​The THUMP Guide to Every Artist Performing at EDC Las Vegas

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Saying you like the lineup for this year's Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas is basically like saying you like dance music. With over 200 names on a lineup that ranges everywhere from anthemic EDM to searing techno to gully-as-fuck drum and bass, there is something to suit every taste. Still, EDC is a big world of music that can seem impossible to wrap your head around. Well, until now, that is.

THUMP's team of researchers have pooled their musical knowledge to come up with a complete guide to all the artists performing at EDC Las Vegas this year. Grouped loosely into genres, we've got must-sees and hot tips from every single scene around.

Big room/main stage has a historic home at EDC and is still the dominant sound at the KineticFIELD and the CIRCUITgrounds. There's so much of it, in fact, that we've broken down main stage sounds into "pop" and "club."

On the poppier end of the spectrum, expect all the feel-good vibes and anthemic qualities of essential big room acts like Calvin Harris and Avicii. On the up-and-coming tip, make sure to catch Deorro and Galantis, two acts that bring a wealth of creativity to their palates of huge tones.

Word from the Las Vegas Speedway is that the KineticFIELD has a brand new look and feel to it, so these massive tunes will have a fittingly massive stage upon which to work their magic.

Here's what else to expect in this sound:
Afrojack // Alesso // Avicii // Calvin Harris // Bingo Players // Galantis // Hook n Sling // Krewella // Martin Solveig // Audien // Breathe Carolina // Kiesza // Deorro // Dzeko & Torres // Myon & Shane54 // Mako // Grahame Funke

The harder-edged cousin of the pop-centric tunes above, the club side of main stage sounds are all about those pounding kicks that favor splashes of aggression over the hands-in-the-air vocal refrains. These are the guys that will have the seas of fans at the KineticFIELD losing their shit until the sun comes up this weekend.

The mightily influential Showtek will be joined by perennials like Benny Benassi, superstars Hardwell and Martin Garrix, and guys on the up including Dyro and MOTi.

The whole lot of 'em:
Steve Angello // Nicky Romero // Martin Garrix // Markus Schulz // Hardwell // Benny Benassi // Tommy Trash // Chuckie // Arty // 3LAU // Dada Life // Dmitri Vegas & Like Mike // 4B // Dannic // Danny Avila // Dyro // Firebeatz // Kicks n Licks // MitiS // MOTi // Orjan Nilsen // Showtek // Vena Cava // Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano // Ummet Ozcan // Sander van Doorn

EDC Las Vegas is the festival home for drum and bass in the United States. Hands down, there is no promotions squad that shows so much love for the decidedly niche genre.

Housed almost exclusively at the BassPOD, representatives from Ram Records always bring the ruckus, and with Andy C heading the pack, there'll be no change this year. Elsewhere, Friction, Wilkinson and Kove will keep the UK vibes strong, while a debut from indie darling label Critical Music via a Kasra b2b Foreign Concept b2b Enei set is a huge win for the squad.

Gunfingers at the ready for:
Andy C // Armanni Reign // Black Sun Empire b2b State of Mind // Wilkinson // Camo & Krooked // Dieselboy // Ed Rush & Optical // Fallen // Friction // Kove // Kasra b2b Foreign Concept b2b Enei // Metrik // Noisia // The Upbeats // Definitive // Sigma // TC

Despite all these new-fangled genres popping up every year, house music still reigns supreme. EDC's selection of house acts may not be as long as other genres, but with names like Disclosure, Get Real (AKA Claude VonStroke b2b Green Velvet), Kidnap Kid, Art Department, and Justin Martin, you really can't go wrong.

With Dusky having just announced a new EP, Disclosure's new album on the horizon, mid-room icon Oliver Heldens and Mark Knight showing off the whole Toolroom toolbox, house music will still be very much front and center as it pops up on every stage imaginable.

Four on the floor lives on strong with:
Art Department // Catz 'n' Dogs // Disclosure (DJ) // Dusky // Get Real // Kidnap Kid // Kry Wolf // Low Steppa // Mark Knight // Baggi Begovic // Burn Unit // Dmitri from Paris // Dom Dolla // EDX // Hotel Garuda // Umek // Sinden // Oliver Heldens // Dr. Fresch // Posso // Speaker of the House // Saeed Younan // Chus & Ceballos

The spirit of hip-hop lives on strong in the turn up at EDC. Centered at the BassPOD but liable to pop up on any stage at the festival, trap and trap-adjacent stylings will be big, bossy, boisterous and noisy with no apologies.

From the heaviest hitters like Flosstradamus, Carnage, DJ Snake, and lord-of-the-low-end Basnectar to next generation heroes like Jackal, and Snails, the bass will be blaring loud and proud in Las Vegas. On a lower-key tip, check out hip-hop inspired acts with a cerebral R&B elements like TOKiMONSTA, Kastle, and AWE.

