Forty-five percent of this year’s lineup was electronic. The polo fields finally caught up to what the culture already knew. Here’s how both weekends went down.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: yes, Justin Bieber headlined, and Sabrina Carpenter happened. But if you spent either of these past two weekends bouncing between the Sahara, the Yuma, the Quasar, and the Do Lab, you were living inside a different festival entirely – one where the real headlines were written in BPMs. Coachella’s 25th anniversary wasn’t just heavy on electronic music. It was defined by it.
Weekend 1 – Friday
- Groove Armada, Massio, and Tiga – The First Pulse
Whoever handed Massio the opening slot at the Sahara knew exactly what they were doing. The Venice Beach-based producer blended deep, organic, and Afro house influences, building his set in layers that felt emotionally intelligent from the jump. Packed with unreleased material and forward-thinking selections, the set offered a glimpse into what’s next for both the artist and his emerging label RYTHMICA, which got its Coachella close-up and made it count. Yet one moment defined the set – his closing track. The highly anticipated remix of DJ Tomer & Ricardo’s ‘Mahaba’, originally by Joezi & Itay (featuring Akiki), ignited the iconic Sahara stage, sending the first waves through the crowd and setting the tone for a fiery weekend.
Groove Armada held down the Yuma with ease, opening up properly with soulful mixes of ‘Superstylin” for the day one and some new music, like ‘Love’s Theme,’ out now on Glitterbox Ibiza. Then Rossi. x Chloé Caillet picked up the pace with tracks like ‘Do You Wanna Funk?’ by Patrick Cowley, an unreleased PROSPA ‘Hound Dog (Remix)’, and a killer remix of ‘Actin Tough’ by Dean Turnley. The momentum didn’t dip once.
Over at Quasar, Tiga opened the stage for the weekend, spinning his unreleased collab with Dom Dolla and reaching into HOTLIFE, his first full-length album in a decade, with what felt like a reintroduction and a reminder at the same time.
Marlon Hoffstadt brought modern eurotrance and extra sound to the Sahara and made it feel like a massive party, pulling fans up on stage, dropping ‘Makina Time’ with Dimitri Vegas, DJ Konik & Like Mike, and his remix of The Prodigy’s ‘No Good.’ Fully unhinged in the best way.
PAWSA heated up Quasar after the sun went down with personal favorites ‘Dirty Cash’ and ‘Double C’. Max Styler cranked up the Yuma on a run of unreleased material plus tracks like ‘Old School Favor’ with Greggio and Volkoder’s ‘My House’ in his signature atmospheric tech-house vibe.
Gordo closed Friday at the Yuma with Latin tech and melodic house at full tilt, with ‘Loco Loco’ doing exactly what that track always does to a crowd that knows every word. He went back to his roots, and the room went with him, completely.
The Do Lab’s Two Friday Surprises – both of them on fire.
John Summit’s set drew one of the weekend’s largest and most dialed-in crowds. It was massive. He dropped unreleased Chris Lake & ATRIP’s ‘Make You Fight’, an unreleased Fenik, Walker & Royce track known as ‘Utopia’, music from BYOR, MENTUM, and Devault, plus his own ‘Shadows’ with LAVINIA. Then, just when you thought the night had peaked, KETTAMA b2b Yousuke Yukimatsu showed up – a surprise nobody saw coming. It was a movie: funky, high-energy, and fun. ‘Crazy in Love (KEZZ edit)’ and ‘Mecha’ by Doctor Jeep made it clear these two have a shorthand that’s impossible to manufacture.
Weekend 1 – Saturday
- Hamdi opens, Joezi sets the golden hour, Nine Inch Noize takes the night
Saturday started with Hamdi at the Sahara – straight riddim and bass, no easing in, with mixes of ‘Appetite x Victory Lap’, making it clear the day wasn’t going to be polite. Over at the Yuma, Ben Sterling kept it ripping with bangers like ‘ROCK THE RHYTHM’ by Dan Molinari and his edit of Flume’s ‘Never Be Like You’.
