Imagine it's 2013. Skrillex's brostep is decimating crowds, Avicii is sparking spiritual awakenings on the dance floor, 17-year-old Martin Garrix drops “Animals,” and Ultra's retina-shattering lasers are changing eyeballs. forever.
While the serotonin rush of EDM still lingers, the industry looks different more than a decade later, with its consumers often prioritizing the intimate euphoria of a dark warehouse over the regurgitated trappings of a major festival. From a cultural point of view, the chasm between those two formats continues to grow, but for their artists, the path between the two is full of uncertainty and difficulties.
So where exactly do DJs fit into this ever-changing industry? And what challenges do they face?
Without the reassurance that comes with blitzkriegs and veteran negotiators like CAA's Alex Becket, most must navigate turbulent waters alone as inflationary pressures drive up prices. increased tour costs at unsustainable levels. For those artists, it's a lonely masterclass in the hustle of DIY.
Becket is the power broker behind, among many others, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Bedouin, Monolink and G Jones, the latter of whom was recently named by EDM.com as one of the best electronic music producers in the world. He has been with CAA for nearly two decades and became the firm's first electronic music agent in 2012 before landing a spot at Billboardfrom the venerable list of “Dance Power Players” in 2019.
It's no secret that leading agencies like CAA wield industry tentacles to select prime festival real estate as a means of nurturing the eggs of their conventional golden geese. In other words, big festival stages are the ultimate spotlight for new albums. Meanwhile, its electronic artists, as well as those represented by independent agents across the country, are left tasting the dust of their hip-hop and pop contemporaries.
But if there's any silver lining, top agencies and festivals today are very focused on discovering and signing EDM talent, according to Becket, who tells us he hopes to see more dance acts on big stages in the near future.
Dance music producers, once relegated to the fringes of the festival circuit, now boast top billings and draw massive audiences to bookend mainstream events like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, all of which tapped ODESZA to headline on the poster last year.
Meanwhile, the organizers of Coachella in 2023 once again approached the trio of Skrillex, Fred… and Four Tet to close the world's quintessential music festival in place of a despised Frank Ocean. Before their last-minute headlining performance, Coachella only featured Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, themselves replacements after replacing Kanye West in 2022, as its only other headliner DJs in the last decade.
Now, after a year packed with unforgettable EDM moments, Coachella introduces an all-new stage that will serve as the festival's de facto rave music epicenter. The ambitious stage, Quasar, will feature three-hour DJ sets from RÜFÜS DU SOL and a cancer-free Michael Bibi, among other deeply influential dance music artists.
Ahead of Coachella's return this weekend, we caught up with Becket to talk about Quasar and the evolving relationship between major festivals and the electronic dance music community.
EDM.com: After Coachella made the decision to combine the Sahara lineup with more mainstream artists, it looks like Quasar is the festival's new epicenter of electronic dance music. Because right now?
Alex Beckett: In the same way that “underground” house and techno music has become so popular in recent years, and is arguably now the dominant dance music of the moment, the traditional festival home for that sound, the Yuma Tent, It has become too small to serve everyone. the demand. It's a great sign for the health of our industry that the festival needs a stage like Quasar for this growing audience.
EDM.com: Take us behind the scenes of your conversations with your artists about Quasar. What was so attractive to you in the new stage?
Alex Beckett: Coachella has pioneered dance music over the years and has done it again with Quasar. The opportunity to play an extended three-hour set is unheard of among contemporary multi-genre festivals and represents the core culture around DJs and raves. It's exciting for these artists to have the freedom to take fans on a journey without the limitations of the 60-75 minute sets that are typical of the festival.
Quasar is not a tent and therefore not a desert. pic.twitter.com/MLRsw2PQm9
—Coachella (@coachella) March 19, 2024
EDM.com: We've seen an increase in EDM bookings at festivals like Coachella. Can you explain the strategic advantages (beyond pure popularity) of booking EDM artists to major festivals?
Alex Beckett: Coachella has been booking electronic artists for decades, but it's true that this year feels particularly danceable. For some reason, I think other genres are in a slump right now and electronica is filling a lot of that void on the festival lineup. Dance music appeals to a broader audience than many other genres, and that creates mass appeal.
EDM.com: What role, if any, have technological advances in live production and stage setup played in making EDM acts more attractive to festival organizers? And to what extent does this focus on live performance influence a festival's decision-making when executing the lineup?
Alex Beckett: Festivals want big shows and big moments, so that has a lot to do with them. Big production was an essential part of the “EDM” boom in the early 2010s and has always been a big part of the EDM experience. Unproduced “underground” shows emerged in response to that, and now you're seeing the pendulum swing back in many cases with underground artists building big shows. In this way we are seeing great productions with better music and it is a winning combo.
EDM.com: Are there any particular up-and-coming artists or subgenres that you anticipate gaining even more traction on the festival circuit in the near future?
Alex Beckett: Hard techno is definitely having a moment with the younger generations, and we're having a lot of success at CAA in the minimal tech and deep minimal tech space. Our new colleague Julian Teixeira has many of the best up and coming artists in this world like Chris Stussy, Dennis Cruz and Ben Sterling.
EDM.com: What challenges or obstacles do EDM artists face when it comes to securing prominent spots at major festivals dominated by more traditional rock, hip-hop, and pop artists?
Alex Beckett: DJs and electronic artists have been sharing the bill at festivals with rock, hip-hop and pop artists for years. In the past, relatively few dance artists headlined tickets and their value was closely tied to VIP sales (they still are), which is harder to quantify and not publicly reported. That's a different metric that made direct comparisons difficult and hurt dance artists in prominent positions or billing, but many dance artists now live in the world of hard tickets and it's no big deal.
EDM.com: How do you think the festival landscape will evolve over the next five to ten years when it comes to the representation of EDM and other electronic music genres on major lineups?
Alex Beckett: The sky is the limit! One of the greatest strengths of dance music is the diversity, both of the audience and the music. I hope to see more dance acts on large and small stages alike, and different music thrives in different environments.
I love the variety of experiences that Coachella offers this way. You can go see an incredible visual spectacle like Anyma at Sahara Tent, then move on to Do LaB for the best dance party of the festival, then head to an immersive experience with RÜFÜS DU SOL (DJ SET) at Quasar, and then finish . Spend your night with Adriatique in Yuma for a true clubbing experience in the middle of a festival. The options are amazing!
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