Prepare your "what"s on the upbeats for these guys:
Flosstradamus // DJ Snake // AWE // Bassnectar // Slander // Yellow Claw // Brillz // Carnage // Crizzly // Gladiator // Kennedy Jones // Keys n Krates // Loudpvck // NGHTMRE // Ookay // Protohype // Seven Lions // Snails // Ookay // Grandtheft // Jackal // LAXX // Lookas // Party Favor // Tokimonsta // Kastle // AWE

Even in the otherworldly setting of EDC, he BassCON stage seems a world unto itself with its cartoonishly dystopian imagery and the feverish stepping of shufflers making the ground shake beneath them. This year, the stage has been remade into Wasteland, the rubble of the BassCON of old, and hardstyle vibes will reign supreme.

Here's who else will be shufflin' and bustlin:
Angerfist // Adrenalize // Alex Kidd // A-lusion // Audiotricz // Brennan Heart // Coone // Crisis Era // Da Tweekaz // Darksiderz // Darren Syles // D-Block & S-tefan // Isaac // Kayzo // Lady Faith // Tuneboy // Technoboy // TNT // Ran-D // Pulsatorz // Psyko Punkz

Twee-DM is the younger, hipper, and smarter kid sibling of your run-of-the-mill mainstage malarky. Acts like Flume, Alison Wonderland and Hotel Garuda take prevalent tropes in dance, but twist them with a creative or experimental edge that gives them shine with indie crowds.

The acts above are likely to pop up all over the festival, but our gut tells us the CosmicMEADOW will be a happy home.

Flume // Adventure Club // Alison Wonderland // AWE // Hotel Garuda // Popeska // Bixel Boys // Durante

Insomniac's policy on techno this year seems to be quality over quantity, with Carl Cox likely to bring all types of cold tones and atmospherics to the NeonGARDEN when his Carl Cox & Friends takes over. Elsewhere, the inimitably heavy Loco Dice will bring enough techno for a whole festival with support from the unquestionable Chris Liebing, Victor Calderone, Pan-Pot and Dubfire.

The whole techno roundup:
Carl Cox // Loco Dice // Chris Liebing // Dubfire // Pan-Pot // Victor Calderone // Javi Row // Jon Rundell // Dosem

Although technically still under the umbrella of house, garage AKA bassline sounds have been taking over American airwaves over the past couple of years, so much so that LA's Night Bass will take on a stage of its own at this iteration of EDC. A number of acts in the house category will veer into this territory, but none of them can match the pure UKG vibes of DJ EZ or the scene-leading whomp of AC Slater.

With Jack Beats and Chris Lorenzo crossing the pond to round out the lineup, this may prove to be the biggest Night Bass event ever.

Here comes the whomp-squad:
AC Slateri // Jack Beats // Bones // Wuk // Chris Lorenzo // DJ EZ // Aaron Jackson // Petey Clicks // Jack Beats

Trance fans know it's not EDC without Above & Beyond, who often fill the whole grounds with their feels. Dash Berlin's sunrise sets are always monumental, and AVB side-project Gaia has been a welcome late addition to proceedings.

Rounding out the roster are the usual suspects of the trance upper tier: Cosmic Gate, Ferry Corsten, and Aly & Fila

Above and Beyond // Aly & Fila // Armin van Buuren // Cosmic Gate // Dash Berlin // Ferry Corsten // Andrew Rayel // llan Bluestone // Gaia

A million miles from that South London sound, the dubstep preferred at EDC is that of the tear-out variety, all machine sounds and aggressive wobbles set around 140bpm. Last year, 12th Planet dropped a "riddim" set and added to his long legacy at EDC. He'll be looking to do the same this time around.

Familiar faces like Flux Pavillion and Cookie Monsta will are set to reappear, while Eptic b2b Habstrakt is an untested and exciting prospect. Datsik is sure to bring the fire, and young guns Trollphace and Getter will be looking to make their mark.

Here's the rest of the legion of low end:
12th Planet // Zomboy // Trollphace // Cookie Monsta b2b Funtcase // Datsik // Eptic b2b Habstrakt // Excision // Flux Pavillion // Getter // Skism

It's not a big scene, but it's a scene, alright. Psytrance, the psilocybin-laced redheaded stepchild of trance and bass music, has more than one strong proponent ready to take you down the rabbit hole and straight to a Tel Aviv forest rave.

Freedom Fighters // Astrix // Neelix

Some legends can't be categorized. Calling Kaskade a trance DJ is like calling Pretty Lights a funk DJ, and DJ Jazzy Jeff has been dropping hip-hop hits since before you were born. Please, feel free to go through Fatboy Slim or Moby's vast record collections and tell us what they're gonna play. These guys aren't just leaders of the scene, they invented the scenes.

We are not worthy:
Bassnectar // Fatboy Slim // Moby // Eric Prydz // Pretty Lights // John Digweed // Kaskade // Laidback Luke // Jason Bentley // DJ Jazzy Jeff // Z-Trip

We'll see you in Vegas.

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