Osheaga's Electronic Field Guide 2026

By Ryan Hayes

For dance music fans with eclectic tastes and an ear for discovery, Osheaga is less than two months away and loaded with a genre-blurring lineup that stretches from bubbling Canadian talent to globally recognized superstars. Beyond the marquee names like Twenty-One Pilots, Tate McRae, and Lorde lies a deep roster of electronic acts and dance-adjacent artists that offer more than enough value to justify the price of admission. Whether you're chasing your next favourite artist or looking to step outside your comfort zone, Osheaga remains one of the best festivals in North America for musical exploration. Dive in with us and let the process of discovery begin. It is sure to be a weekend you won’t soon forget.

Day 1:

Amelie Lens lands at the top of our list to start your weekend off right. Recently she has become one of techno's defining figures, and it’s for good reason. Blending relentless energy with a hypnotic precision that blurs the line between trance she that keeps her audiences dialed in from start to finish—and we promise you will walk away a fan.

While not as commercial MPH represents the new generation of UK garage, delivering punchy basslines, infectious vocal hooks, and nonstop momentum. Currently his style of production is experiencing a massive resurgence across clubs and festivals worldwide. If you aren’t already familiar with his work, dive in and dig around—it will surely reward your curiosity. This booking pushes beyond bland, North America–centric festival norms and represents Osheaga’s holistic booking philosophy.

Canadian based Bob Moses occupy a unique space between indie & electronic music. Their live sets pair instrumentation with deep grooves and emotionally charged songwriting. Its authentic, infectious and personal while still perfectly attune to a festival stage.

Day 2:

For us KETTAMA tops day two. His sound is hard to pin-down but it fused old-school rave sensibilities with modern house and just a splash of techno. His diverse array of influences ensure his sets feel raw, euphoric, and unpredictable—perfectly capturing the spirit of today's underground explosion.

Odd Mob represents rising a new era of rapidly rising talent with a sound that is global & diverse. He has cut his teeth with a flurry of sets and proven he is built to handle dense crowds at high-energy stages.

It's Murph has quickly emerged as a festival favourite thanks to his blend of euphoric melodies, gritty basslines, and expansive soundscapes. Pulling from tech house, bass music, and melodic dance influences, his productions strike a sweet spot between emotional depth and crowd-moving energy, making him a perfect soundtrack for sunset sets and peak summer memories.

Day 3:

Subtronics reigns supreme on day 3. Hot off of setting attendance records for his sets at EDC Vegas & Coachella Subtronics is leading a bass music renaissance with a magnitude not felt in over a decade. His set promises to be an hour of absolute madness. The key ingredient is his ability to blend accessible mainstream anthems with thundering abrasive originals and VIPS, all chopped up and mixed at breakneck pace.

SG Lewis will shine as an accessible electronic act. He effortlessly blurs the line between electronic music and modern pop, weaving together house, disco, funk, and soulful R&B influences into a sound anchored in infectious grooves & lush synth work.

Bambii brings the focus back home. As a rising Canadian talent she has built a sound that pulls from dancehall, jungle, UK bass, & hip-hop. Expect a creative-vibrant, genre-defying set.

EDM Adjacent:

While not traditional electronic acts, The xx, Empire of the Sun, and Zara Larsson all share strong ties to dance music culture. From The xx's influential production style to Empire of the Sun's synth-driven anthems and Zara Larsson's dance-pop crossover hits, each offers dance music fans a familiar entry point beyond the genre's traditional boundaries.

At its core, Osheaga succeeds because it refuses to be confined by genre, making it a festival built for EDM fans with a wide breadth of musical sensibilities. Whether you're diving headfirst into techno with Amelie Lens, exploring the resurgence of UK garage through MPH, embracing the bass-fuelled chaos of Subtronics, or stumbling upon your next obsession somewhere deeper on the bill, the opportunities for discovery are endless. The headliners may sell the tickets, but it's the depth, diversity, and unexpected moments that will define the weekend. Come curious, stay open-minded, and let the music do the rest.

New City Gas to temporarily suspend their operations due to new social distancing measures

New City Gas is arguably Montreal’s premier nightclub, and a major hub for EDM events. This is huge news coming out of Montreal and could be a preview of things to come as all promoters find a way to deal with the new social distancing measures nationwide. Here is their statement below:

Win two tickets to see Afrojack in Montreal!

EDM Canada has partnered up with Produkt to give a lucky winner the chance to win 2 tickets to see Afrojack & Ravitez at New City Gas in Montreal on May 12th 2018!

To win: 

  1. Follow EDM Canada on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/edm_canada/)

  2. Follow Produkt on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thisisprodukt/

  3. Tag a friend in the comments of the contest post using hashtag #winwithedmcanada 

Contest ends on Wednesday, May 8th 2018 at 12 pm. 

The contest starts on our Instagram page now, good luck!

Important note: In order to win, please make sure that you respond to the Direct Message. If you do not respond to the DM in a timely fashion, unfortunately it will leave me no choice but to go ahead and choose a new potential winner. All winning names will be chosen at random - good luck to everyone! 

