FVDED 2025: The Old Guard Reigns, But Subtronics Is Everything a Headliner Should Be
/
Source: UMF TV
Beyond Nostalgia: What’s Next
Aside from a very select handful of dance music festivals globally, most lineups still play it safe. Headliners continue to be pulled from EDM’s last “golden age”—a time when the genre’s dominance on the worldwide Top 40 catapulted a handful of DJs to mainstream icon status. That kind of reach will likely never be matched, and those same dozen-or-so acts still sit atop most festival posters around the world.
That’s not to say those artists are without merit—their names hold sway, their hits cut through generational barriers, and their sets have been meticulously honed over decades. They are dance music’s first true legacy vanguard.
But the scene has shifted. Today, it’s increasingly driven by branded niche artist events—where the current generation, no less talented than their predecessors, cultivate fanbases and headline events at unique venues curating genuine experiences. For diehard fans, these shows are priceless. Despite have legions of dedicated fans willing to travel to experience their shows the top of a mainstream festival lineup continues to elude many of these current heavyweights.
Festivals are massive financial burdens on the companies that throw them. Huge gambles banking on corner a market, and that makes risk difficult…but at what point in time does the old guard lose its cache? Or is the only way to continue traditional festivals to have the battle-worn star’s name in lights?
Regardless, shouldn’t the real excitement come from seeing someone fresh—someone pushing boundaries and innovating in real time?
Subtronics is one of those artists.
While he isn’t technically headlining FVDED, I expect—hope—that the audience he draws is as large and ravenous as any top-billed act all weekend.
His sound has evolved, but his signature remains: bass-heavy, tempo-shifting, sonically unique, emotionally genuine—and never taking itself too seriously. The hunger and drive to grow his singular brand is still front and center. And that deserves to be praised.
Bass, Chaos & Control: Subtronics Is Built for the Big Stage
Earlier this year, Subtronics took on the Ultra mainstage, a daunting tightrope walk balanced between appeasing 50,000 festivalgoers and staying true to a sound not traditional globally showcased.
Source: UMF TV
He triumphed, unleashing an hour of absolute madness. The key was accessibility, blending mainstream dance anthems like “Levels,” “Satisfaction,” and “Show Me Love” with originals like “Scream Saver,” “Amnesia,” and “Ecstasy of the Soul” (with Zeds Dead). He even dropped hard-hitting bass-infused mashups with iconic pop hits—“Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” and “Where Have You Been.”
It was a set filled with twists and turns, countless remixes and VIPs, and a flood of unreleased IDs. With a track list spanning 46 tracks in 60 minutes—more than 95 if you count the mashups—it was adrenaline-fueled escapism at its best. Musical opium for the masses. And the best showing on bass/dub since Skrillex headlined Ultra in 2015.
Don’t get me wrong—his FVDED set will be aggressive. But his energy is contagious, his stage presence magnetic, and he always pulls back just before things tip into overload. It will be a rollercoaster.
Show up, strap in, and enjoy the ride. No matter what, it’ll be a memory. Subtronics is meant to be experienced in a sea of 10,000+ fans, all-in and going off. Subtronics is what moves the needle—and he’s reason enough to be there, front and center, for another unforgettable year at FVDED.