Then over to Quasar for Joezi’s opening set. It was uplifting, rhythmic, and perfectly timed for golden hour. He dropped Valeron’s ‘Teke (Francis Mercier Remix)’ and built the whole set toward his beloved ‘7 Seconds’, which he closed with just as the sun disappeared into a haze of burnt amber. The night was just beginning.
Saturday evening belonged to Nine Inch Noize. The collaboration between Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize, performed as a single live act, was the kind of thing that sounds great on paper and then far exceeds it in person. Considering Boyz Noise was their tour opener, this was a special moment for them both. Dark, electronic reinterpretations of NIN classics played like a greatest-hits set filtered through a Berlin warehouse: ‘Closer’ still hits exactly as hard as you need it to, and reworked versions of ‘Copy of a’ and ‘Parasite’ took on new shapes with Boys Noize’s production sensibility threaded through. High energy, positively disorienting, genuine, and worth every second.
To close: Armin van Buuren b2b Adam Beyer at the Quasar. Picture this. One of trance’s most famous exports and one of techno’s essential voices walk into a bar, and somehow it’s the best night you’ve ever had. ‘Riot (To the Rhythm)’ by Kos:mo and ‘Victimized (feat. Dedicator)’ by Epic Aggressive kept things properly electric.
Weekend 1 – Sunday
- Loboman, Mochakk, and a closing that hit every nerve
Nobody told Loboman that Sunday was supposed to start slow. Cowboy hat on, energy at full throttle from the first drop…his Sahara set was the definition of “Sunday Funday” done right. What made it work was the twist: pop anthems you half-recognized, rebuilt from the inside out into something that hit harder than the original ever did. Familiar enough to pull you in, warped enough to keep you there. ’12 to 12 (Devault Remix)’ by Sombr and ‘Edge of Desire’ by Jonas Blue & Malive were anchors, but the whole set had this spirited, wide-open energy that felt perfectly calibrated for a Sunday afternoon in the desert.
&friends kept Sunday moving with energetic cuts including ‘Paradise (feat. Bipolar Sunshine)’ and a remix of Sean Paul’s ‘Get Busy’. Then MËSTIZA followed with something genuinely different – electronic fusion rooted in underground, tribal, and Afro-house, carrying a Spanish passion that cut right through the afternoon heat. A name to remember.
Then Mochakk. Many have said this was a proper favorite of both weekends. Agreed. His own tracks like ‘Jealous’ and ‘Arpideous’ are proper heaters. But the whole experience felt surreal in the best way: a remix of Dean Turnley’s ‘Actin Tough’ (clearly one of the defining tracks of Coachella 2026 – it showed up all over) paired with visuals of himself inside his own video game. That kind of self-aware playfulness is rare. The energy was contagious and completely genuine. One of the best sets of the weekend, full stop.
Kaskade closed things out with tracks like ‘Remember’ and ‘Disarm You’ – nostalgia that hits clean. The man has been doing this for decades and still knows exactly how to end a night. Sweet, euphoric, and the perfect full stop on a perfect weekend.
Weekend 1 – Also On The Radar
- Anyma b2b Marlon Hoffstadt: Do Lab, Sunday. A surprise closing set after weather forced Anyma’s set to be canceled on Friday
- Disclosure: Outdoor Theatre, Saturday. Two decades of records that still move rooms. ‘Latch’ and ‘Help Me Lose My Mind’ still hit like the very first time.
- Subtronics & REZZ: Bass culture well represented. Both delivered.
- Fatboy Slim: A legend doing legend things. No notes.
- Josh Baker b2b Prospa: A Yuma highlight that held the room exactly right.
- Andy C: Headlined Do Lab for drum and bass. Essential.
- Green Velvet & AYYBO (B2B): The underground in the right hands.
Weekend 2 – Thursday / Day Zero
- Did Coachella deserve this b3b?