7 Impressions of ÎleSoniq Music Festival 2017

Tiesto

There is almost no other DJ on earth that can take the mainstage and own it like the Dutch legend can. While he's experimented with different styles lately, the first half was purely a big room exhibition which was adored by the younger crowd. The full power of the the mainstage was at the behest of Tiesto as the pyro, lighting, and more was fully unleashed in a coordinated dance to bring max energy.

The 2nd half of the set was when things got interesting. He went a bit darker starting with his remix of his classic track "Silence", then hit the crowd with a deeper vibe with Simon Field's remix of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good". After a few moments of educating the crowd of the deeper side of electronic dance music, Tiesto brought it back hard with his hit track "Boom". You never knew what he would play next as the 2nd half included throwbacks, Latin EDM, and remixes. This was mainstage Tiesto at his best and was a fitting end of the first night of ÎleSoniq. 

Orjan Nilsen

Crushing everywhere he goes, Orjan Nilsen's mix of trance and elements of big room translated well to the Montreal crowd as his huge style and personality behind the decks came through loud and clear.  Even though he likes to bring the biggest energy tracks to the festival stage, he also didn't forget the more emotional side of trance. The highlight was when he played "The Hardest", which features the soaring vocals of Rykka, the talented Canadian-Swiss vocalist. Orjan is a beast in the studio and continually delivers memorable live sets who deserves a shot at a night time festival slot in 2018. 

Alan Walker

At only 19 years old, Alan Walker has already assembled an impressive discography, boasting millions upon millions of plays on multiple platforms, with no indication that his run will slow down anytime soon. His 2015 smash hit "Faded" had put him on the map, but it is recent tracks like "Tired", his Sia and Julia Michaels remixes, that have kept his momentum going strong. Playing his productions with big room bangers and remixes of his more down tempo tracks combined for an ideal day 1 set at ÎleSoniq. Watch out for Alan Walker to make an even bigger impact in 2018 and beyond. 

Damian Lazarus

The vibes were deep and vibrant as Damian Lazarus provided the perfect atmosphere for an afternoon set. It takes a few minutes to walk up to the Neon stage but once you're there you notice a slightly more mature crowd and a lot of dancing - a welcomed sight. In certain parts of the Neon stage they had these plastic air bubbles that gave a distinct trampoline effect which added a unique jump to your dance moves. Highlights included the Catz N Dogz remix of "Woman Of The Ghetto", and Pirupa's remix of "Wonder" by Junior Jack. 

Cedric Gervais

Fresh from his European and Ibiza summer tour, Cedric Gervais got the day 2 crowd going with his big presence behind the decks on the mainstage. Known for his Lana Del Rey remix that awarded him a Grammy, Cedric has been active in the studio with "Touch The Sky" and his chiller release "Somebody New". But the track that is catching fire is something he cooked up in David Guetta's Ibiza studio 2 weeks ago, which is his remix of "Mi Gente" by J. Balvin and Willy William. The track fuses latin and electronic beats that sounds fresh and builds on the mega success of the Despacito remix with Justin Bieber. Cedric showcased all of these tracks and more for his memorable Montreal set. 

KSHMR

In one of his highest festival placements yet, KSHMR took advantage of his opportunity by cranking up a set mostly composed of his own tracks infront of a crowd wanting to party extra hard after the short rain break. While some DJs that took the stage earlier in the day stuck to the safer options of playing tried and true bangers, KSHMR instead focused on highlighting his own tracks. The graphics of the show also told a story, and throughout the set there was a graphic narrative played that told a story while the crowd got a breather from all of the jumping. Big room might have had its day in the sun, but its artists like KSHMR that keep the genre going forward thanks to his releases.

The festival grounds

ÎleSoniq was hosted in a different part of Parc Jean-Drapeau this year, which resulted in a huge new festival ground to walk around and explore. The mainstage was among the largest stages I've seen this summer, with the secondary stages being just as impressive. There was plenty of space to sit down and relax, and if it got a little too hot, ÎleSoniq had 2 water mist areas to cool you down. If anything, there was perhaps almost too much space between stages as a trip from the mainstage to the Neon stage could have easily taken 20 minutes. But if you had a choice between too much room, and not enough, I'd chose the extra space everytime. Overall Evenko did another superb job as ÎleSoniq drew perhaps the largest fan attendance this summer. 

Villa Paradizo, Montreal's free EDM festival, is coming back this September with Dannic and Cash Cash

Villa Paradizo is a free festival that takes place at Rue Crescent in the heart of Montreal and it's coming back for its second year with a strong lineup. This year's festivities will be led by headliners Dannic, Cash Cash, David Tort, and Helena. There is also a whole contingent of local DJs from Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto who will be playing including Domeno (MTL), Joe Ghost (TO), and Mister Parker (Ott). 

Did I say it was free? You can't beat the price and location for Villa Paradizo as they transform Crescent Street into a paved dancefloor for 2 days. Are you going? 

For full information on Villa Paradizo, click here