted in the Ryan Holden Singer collection consisting of 52 images contained in the Smithsonian Institutes National Museum Of African Art in Washington DC. He gets the good stuff by making it personal, the results are uncompromising and direct… and from our side of the lens, he is one to watch, closely. 

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The Wackness: Electric Zoo Festival, NYC 2010

! Ready, steady… go.
It’s the Zoo, Day Two with dirt covered faces, cult-like crowds, sister-backstage-sneaking, professional tent hopping and killer crowd surfing. 

@ElectricZooNY Day 2. Let’s get movin’ #dance 2:40 PM Sep 5th via ÜberTwitter

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Weekend recap, from start to finish… go!

2 days. 24 hours. 26 acres. 50,000 fans. 67 DJ’s, producers and live acts. 20 stops. 3 cameras. 1 life altering stage dive. Well hello to you, Electric Zoo.

The 12-hour, two-day festival showcased an eclectic mix of some of the world’s best electronic dance music, house, trance, techno, dub-step and more. Across 26 acres with four different stages, indie music mavens, cat suit-clad ravers, Shore-like fist pumpers, true House lovers and festival first-timers grooved as one.

Sustenance Stop.
Saturday. 12:30 PM.

With around 10 hours of animalistic dancing ahead of me, getting some grub was in order. Luckily, Electric Zoo had some tasty trucks on tap. @Miss Softee offered an electric cone full of fan favorite pop-rocks, while the super cute Peter Leeuwan scooped cinnamon ice cream himself, simply to see what all the fuss was about. Don’t be a fool, food is fuel. 

RT @ChemBros: Let’s turn this thing electric” - via doctorklein… The time has come. Get your Zoo face on. http://tumblr.com/x6xhljun0 11:19 AM Sep 4th

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Dirty South Set - Electric Zoo 2010

It just doesn’t get any dirtier than that… You’re welcome. No seriously, it’s my pleasure.

New York is one of the finest cities in the world for both music lovers and foodies alike. And @Electric Zoo Festival, held this past weekend on Randall’s Island, brought an abundance of culinary options that exceeded the expectations of your standard festival food (you won’t find no funnel cakes here!) with a soundtrack propelled by the world’s best electronic music artists. 

With a variety of tastes for every discerning palate, coupled with over 70 artists over the course of 2 days - ranging from established worldwide favorites The Chemical Brothers, Moby, and Armin van Buuren, to exciting artists and acts like Axwell, Diplo, Flying Lotus, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar and Steve Aoki -  Electric Zoo was as diverse as trendy trucks that pass through the streets of NYC. So you can have your Zoo, and eat at it too…. 

@Richkshaw Dumpling Truck. 

Rickshaw offers three options of inventive Pan-Asian/Pacific Rim dumplings by Executive Chef Anita Lo.

“Chicken and thai basil with spicy peanut sate dip. It’s a thai fusion, and our most popular dumpling…”

@ Street Sweets.

The all natural (bio-diesel fuel, organic milk, fair-trade coffee beans, etc.) Street Sweets truck serves up coffee, pastries and even European-inspired create-your-own croissants with filling choices like mocha, praline, all natural preserves, honey and nut butters.

“Whoopi pie because they’re little so you can eat a whole bunch, and then dance it off! Plus it’s only two dollars!”

@Van Leeuwen.

The Van Leeuwen duo has been scooping gourmet (hormone free) ice cream since 2008, with flavors ranging from red currant to ginger. 

“Cinnamon ice cream, because its just so good!” - Peter Van Leewan

@Miss Softee.

Miss Softee isn’t just for kids, though her vintage soft serve ice cream is a fan favorite.

“The Electric Cone! Vanilla ice cream, rainbow sprinkles and pop rocks! Made specially for Zoo goers!”

@Mexicue.

Brooklyn based Mexicue blends red-hot Mexican cuisine with home-cooked Barbecue flavors.

“Short Ribs”
“No, Brisket”
“No, short ribs! It’s the best thing you can have. It’s got aged white cheddar, salsa verde and refreshing salsa fresca!”

@La Cense Beef.

La Cense Beef turns over 100% all natural grass fed Steakburgers.

“Cheese and caramelized onion Cheeseburger…. hands down”

Be sure to check out my zoo review on Eats.com!

“Hang With Me” Avicii Club Mix by Robyn

For those who hung with me at the Zoo, and loved every moment of @ATB’s set.

You’re Welcome…