Before the festival even officially opened, the campground had already won the weekend. Josh Baker, Prospa, and KETTAMA linked up for what can only be described as a dream b3b at the Day Zero campground party. Three artists at the top of their game, no big production, just music and dance. The question someone asked out loud that night pretty much summed it up: Did Coachella actually deserve this?
Weekend 2 – Friday / Day One
- Arodes opens, Moby transcends, Levity melts the roof off (literally…there was lava)
Arodes opened the Yuma on Friday and set the tone with a kind of emotional precision that’s hard to pull off in an early slot. Dance music with percussion and rhythm that swung between energetic and deeply sentimental – ‘Gaia’ with Mahmut Orhan & James Ortega and ‘Cycles’ with CamelPhat anchored a set that felt like it was building toward something special.
Moby was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and everyone in the Mojave felt that. He brought out Jacob Lusk for ‘Natural Blues’ and ‘When I‘m Cold I’d Like To Die’, and it was the kind of performance that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and stay there. Therapeutic, even. He even closed with ‘Thousand’, a 1992 rave track that turned the whole crowd into a single organism running on a gospel-like high. An out-of-body experience. Plus, this guy is donating 100% of his Coachella proceeds to animal rights activism. This man contains multitudes.
Then Levity happened, and we were unprepared for their game. Coming out the other side, they were the set of the weekend – maybe of both weekends. Dubstep, done at the level that makes you remember why it’s so much fun to dance to. This is the kind of music you need to hear on Sahara’s elite sound system. The production was absurd: a lava volcano as an actual stage set, not just a visual, plus lasers and pyrotechnics that turned the whole thing into controlled chaos. They did a bit for Mac Miller that hit hard. And to close, in perfect honor of Bieberchella, a remix of Justin’s ‘Beauty and a Beat’ that was, genuinely, chef’s kiss.
Ape Drums b2b Bontan brought drum-heavy energy to the Do Lab. Omnom ripped it – dirty, subby sound that made the whole festival feel like it was happening right there in one tent – with tracks like ‘Make It Work’ by Bradeazy & TyriqueOrDie, ‘Where’s Your Head At’ by Basement Jaxx, and ‘Walk’ by Londen Summers & G25 alongside his own records. Seth Troxler’s Do Lab set was exactly what you wanted: a new remix of Madonna’s ‘I Feel So Free’, ‘Freed From Desire’ by Gala, and ‘I Want Your Soul’ by Armand Van Helden. Delivered with the confidence of someone who has absolutely nothing to prove.
Grizchella closed out the Do Lab on Friday, and it got saxxy. One of the weekend’s biggest surprises, a proper throwback served with a wink and live saxophone. He flipped “his favorite” Kid Cudi track for an eager crowd, and his signature funky style made it feel timeless and nostalgic. No notes.
Weekend 2 – Saturday / Day Two
- Deer Jade, Yousuke Yukimatsu, Adriatique b2b Cloonee, and the Do Lab doing what it does best
Deer Jade played almost entirely original tracks at the Do Lab, including her track ‘Divine’, which landed like a moment of pure childlike ecstasy. Something joyful and unguarded about her whole set. Exactly the energy Saturday afternoon needed.
Yousuke Yukimatsu took the Sahara on Saturday and went somewhere else entirely. A hardcore, genre-bending set that deconstructed club music and rebuilt it in real time – we’re talking Fred Again.. and The Blessed Madonna’s beloved ‘Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)’ and Jamie XX’s ‘Treat Each Other Right’ were in there, but the whole thing felt like a thesis about where electronic music can go when it stops caring about genre lines. This guy beat brain cancer and decided to become a DJ, and now he is playing Coachella. Some stories write themselves.
