FVDED 2026: Day 2 Must-See Acts

By Ryan Hayes

Some festivals are built around the names at the top of the poster. FVDED has increasingly become something else entirely —a place where discovery and nostalgia coexist, where familiar favourites share space with artists on the verge of defining the next era of dance music. 2026 marks the beginning of FVDED’s confident new era, and there is no looking back.

As the festival returns to Holland Park for another summer, one thing feels certain: Blueprint continues to lean into curiosity. Beyond the marquee names lies a deep roster of artists shaping the current moment in dance music and hinting at where the culture is headed next. Unapologetically tuned to movement FVDED rewards those willing to arrive early, wander between stages, and trust the process.

Without further ado, these are the four artists we think deserve a spot on your day 2 schedule.

Oppidan

Oppidan’s rise to prominence within the UK Garage scene has been singular, marked not only by her production prowess but also by her technical abilities behind the decks. She has evolved the traditional garage sound, taking the genre's signature shuffle and basslines and injecting them with fresh energy. Her tracks feel effortless—combining playful, bouncy grooves, infectious vocal chops, and irresistible momentum that keeps festival audiences moving. Come for the energy, leave a fan.

Breakout Release: MR. SANDMAN

Oppidan · Oppidan - Mr. Sandman

On Repeat: hold tight

Oppidan · hold tight

Effin

Effin’s productions are unique. Each release is stamped with an indelible sonic signature. A fresh take is rare within EDM’s trend-chasing nature, and that is exactly what allowed Effin to break through. His rise has been fuelled by a sound that feels both nostalgic and original, quickly establishing him as one of bass music's fastest-rising names. Drawing inspiration from vintage analog aesthetics and combining them with modern dubstep's heaviest tendencies, his productions are instantly recognizable. Effin has built a style entirely his own, balancing inventive sampling, technical sound design, and raw energy without ever sacrificing personality. If you're looking for bass music that pushes beyond the genre's usual boundaries, put Effin at the forefront of your festival experience.

Breakout Release: Cheese

Effin · Effin - Cheese

On Repeat: Ups & Downs (with Tape B) –honestly just listen to his Daydreams LP all the way through. It’s a vibe.

Tape B · Effin x Tape B - Ups and Downs

In his own words—why this set’s one you won’t want to miss:

“It’s my first time playing FVDED! Canada repeatedly has some of the best crowds that are open to anything and everything - my set is filled to the brim with flips of my biggest songs and IDs of new ones. Really want to go for some ups and downs (intended) on this one - really vibey moments and then some crazy energy edits. Going to be a blast.”

— Effin

ALLEYCVT

ALLEYCVT's original productions blend sultry pop-leaning vocals with heavyweight drops and deadly intricate electro-inspired sound design. It is an effortless balance of melody and aggression that allows her to stand out from the pack of rising bass acts. Just when a track pulls you in with an infectious melody, she's ready to flip the switch and unleash pure chaos. Come prepared to experience excessive bass face, captivating vocal hooks, and massive energy.

Breakout Release: FALL INTO YOU

ALLEYCVT · FALL INTO YOU

On Repeat: ALIVE

ALLEYCVT · ALIVE

In her own words—why this set’s one you won’t want to miss:

“I’m really excited for FVDED this year, this will be my first time playing this festival! Every time I build a set months after a headline tour, my sets seem to evolve and become more refined, I feel like that’s exactly where I’m at right now. I’m so excited to come back to Canada again and experience the amazing energy you guys have!”

— ALLEYCVT

ODD MOB

Over the last thirteen-plus years, Odd Mob's rise from Australian club favourite to global dance music heavyweight has been a story of persistence, with true international prominence not arriving until the release of Left to Right in 2022. Four years later, Odd Mob sits at the forefront of house music's new wave of talent. What makes his trajectory particularly impressive is that the momentum never stalled; each successive release has only further cemented his status as one of the genre's defining modern acts. His genre-blurring approach utilizes house to its fullest extent as an umbrella, seamlessly integrating tech and bass influences. His sets are built around infectious grooves, smart vocal sampling, and a genuine sense of fun. If you're looking for one of the surest bets for dancefloor satisfaction all weekend, start here.

Breakout Release: Left to Right

Odd Mob · LEFT TO RIGHT (Extended)

On Repeat: Losing Control

Odd Mob · Odd Mob & OMNOM - Losing Control

FVDED 2026 is about more than just checking headliners off a list. It's about discovery, connection, and the moments you never saw coming. This year, give yourself permission to wander. Catch the artist whose name you've never heard, follow the crowd toward a stage you weren't planning to visit, and trust your curiosity. The future of dance music isn't found in a single set—it reveals itself across an entire weekend of unexpected moments. Whether you're there for the music, the community, or the collective escape that only festivals can provide, FVDED 2026 is an opportunity to experience something new. Your weekend, built one set at a time.

