Brooklyn’s Escape Music Festival went off on October 11th and 12th as New Yorker’s ditched their respected routines for a weekend of synth, dance, and house music on Governors Island. Set beside a makeshift Ibiza themed beach and historic building backdrop, attendees danced to new wave house hybrid beats while enjoying performances from local favorites, experienced moguls in the EDM and indie scenes as well as acts hailing from as far as Russia.
Although not taking place in Brooklyn, Governors Island made for an intimate escape overlooking the New York City skyline. Ticket holders prepared themselves for an incredibly full line up of headliners such as Moby, Girl Talk, STRFKR, Neon Indian, Ra Ra Riot, Moon Boots, The Crystal Method, Placebo, Tesla Boy, and many more.
Both stages provided endless hours of entertainment and liberation with pop-synth sounds and samples that are nearly impossible to resist dancing to. The MYLIFE stage provided a beach club with sandcastles, beach lounges, and palm trees, while the courtyard stage provided an intimate DJ tent atmosphere with dynamic mood lighting.
On Sunday the courtyard stage changed up its display to an Elrow Ibiza theme, which included festive Spanish party decorations, hula-hoopers, and performances by a troupe of dancers on stilts. Both stages included delicious food vendors, cold beer, and mixed drinks.
Saturday morning kicked off early with talented ambient DJs and a sensational performance by indie pop sensation Ra Ra Riot. The Crystal Method turned up the volume and set a high-energy dance standard that carried on throughout the rest of the afternoon into the night.
With the moon shining over the Hudson River, DJ sets powered the atmosphere with house, dance, and new wave beats. Artists such as STFKR and Neon Indian provided sets with irresistible dance samples and fist pumping mashups. Moon Boots followed the acts by playing some deep house disco, while Placebo threw down some serious 90s nostalgia. Closing out the night was a performance by Moby that demonstrated his true genius as an incredibly experienced DJ.
Sunday was prepped with powerful pop ballads and dance tunes. The afternoon consisted of electronic dance beats by the legendary Russian pop group Tesla Boy who flew in from Moscow to lay down a series of new wave synth ensembles.
As the sun set, the Elrow Ibiza tent provided an insane club atmosphere with an assortment of confetti, inflatable props, and several conga dancers on stilts. Performances by Sebastien Leger and Miss Kittin kicked off a ceaseless dance movement while ASTR blasted deep bass beats that pulsated with rhythmic blues. Mayer Hawthorne performed popular ballads, which engaged the crowd with a combination of classic American vocals and late 60s and early 70s infused soul music.
The night concluded with an epic performance by Girl Talk. After not putting out an album for several years, Girl Talk surprised everyone with a special treat consisting of his new take on today’s hottest hits.
Overall, Escape Music Festival truly put forth a rage-fest for all ticket holders to experience the power of musicians and DJs who are united by their love for incredibly upbeat EDM music and indie dance music with nostalgic throwbacks to the past and synth samples for the future.