2017 has been a phenomenal year for the EDM world. From some DJs hearing the wedding bells to some enhancing their live show experience and many more, we’ve had an eventful year. And, now that we are heading towards the beginning of a new year, it’s time to look back and relive the best EDM moments from 2017. Since the list had to be restricted to 10, shortlisting the top 10 moments was a challenge for us. After all the brain wrecking, here is the list of top 10 EDM moments of 2017 (in no specific order).
1. Martin Garrix at Tomorrowland
World #1 DJ and boss of STMPD Recordings, the 21-year-old Dutch sensation, Martin Garrix went all guns blazing at this year’s edition of Tomorrowland. First it started with the debut of his then mysterious tech/deep house alias – Ytram on the STMPD Recording stage. Garrix got on stage with a mask and a hoodie to play an impressive future house set. And, at the end of the set he revealed his identity. That was just the beginning. Martin Garrix was also given the responsibility of closing the main stage on the final day. Apart from dropping his chart smashing hits, he premiered a couple of IDs. He got David Guetta on stage to drop their latest collaboration ‘So Far Away’ for the first time. He dropped his pumping ID that he made with Loopers. And, to end the night he dropped his melodious progressive house tune ‘Pizza’, which he specially made for Tomorrowland.
IT'S OFFICIAL! Ytram is Marty!
Martin Garrix just revealed his brand new alias during STMPD Showcase at #Tomorrowland pic.twitter.com/a2UFcOFfCb
— MARTIN GARRIX HUB (@MartinGarrixHub) 22 July 2017
2. Avicii releases his comeback EP – “AVĪCI”
A lot of you reading this probably got introduced to EDM all thanks to the legendary track ‘Levels’ by Swedish progressive house producer/DJ, Avicii. The fan favourite producer announced his shocking retirement from live performances in 2016. However, he promised to keep the production alive. He stuck to his promise and released a 6-track EP in August 2017. Well fans didn’t expect such an early release. But well, who can say no to brand new Avicii music? The EP featured collaborations with artists such as Rita Ora & AlunaGeorge to name a few. And as expected, Avicii didn’t disappoint us. Listen to “AVĪCI” here.
3. Kygo’s surprise set at Ultra Miami
When Ultra Miami dropped the lineup for its 2017 edition, one big name missing from the lineup was Norwegian Tropical House sensation, Kygo. Prior to this, Kygo had mysteriously deleted all the posts from his Instagram account. Something was really fishy. The fact that Kygo was chilling in Miami, Ultra organisers tested Kygo’s logo and lights on the main stage and that there was a 20-minute slot for a guest performer right before Garrix’s set gave us a ray of hope. And we were right about Kygo. He played a surprise set right before Garrix’s set. The highlight of this surprise set was the premier of 2 new Kygo IDs. He debuted his collaboration with John Newman titled ‘Never Let You Go’ and his collaboration with The Night Game titles ‘Kids In Love’. This was one happy moment for the attendees of UMF as they were blessed with Kygo’s blissful set. And as an icing on the cake they were the first ones to listen to these 2 brilliant tracks from his latest ‘Kids In Love’ EP. Listen to the EP here.
4. deadmau5’ gets married!
Joel Zimmerman aka deadmau5 went offline for 2 days to get tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend Kelly Gill Fedoni. This meant that the EDM world was safe from Joel Twitter roasts. So how did Joel make his wedding stand out? PYROSSSS! Yes, you read that right, the boss of mau5trap had set up pyros for his perfect wedding shot.
And of course, huge thanks to @MattBarnesPhoto and @DangerboySPFX who was The obvious choice photographer and pyro for our big day ;) pic.twitter.com/JCaW8MOhGd
— Goat lord (@deadmau5) 13 August 2017
5. Eric Prydz debuts EPIC 5.0
About 7 months back, Swedish Progressive House Maestro, Eric Prydz debuted his highly awaited EPIC 5.0 at London’s Steel Yard. EPIC is a one of a kind show whose brilliance cannot be expressed in words. The lasers, 3D holograms and the creative visuals combined with Prydz’s enthralling music is something one must definitely experience at least once in his lifetime. EPIC 5.0 is definitely one of the best live show experiences ever.
6. DJ asks Tomorrowland attendees to do something weird
Tomorrowland, one of the biggest EDM festivals in the world saw one of the DJs get a little too intense with his request during his set. Bosnian-born Swedish producer and DJ Salvatore Ganacci asked fans to relax their anuses and shoulders. His exact words were, “Try to relax your anus… your shoulders…” If you don’t believe us watch it below. The video manages to capture the perfect reaction of one of the fans. The grossed-out fans probably got over it because Salvatore immediately dropped the legendary track, ‘Opus’.
7. Armin van Buuren celebrates 20 years in the industry with his biggest show ever
Fans of Armin van Buuren are used to some truly extravagant shows, and one would think he’d had to go REALLY big to top what they’re almost accustomed to by now. And that’s just what Armin did with his ‘Best Of Armin Only’ show at the Amsterdam ArenA.
He was joined on stage by 22 artists, 45 dancers, ten acrobats, four trampolinists, and a drum band of fifty-six strong, making it clear to all that he truly did go all out on all fronts for ‘The Best Of Armin Only’. It is without doubt a show tantamount to the artistic stature of Armin van Buuren.
Watch the after-movie below.
8. Ultra Music Festival expands globally
One of the world’s premier electronic music festivals in the world, Ultra Music Festival expanded on a large scale this year. They added big markets such as India, Australia and China to their roster. Apart from the above places, ULTRA Worldwide also took place at the following countries Paraguay, Indonesia, Argentina, South Africa, Hong Kong, Croatia, Spain, Peru, United States, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Chile, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.
Back in the day, fans around the world used to dream about travelling to Miami to attend Ultra Music Festival. But now, with this sort of expansion, Ultra is trying to eliminate the geographical hindrance. If Ultra continues expanding at this rate, it will become feasible for every electronic music fan to get the Ultra experience in his/her country.
9. The Chainsmokers bag a Grammy
American electronic pop duo, The Chainsmokers bagged the Best Dance Recording Grammy for their single with Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down.” While their fans were pleased and were celebrating the occasion, a lot of critics and other people were not really happy with the result. In one phrase ‘people lost their minds’.
10. Martin Garrix retains #1 DJ crown
21-year old Dutch DJ/producer had a brilliant 2017, be it with his new releases, his collaborations, his live shows, the ‘AREA21’ releases and the debut of his latest deep house alias ‘Ytram’. The prodigy producer never failed to deliver. After having a massive 2016, he stepped up his game to have an even better 2017. Well it was a very deserving retention of the #1 DJ crown for the Dutchman. Martin Garrix’s music made our 2017 much better. We’ll have to wait and watch what he has in store for us in 2018.
So this is it, our top 10 EDM moments of 2017. Do you feel we missed out on anything? Don’t forget to let us know in the comments’ section.
Ranjiv enjoys a wide range of music ranging from electronic music to hard rock and all the way back to the retro classics. His interest in EDM was triggered about 8 years back by the likes of artists like Avicii and David Guetta. The broad spectrum of sub-genres that EDM offers is what excites him.
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