Dancing Astronaut’s Top 5 Overlooked Sets from Coachella Weekend 1

Dancing Astronaut's Top 5 Overlooked Sets from Coachella Weekend 1

Coachella Weekend 1 boasted plenty of mind-boggling sets. As expected, acts like The Glitch Mob, Skrillex, Disclosure and Fatboy Slim mesmerized audiences while drawing in packed crowds for their peak-hour performances, but they weren’t the only ones making an impact. In an effort to shine the spotlight on some of the artists who were equally marvelous yet didn’t bring the overpacked crowds and pre-festival hype, we’ve ranked our Top 5 Overlooked Sets from Coachella Weekend 1.

Photo Credits: Jake Lifschultz

5. DJ Falcon

DJ Falcon may have been the surprise early set of the entire weekend. A stranger to most of the festival attendees, the Frenchman boasts a considerable résumé, including a previous collaborative stint with Thomas Bangalter under the name Together. In the early afternoon heat, the house music veteran put on an absolute disco clinic, spinning classic records like the Together track “Call on Me.” Despite the meager crowd, Falcon wowed the attendees with impressive mixing and sampling of Daft Punk tracks like “Get Lucky” and “Give Life Back to Music.”

4. Big Gigantic

While the Sahara tent hosted plenty of house-centric DJ sets throughout the weekend, Big Gigantic provided one of the more unique performances with their beautiful brand of Colorado bass music. Bringing plenty of jazz-infused dubstep and glitch hob to the table, Dominic and Jeremy’s performance was capped off most notably by the inclusion of the 34-piece local high school marching band.

3. Damian Lazarus

A set from Mr. Lazarus is always a treat. The Crosstown Rebels head honcho is notorious for his psychedelic DJ sets, and his Coachella performance proved no different. Aided by the surreal atmosphere and enveloping psychoacoustics of the Yuma Tent, Lazarus led the crowd on a tumultuous journey. As typical of his sets, the music was at times anxious and overwhelming, while at others, mysterious and uplifting. No other DJ can quite confound your sense of direction while keeping you earnestly intrigued like Damian Lazarus.

2. Netsky

Netsky closed out Coachella in the Mohave tent, bringing the only true dose of drum ‘n’ bass to the festival. Accompanied by his full live band, the Belgian producer tore through iconic tracks from his heavily praised album, 2. With an emcee on hand on plenty of uplifting songs like “Puppy” to aid the performance, Netsky and crew enraptured the intimate crowd of the Mohave, inspiring multiple moshpits and some well-deserved applause at the close of their set.

1. Maceo Plex

Though Duke Dumont drew the largest crowd to the Yuma Tent over the weekend, Maceo Plex’s set was easily the most relishable for fans of the darker side of house music. While I had heard rumors of the man’s prowess behind the decks, nothing could have prepared me for the absolute spectacle that was Maceo’s performance on Sunday night. With each successive track, the crowd elicited a more emphatic response. Basslines grew out of thin air and consistently baffled the audience with their intensity. From start to finish, the energy in the room was relentless.