7 impressions from day 2 of Bud Light Dreams Festival

Dillstradamus

Bondax

Day 2 started and ended with perfect weather and hearing the smooth sounds of Bondax was the perfect way to begin Saturday's packed lineup. The British duo were bobbed their heads and grooved to their own beat which the crowd fed off on Echo Beach. Fans took advantage of the extra room available to dance and made their enthusiasm known whenever a track came on and made them happy. Notable tracks included Joe Goddard's remix of "Giving It All" by Bondax, and Mall Grab's "I Just Wanna".

Anna Lunoe

The good vibes continued on as soon as Anna Lunoe took the stage. Seeing so many people grooving on Echo Beach shows that we're returning to a spot where the word dance in electronic dance music is now being emphasized. If we get to a place where DJs try to outdo each other by dropping more danceable tracks than others, then EDM will be in a really good place. Anna Lunoe brought that ethos for her Dreams set and it was a delight to watch. 

Jax Jones

The Waterfront stage had amazing energy all day long thanks to the big crowds that filled up the area by 4 pm and kept it going until Malaa past 10 pm. Jax Jones played driving house music that had the crowd lifting their arms, and cheering the entire set. A common theme for day 2 was how the artists got the crowd dancing and smiling, and Jax Jones delivered on all fronts. Notable tracks included Jax Jones "House Work", Offaiah's "Run" (Club Mix), and Format B "Chunky" (Club Mix). 

Orjan Nilsen

The trance tent was buzzing all day and especially during Orjan Nilsen's massive afternoon set. He didn't hesitate to unleash his biggest tracks at 5:20 pm and the crowd loved him for it. Orjan was highly animated behind the decks as his gestures could be a compared to a hybrid mix of Dash Berlin and Armin's emotion filled arm raising during euphoric moments. Without a doubt, Orjan's own productions were biggest crowd favourites including "The Late Anthem", "Los Capos"(With KhoMha), "Iconic", "Fair Game" (With Cosmic Gate), and one of his last tracks of the set, "Kilowatts". 

Malaa

The enigmatic French artist known as Malaa followed up DJ Hanzel and immediately drew the crowd into his own version of going one deeper with his blistering future house style. The set was a mix of his own tracks, selections from the Confessions label like Dateless's "Hit Em With The Hardcore", and recent favourite "I Want You" by Chris Lake. The front row had a few fans with sky mask Malaa fans who headbanged to the hardest parts of his set. 

DJ Hanzel

One of the most anticipated sets of day 2 Dreams Festival was DJ Hanzel's set. The entire stage area was packed including the green hill area in the back as the Toronto crowd knew that Dillon Francis only drops his DJ Hanzel alternate ego once in a blue moon. Besides a few mic cameos of "going one deeper", Dillon Francis let the music do the talking. The vibe was deep as "DJ Hanzel" played recent releases like Aabel's "I Go Deep", the Drezo/Hanzel remix of "Need You", Gorgon City's remix of "Say Less", and Damien N-Drix & STV's "Let It Ring". The crowd came for the curiosity of it all, and stayed for the entire set. People enjoyed themselves as fans knew that they were witnessing a rare set by their favourite techno meme. 

Dillstradamus

Dillon Francis had the honour to close down the mainstage and the festival as part of Dillstradamus (Dillon + Flosstradamus). The set started off with all of the pyrotechnics as flames were pulsating from the stage to set the tone of what was to come. The mixing was fast and furious as both Dillon and Floss wanted to give a crowd a bit of everything. Overall the set was a mix of bass, trap, and hip hop with a few notable exceptions. At times you'd head weird combinations like T Pain's "Buy U a Drank" followed up by Flume"s remix of Disclosure's "You & Me". The crowd heard Kendrick Lamar but also Blink 182 and even "Waiting for Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez. followed up by "Deep Down Low". The unpredictability of the set made it especially fun and the crowd loved every minute of it. 

5 must-see artists at Bud Light Dreams Festival

Bud Light Dreams Festival is coming up fast as Echo Beach will feature 3 stages and a whole host of artists for this 2-day festival. It's easy to recommend the festival headliners as a must-see act but this post is taking the hard road as it finds the gems in the lineup that you may not have thought of checking out. Some of these names are newer faces like Ekali, while others have been around the scene for a long time and deserve a bigger spotlight. While you're making your final personal set schedule amongst your friends, consider making room for these 5 fantastic artists below. 

Ekali (Friday, Echo Beach: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm)

Via FB

Ekali, a Vancouver based artist who has been making waves thanks to his strong productions and mixes that have been played millions of times on Soundcloud. Known for his future bass tunes, Ekali is currently much bigger in the States than in his own country as he's about to make his Eastern Canadian festival debut at Dreams. If you like your mixes to feature bass, future bass, and a bit of trap - seeing Ekali is a must. 

Anna Lunoe (Saturday, Echo Beach: 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm)

Photo by Jasmine Safaeian

Anna Lunoe is well known amongst electronic dance music connoisseurs but is quickly getting her name out there as one of the premiere live performers in the scene. Her performance at this year's Coachella was one of the highlights of the festival as she puts genres aside and mixes a multitude of different tracks into her sets. Expect a dynamic, fun, and light hearted set to kick off the evening portion of Saturday's festival lineup.

Orjan Nilsen (Saturday, Dream House: 5:20 pm - 6:35 pm)

Via FB

He is well known within the trance community and is a monster in the studio as he's been responsible for creating the most heart pounding trance records. He's been skirting at the edges of trance by pushing the boundaries between that sound and big room without it sounding trashy. Even though he's playing at an early time slot, I can guarantee that Orjan Nilsen will be giving fans a set worth coming in early for. 

DJ Hanzel (Saturday, Waterfront Stage: 7:55 pm - 9:00 pm)

Photo by Rukes

DJ Hanzel is Dillon Francis' techno meme alternative personality that somehow managed to snag a primo time slot at this year's Dreams Festival. I predict this set to be one of the more popular ones as curious fans will pack the waterfront stage just to see what "DJ Hanzel" will do. Will he pull a reverse Deadmau5 and try to troll the underground scene? Will Hanzel give the crowd a diva moment or two at any point during his set? Or will he simply smash the festival crowd with the hottest tracks? Who knows what will happen, and that's why you have to be there. 

Malaa (Saturday, Waterfront Stage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm)

Via FB

Ever since the mysterious French artist known as Malaa made his big festival debut at Ultra Miami back in 2016, the buzz has been full on. Fans have been looking for something fresh to experience since big room has taken a sudden downturn. Artists like Malaa have given these crowds exactly what they needed by showcasing the new wave of future house sounds. The new French wave of talent have taken that sound to new heights and has made Malaa a must-see at any festival as a result. Being given a headlining slot on the Waterfront Stage is a big honour, and Malaa is ready to deliver.

For all information regarding Bud Light Dreams Festival including set times, afterparties, and ticket information - click here.