Behind the Scenes Under the Electric Sky: EDC Las Vegas 2025
Day Zero: Setting the Tone in Sin City
Two weeks ago, the I WANT EDM team headed to Nevada to kick off a packed EDC weekend and formally cover our first EDC Las Vegas. We started off the weekend at the official Hotel EDC, hosted by Virgin Hotels, for an EDC Colombia launch party. Gorgon City set the tone of our weekend on a high note with a very chill and nostalgic pool party set. Riordan kept the grooves going with a vibey tech house set. Little did I know, the song Disco Tetris would soon be stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend…
Afterwards, we headed to the World Market to pick up our credentials. The staff were very friendly and we were in and out of the space very quickly. Once we changed into our nightclub clothes, we made our way to Substance LV to catch a Shlømo and Basswell EDC pre-party. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the venue had a very dark, underground, warehouse vibe to it, just like how a proper techno show should feel. After dancing for a few hours, we headed back to our hotel to get some much-needed rest for the festival.
Day One: From Pre-Parties and Private Sets to the Press Lounge
We began Day One of EDC Las Vegas with a meet and greet for my favorite artist of all time — Eli Brown! This pop-up was in celebration of Eli Brown’s latest song “Wavey” with Insomniac Records. Not only did we get to try several delicious Casamigos-infused drinks, which were the official sponsor of EDC Las Vegas 2025, but we also got to meet Eli Brown, take pictures with him, and see an uber exclusive PRIVATE set by Mr. Brown himself! Special shout-out to Calvin Lau, Director of Sponsorships at Virgin Hotels, for the incredible hospitality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3mMtpSrLAQ
After the pre-party commenced, we headed to the festival grounds. Our first stop was the Insomniac Press Lounge. We wanted to familiarize ourselves with where we would be working throughout the weekend, and to stock up on some snacks and energy drinks of course. Did I mention how amazing the view was from up in the box offices? STUNNING!
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Insomniac added a Eurodance/Hardgroove stage called Bionic Jungle to the festival grounds this year. The stage featured a lot of plants and green decor, hence the name “jungle,” which I think matched the vibe of the genre perfectly. We were able to see all of my favorite international DJs there, including Skream b2b Partiboi69, Boys Noize, and DJ FUCKOFF, who played one of my favorite sets of the weekend.
After some frolicking in the festival grounds, it was time to get to business and interview Riot Ten. He and his team were so nice and down to earth! I really enjoyed learning more about his production style and how he likes to incorporate rap music into his songs. Stay tuned for our full interview with him coming out soon, along with his new album dropping in one week…
Once we stocked up on some more energy drinks in the press lounge, we explored Downtown EDC. This included stopping by YEEDC, a country EDM stage, and seeing Sock and Buskin walking around, jamming out on the piano and a portable DJ setup fully clad in glowstick outfits. We ended the night (or at this point morning?) with two of my favorite artists, Eli Brown and Layton Giordani, and headed back to our hotel to rest for Day Two.
Day Two: Eat, Sleep, Slay, Repeat!
We started Day Two with an interview with AJ Banuelos, the Director of Community Engagement & Training at End Overdose. He gave us a full rundown about the nonprofit, how to spot signs of an overdose, and where the End Overdose booth was located on the festival grounds. Stay tuned for the full interview coming soon…
We then headed to the festival grounds to catch some sets, starting off with Brutalismus 3000 at Cosmic Meadow. Every time I see them, I am absolutely blown away! Their music is very genre-bending as they combine gabber, punk, techno, trap, and alternative
all into one distinct sound that really tickles your brain. Afterwards, we ran across Downtown EDC to catch some of Hannah Laing and Funk Tribu b2b Otta’s sets at Quantum Valley. One of the VJs at this stage actually taught me how to queue the lights. It was so interesting to get a sneak peek into another behind-the-scenes aspect of the festival.
We galloped back to Bionic Jungle to catch DJ Gigola and horsegiirL. Both of their sets were very high energy and kept the crowd engaged and dancing, or MOOving if you will. HorsegiirL had all of us eating, sleeping, slaying, and repeating. Pretty soon, it was time for my EDC debut set at Kandi’s World, where I brought the heat with some hardgroove and techno beats. Our Day Two ended with some much-needed melodic techno at Space 92’s epic sunrise set.
Photo Credits: Billy Leach
Fashion: EDC Las Vegas’ Rave Runway Moments
My favorite part about the rave scene is that everyone is encouraged to be themselves and self-express however they want. One of the ways to do this is through fashion! I saw a lot of women wearing bright colored hair extensions/wigs, DIY bedazzled/upcycled lingerie sets, and multi-layered fishnets. As always, Demonias were also a fan favorite amongst the female ravers.
Models: Kaitlyn Wong (left) and Tabitha Satsuki (Right)
As for the men, I saw a LOT of Hellbent merch, jerseys, studded attire, and baggy pants. They say that fashion trends always circle back, and it is super cool to see that the original rave style of baggy pants from the 90s is making a comeback 30+ years later.
Model: Aaron Santos
Day Three: Final Day Frenzy
Traffic on Day Three was especially hectic—it took us three hours to enter the festival grounds! Next year, I am for sure staying at Camp EDC to avoid the inevitable traffic jam on the Las Vegas highways. The convenience of camping at a festival is unmatched; what can top your bed being nothing but a couple of steps away from the festival grounds???
As soon as we entered the festival, we ran straight to Kinetic Field to catch the legendary MORTEN B2B Artbat (keep an eye out for our interview with MORTEN, which will be posted shortly). The future bass beats were shaking the ground and captivating the audience one song at a time. Pretty soon, it was time to head to Circuit Grounds to get our dubstep fix. Excision had all of the headbangers putting their X’s up with his heavy dubstep beats and groundbreaking production. Jeff surprised the audience with special guest GRYFFIN to play their new single ‘Air’ (vocals by Julia Michaels), and the headbangers morphed into crybangers.
We then headed back to the press lounge for our interview with Loud Luxury, which you can read here. From the bleachers, we were able to catch some of the Kaskade b2b Alison Wonderland set along with the fireworks!!! Techno + fireworks are a match made in heaven. We wrapped up the night by running to Kinetic Field to catch Marlon Hoffstadt’s US debut. Seeing eurodance play at the main stage was such a groundbreaking moment for the genre. Our EDC Las Vegas concluded with a sunrise set from the father of trance himself, Tïesto (aka my mom’s favorite artist).
Overall, I made enough memories to last a lifetime at EDC Las Vegas. I cannot wait to reunite with my best friends under the Electric Sky once again. See you next year, EDC!