This year’s annual Labor Day weekend Electric Zoo Festival at Randall’s Island decided it was time to make a change to the glorious Sunday School stage. Ibiza! That’s right, this year, two the hottest parties, Elrow and Ants, from the music/party capital of the world got their debuts on the East Coast.
On Saturday, the Sunday School Tent was turned into a tropical paradise destination with party inflatables and actors in various jungle themed costumes. Resident Advisor describes that Elrow parties are filled with, “Humor, entertainment, happiness and raw energy together with some of the best artists in the electronic music scene.” To start of the tech-house/house filled day, was Elrow’s residential DJ, De La Swing. He did not waste any time warming up the crowd to a day that would surely be remembered for months to come. Near the end of this set we got to experience what a proper Elrow party is like. Actors in jungle themed costumes came out to entertain the crowd as tons of inflatables were thrown into the air. Bananas, is literally the only way to describe what ensued at the tent.
After De La Swing, came Hot Creations superstar, Patrick Topping. Topping’s funky grooves were followed by hypnotizing visuals on stage. One local fan stated, “I waited years for this!” What came next was the classic b2b signature. House legend Jackmaster decided it would be a perfect opportunity for an impromptu b2b near the end of Topping’s set. Fans were going absolutely bonkers.
Once Topping decided to step off the decks, it was time to JACK. Literally. Jackmaster always brings that funky house ‘let’s go dancing feel’ to his sets. Near the middle of his set, fans got their second surprise of the night. Eats Everything b2b with Jackmaster. Now that is something you never see! The highlight of that set was when Eats destroyed the crowd with his attempt at remixing an all time classic. Arguably one of Green Velvet’s signature tracks, entitled Flash. “Cameras ready, Prepare the FLASH!!” You could really feel the energy among the crowd. Closing the night on a high note was Northern Ireland’s finest, Bicep. The rhythmic sounds of Bicep’s remix to Higher Level filled the crowd with soaring excitement. The highlight of Bicep’s set would come much later when their groovetastic remix to Lovelee Dae came over the sound system. Wow, what a party! Sunday School was most certainly the place to be Saturday.
The only proper way to close out a party fueled weekend is with an Ants invasion. On Sunday, Ants aka ‘the Colony’ had its day at the Sunday School tent. Compared to both days, Ants had the best music, from techno to house to tech-house. Indeed, it was the most diverse. The tent was covered with spiderwebs and dancers wearing futuristic costumes. The music that day started with New York’s finest, Julia Govor. Next, Keinemusik labelhead, &ME brought out his unique German sound to the stage. Things really started to heat up when French’s finest Agoria started playing. He did not waste any time by dropping serious heat, such as Recodite’s Osa, DkA’s Fireworks and one of his originals, Scala.
As the excitement kept building, one’s of Ants most legendary residents, Andrea Oliva was next on the lineup. Oliva is known for his quality tech-house grooves and he did not disappoint. After him, came another legend in the scene, David Squillace. Squillace took everyone in the crowd on a music journey. Playing &ME’s Shadow, was truly something special! Next guy up on the decks needs no introduction. Henrik Schwarz playing a live set! If I had to choose my favorite set out of the entire weekend, Schwarz was a clear winner. Throughout his set, classics such as Henrik’s remixes for Ene Nyame ‘A’ Mensuro and Wasting My Young Years were heard. On closing duties was none other than Joris Voorn. Just released a week before Ezoo, Joris got to play out his remix to Full Capacity.
Overall, this was the best years for the Sunday School tent with help from Ibiza. After the stunning success from Elrow and Ants, fans can hope that more Ibiza parties such as Afterlife, Paradise, Music On, and Enter start debuting on the east coast. Only time will tell……