Adriatique b2b Cloonee at the Do Lab was fun and light, with remixes of ‘One More Time’ by Daft Punk, ‘Whoops (Brandon Remix)’, and an unreleased remix of Drake and Central Cee’s ‘Which One’. Then Cloonee spun ‘Into the Groove’ by Madonna (Enzo is Burning edit), and the whole room hit a collective peak moment. Sometimes that’s exactly what it is.
Ben Sterling b2b Max Dean crushed the Do Lab with an unreleased Sidney Charles track called ‘This Jam is Fresh’, ‘Remember’ by deadmau5 & Kaskade, and a fire remix of ‘Lovely Dae’ by Blaze. Not to mention the Do Lab after-hours with Patricio and Bedouin was absolutely steaming. You just had to be there.
Weekend 2 – Sunday / Day Three
- Sosa, DRAMA, Bedouin, Worship and Kaskade – The Final Dance
Sosa opened the Yuma for the final Sunday of Coachella 2026 with his own cuts ‘Be Without You’ and ‘The Connection’ – a warm, considered opening that gave the day room to breathe before things inevitably escalated.
DRAMA at the Do Lab was breezy and wonderful. Via Rosa’s vocals carrying through the air like something you weren’t expecting to feel that much. ‘Platonic Romance (Azzecca Remix)’ and their most beloved track with Gorgon City, ‘You’ve Done Enough’, made for a perfect mid-afternoon reset.
Bedouin played plenty of unreleased tracks in the Yuma alongside their own, including Sting’s ‘Desert Rose’. He doesn’t miss.
DJ Snake x RL Grime x Flosstradamus at the Quasar was a dangerous combination and an absolute highlight – festival trap resurrected at full force, propelling everyone right back to 2015. ‘Rollup (Baauer Remix)’, ‘Soundclash’ by Flosstradamus & TroyBoi, and RL Grime’s ‘Core’. A throwback that earned every second of the nostalgia. DJ Snake kept it going directly into his b2b with Knock2, multiple unreleased IDs, and peaked with ‘feel U luv Me’ by Knock2. Electric energy radiated.
Next up was Worship, becoming the first drum & bass act to headline Sahara. We very much like this version of D&B church. Sub Focus, Dimension, Culture Shock, and 1991, as a powerhouse four-piece collective, turned the bass all the way up. ‘Ready to Fly’ by Sub Focus & Dimension, ‘Wildfire’ by Sub Focus, an unreleased track, ‘Stars Align’, by 1991 x Grace Barton, and drum and bass edits of ‘Insomnia (Culture Shock remix)’ by Faithless hit heavy. They played an absolute gobsmacker of a set, and we’d love to see a lot more of them.
Sara Landry’s Blood Oath closed the stage for the entire festival – a high-energy, female-led marathon b2b2b2b2b featuring LP Giobbi, Chloé Caillet, Cobrah, Mary Droppinz, Tokimonsta, Jenna Shaw, Öona Dahl, VNSSA, and Bad Girl Bailey. They went all around the world – the genre-bending with unexpected surprises like ‘You Want Me’ by Dirtyphonics & Circadian and ‘The Jumper (Mass Medium Remix)’ by Hammer House kept us on our toes.
Then came Kaskade once again. He came loaded with unreleased tracks and IDs teasing his upcoming ‘ORIGIN //’ album, including a new collaboration with Crankdat. Nine unreleased IDs spanned his set, which is a bold move for an artist with a 30-year discography, alongside classics like ‘Move for Me’. It was truly special. The right person, the right moment, the right end.
Weekend Two – Also On The Radar
- Sub Focus: Do Lab. Essential.
- FKA Twigs: Otherworldly doesn’t cover it. The dancers, her movement, her whole presence – electronic music filtered through something closer to a fever dream. One of the weekend’s most singular performances.
- Patricio & Bedouin (Do Lab after-hours): Absolutely steaming. Say less.
We missed the legend Solomun, but hey, maybe we’ll get him next year.
Who do you want to see on 2027’s lineup? All we know is it’s going to be jam-packed, because electronic music has taken over and it’s here to stay.
