Coachella 2012: Top Five Acts at the Sahara Tent

Timothy Norris/LA Weekly

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By Alejandra Loera

The weekend is over and Coachella came and went in a blink of an eye. It was pure amazingness, and there were so many talented artists to see. For electronic dance music fans though there was one stage we couldn't stay away from. The infamous Sahara tent continues to grow year after year and has hosted some of the top EDM artists in the world, including Daft Punk and Paul Oakenfold. This year was no exception as the production continues to grow at all music festivals. These were the standout performances at the Sahara tent from Coachella weekend one.

Timothy Norris

5. Dada Life
Sunday, April 15
This Swedish duo never fails to show their crowd a great time, and Coachella was no exception. They came out full force with their bananas and champagne ready to show the desert how to party! Everyone loves doing the Dada and going bananas over their energetic sets. Their Duck Sauce remix of the "Big Bad Wolf" had everyone going nuts, howling along and jumping up and down with excitement. They had giant blow up letters covering the stage with their name spelled out along with blow up champagne bottles and bananas floating around the sea of dancing people. I was almost tempted to get on a giant inner tube and crowd surf, but was a little scared of all the floating champagne spraying everywhere! Hey, there's always week two or EDC right? At any rate, it was an epic dance party, and that's what everyone going to this tent was hoping for!

4. Madeon
Friday, April 13
French 17 year-old electro producer Madeon is another up-and-coming DJ who killed it at the Sahara tent. He played remixes of everything from Skrillex to Blur's "Song 2."
His electro/dubstep sound was just what I needed to forget about the cold and break a sweat despite the weather. You could never tell that his first performance was in April of last year as he takes control of the stage and crowd like he has been doing this for years. For someone who is influenced by the Beatles and Daft Punk, Madeon was just my cup of tea as the sun started to set across the desert
skyline.

Timothy Norris

3. Alesso
Friday, April 13
Swedish DJ/Producer sensation Alesso blew the crowd away on Friday with his progressive house sound as lasers and lights filled the Sahara tent. He choose hard hitting remixes of Swedish House Mafia's "Greyhound" and "Antidote." The flashing LED walls with his name and everyone's fist pumping hands in the air made for the perfect photo op during his memorable performance. By the time he played his remix of "Pressure" the crowd was lost in a trance dancing the night away. Yes maybe he did play "Levels" but that doesn't take away his EDM cred. His new single "Calling" with Sebastian Ingrosso is already in every DJs hand and you can expect to hear it all over the club scene this summer.