VELD 2026: Built to Endure

By Ryan Hayes

For its thirteenth outing, VELD is throwing its weight around as an established mainstream cornerstone of the Canadian EDM festival circuit. With 50 acts, this year’s lineup is engineered to satisfy as many fandoms as possible. The headliners are all proven, the genre coverage is wide, and the event is clearly focused on instant artist recognition and scale. There’s no boutique play here, no attempt to break new ground—but in an age of rising costs and festival insecurity, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

VELD 2026 aims to deliver a reliable, massive weekend resting on the shoulders of dance music titans and reinforced by accessible bass. And honestly, that’s a valid mission statement in a market that increasingly craves communal escapism.

This year’s curation leans heavily on high energy acts, with a somewhat unexpected reliance on trance. Whether pure and classic (Armin & Above & Beyond), trance-inspired progressive (Artbat, KX5, Miss Monique), or refracted through a techno lens (Charlotte de Witte and Sara Landry), trance is one of VELD 2026’s defining through-lines. It’s less about genre purity and more about emotional resonance. VELD’s programming prioritizes spectacle, emotional peaks, and big-room, all-in moments.

Beyond traditional mainstage euphoria, there’s a clear secondary focus on the rising mainstream power of bass. Subtronics, Slander, Illenium, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Crankdat, Levity, Ray Volpe, and others bring chaotic torrents of peak-time energy designed to keep massive crowds fully engaged.

House music is represented but downplayed—offering just enough star power to ensnare house heads and convince them the lineup is worth their time. Here, big names like Fisher, Disco Lines, and Mau P carry the genre. There’s also a smattering of more EDM-leaning acts set to deliver a flavor of digestible mainstream, house-adjacent sets: Galantis, Frank Walker, & Lost Frequencies.

Although the lineup is light on them, if you’re hungry for the unknown—underground-adjacent artists you can claim as your personal 2026 discoveries—make sure to catch ¥ØU$UK€ ¥€, Panteros666, and Effin. While the three share little sonically, these are your “avoid autopilot” choices: the sets most likely to feel like discovery rather than consumption. Two additional standouts—less underground and more under-commercialized—are Lilly Palmer and Genesi. You’ll likely recognize a few of their productions; at the very least, their styles will be familiar, and they’re both primed to deliver.

Ultimately, VELD 2026 knows exactly what it is—and executes that vision with confidence. It’s a festival built on familiarity and emotional long-term fan payoff, designed to deliver a massive weekend for a broad audience rather than challenge it. Guaranteed escapism.

This year, VELD doesn’t redefine anything—but that isn’t the mission statement of every festival, nor should it be. What this lineup does accomplish is firmly securing the festival’s place as one of Canada’s most dependable—and consistently attractive—pillars within a dwindling festival landscape.

Pressure & Play: Open Radius Finds Its Balance

By Ryan Hayes

Year three of Blueprint’s Foundation Series festival Open Radius feels like the payoff of a carefully paced long game. In year one, FISHER and Purple Disco Machine anchored the weekend with an accessible, feel-good house. Year two pushed further outward with John Summit delivering a less mainstream focused set and Sara Landry nudging the crowd deeper into house’s harder sub-genres. Now, in year three, Charlotte de Witte and Peggy Gou are a confident step forward, a natural progression.

Blueprint didn’t push too hard, didn’t rush its audience towards the deep end; they’ve slowly and intentionally built a house-literate fanbase. Open Radius v14.0 headliners mirror the confidence of the FVDED’s lineup: poignant, timely, and unmistakably earned.

Charlotte de Witte’s sound is built on driving pressure and precision release—her sets are hypnotic, trance-infected modern techno designed for total live immersion. Tracks like “The Age of Love (Charlotte de Witte & Enrico Sangiuliano Remix)” and “Doppler” are standouts: long-form tension, rolling momentum, and pinpoint accurate release that hits hardest when shared in a sea of bodies. Locked into a synchronise pulse Charlotte’s journey promises to be dark, driving, and consuming.

Peggy Gou sits on the other side of the spectrum, radiating warmth, groove, and playfulness. Tracks like “Starry Night” and “(It Goes Like) Nanana” capture her broad appeal: infectious melodies and bouncing basslines that project a sense of joy. Peggy turns dancefloors into a communal celebration rather than drop riddled spectacle.

