An Electronic Zoo experience

Electric Zoo – Sunday, Sept 6, 2015

Arriving in typical ‘Indian Standard Time’ my crew got caught up in the NYC traffic on Sunday and we reached the press area a little after close. That perhaps was not the ideal start to a much awaited night, but a special thanks to Alexandra and her awesome crew (Vanessa, Jill and Charlotte) who were able to still check us in and keep us honest with our work. This starting kink aside the fun curve just kept going up, up and away.

We made ourselves at home with a beautifully set up media area right on the edge of Randall Island. With the sun setting behind the NYC skyline and our redbull vodkas pulsing through to remind us of what lies ahead we made our way through to our first set – Thomas Jack.

A massive black and white structure that looked like a zebra ate an anaconda and somehow a metamorphosis happened that oddly also reminded me of those playful inflatable houses that I used to push other kids down off, albeit two separate thoughts; I looked at some of the faces and all had this curious expression of what was the come next. As lights started to get dim and the visuals started to play Thomas Jack’s tropical house started to take proper shape and his progressive tunes along with the air of ganja started to put me in a state of trance. By the end of his set, the African chants and drums were ringing through my ears and somehow the sight of a few ‘guidos’ fist pumping was not as disturbing as it should have been; I was thoroughly enjoying the music and couldn’t care less.

We navigated our way back to the media waiting area to get backstage with Alesso, we made sure to take in copious amounts of Deorro on the way. His pulsating set was perfectly getting the crowd ready who started gathering around the main stage. I could feel that he was successfully transforming my deep state of trance to a more vibrant energy.

Between quickly snapping my colleague taking a selfie and chatting with Alesso, getting a quick bite using my Ezoo dollars (more valuable than the USD in the arena) and navigating the pit lane to get in position for the start of the night, I was able to take a breather and feel the excitement in the crowd, the built up energy in the anticipation for the main man was about to explode.

.. and then he was there.. The lights were blinding and the MC (who I swear could challenge Morgan Freeman for the most bad-ass voice in the world) introduced Alessandro. The exhilaration was real and the night had just taken its final and best turn.

On top of my fun curve, I was back in my EDM zone and Alesso’s melodic mashups along with his new tracks from his album ‘Heroes’ had the crowd going berserk. After wrapping up our coverage, the next couple hours were fun and energetic that put me in a solid funk as I enjoyed the music along with some of my friends who had made the trip from the city to the island. We jumped, pumped and put our hair down to a great evening by a great artist in the greatest city in the world. Terrific Sunday at Ezoo!