Together, they set a perfect emotional balance for the weekend, and we’d expect the remainder of the artists to follow suit. Both Charlotte and Peggy have spent years refining their craft—touring relentlessly, building labels, shaping their respective scenes, and earning their prestige and authority the hard way. Here credibility is key. And in a scene overwhelmingly dominated by male headliners, an all-female top billing matters—a reflection of where dance music should continue to head. Talent first and foremost.

With 22 artists across two days, Open Radius isn’t about excess. It feeds off direction and focus. Charlotte de Witte and Peggy Gou provide exactly that—and they are more than enough reason to trust this year's festival will be worth your time.

For tickets, click here.

Full Escapade lineup including Tiesto, Alan Walker, Crankdat, Hi-Lo, Illenium, Fisher, Slander + More!

Escapade, one of the top tier festivals in Canada, will take place in Ottawa from June 26th to the 28th, 2026. This year’s lineup is packed with a variety of top headliners like Tiesto, Illenium, Fisher, while trance fans will be pleased with Cosmic Gate, bass fans with Crankdat, and more.

There’s a lot to be chew at with this lineup as it exhibits a depth of talent rarely seen in other festivals as of late which will make you want to get there as the gates open as you don’t want to miss what’s coming up next.

From old but still relevant names like Nicky Romero to new upcoming talent like Knock2, Escapade will have something for everyone. Escapade is always a fan favourite and the 2026 edition is expected to delight fans with such a robust lineup.

For ticket details, click here.

Chris Lake Ascends: Chemistry Tour Marks the Moment

By Ryan Hayes

The Forum was hot—sticky—teeming with diehard house heads on different levels of musical voyage. A communal affair, orchestrated by an expert curator guiding the crowd through his singular vision. For better or worse, there’s no turning back for Chris Lake. The Chemistry Tour marks his full ascension into the spotlight. After two decades of operating with underground instincts, the veteran producer has arrived at his biggest moment yet—full headliner status. 2025 delivered not only his sophomore album Chemistry, but also a relentless run of heater collaborations and remixes—each one sharpened by Lake’s unmistakable production style.

Friday’s sold-out show was a tour de force—a reflection of Lake’s legendary 2025 run. The crowd arrived early and stayed locked in for the entire set. This tour finally delivered the Chris Lake show I’d always hoped for—fourth time’s the charm. He worked through over half of Chemistry, anchoring the night with originals and remixes.

“ A return to form, where EDM exists as shared escapism—experienced in unity, not filtered through a lens.”

— Ryan Hayes

The night began with Jackie Hollander on support duties. At the tail end of her first full year of touring, her set was a moody, vibes-driven affair that perfectly set the tone for Lake’s more energetic two-hour sprint. As Hollander closed out with “LSD,” Lake took the stage and kicked things off with a pitch-perfect intro edit of “On & On,” before dropping straight into the bombastic “La Noche,” locking in the room’s full attention from the jump.

As crowds continue to skew older, so do the remixes—and they were unapologetically millennial-coded: “Kids,” “Show Me Love,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” and “Galvanize.” What stood out just as much was the lack of phones. Whether that’s specific to Chris Lake’s audience (I noticed the same at Duke Dumont) or part of a broader shift is hard to say, but the effect was undeniable—maybe a hundred screens in a sea of four thousand people. In an era obsessed with documenting everything, it felt like a quiet correction. A return to form, where EDM exists as shared escapism—experienced in unity, not filtered through a lens.

Pinprick moments littered the night. The first flash of lasers saved for Lake’s remix of Ray Volpe’s “Laserbeam” sent a jolt through the room. “Savana” turning the pocket around me feral. Experiencing the perfection of “In the Yuma” live. And “one2three”—in all its buttery groovy glory—hypnotizing everyone into the same rhythm. What made the night hit harder was the crowd’s fluency. Every twist was met with recognition, whether it was Anti Up cuts, Sammy Virji collaborations, or Black Book staples. That shared understanding created a collective moment. As dance music has recalibrated in the post-pandemic era, nights like Friday prove the result isn’t dilution, but devotion: a sharper, more invested fanbase that shows up to be present, informed, and fully in it together.

The Chemistry Tour is Chris Lake’s moment. It proves his ascent isn’t fueled by hype, but by decades of discipline, vision, and trust in his own sensibilities. Everyone at the Forum witnessed Lake step into full headliner status in real time. There is no going back—Chris Lake is a dance music icon.