Editor’s Note: EDM.com proudly publishes four installments of annual year-end coverage: Industry Leaders, Performances & DJ Sets, Music Producers and Songs.
Each year, EDM.com highlights the most daring and innovative sets, amplifying the artists whose boundary-breaking work is reshaping electronic music on a global scale.
From intimate underground showcases to massive festival spectacles, these performances are celebrated not only for their technical mastery, but also for their ability to influence cultural movements. This isn’t about popularity or ticket sales—it’s a recognition of artistry that cultivated moments fans will remember for decades.
In no particular order, discover the best DJ sets and performances of 2024 below.
ODESZA — “The Last Goodbye” Finale, Gorge Amphitheater
ODESZA’s swan song for their “The Last Goodbye” era was a triple-header at Washington’s breathtaking Gorge Amphitheater. The duo built a universe together in the Pacific Northwest, the perfect setting for their farewell performance before an indefinite hiatus.
An immense amount of planning and coordination goes into bringing any ODESZA experience to life, but they took it to another level in the cradle of the Gorge’s grandeur. Soul-stirring string renditions, powerful live vocalists and exhilarating mashups took the crowd on a journey that somehow felt both cathartic and deeply intimate.
Meanwhile, fans turned into puddles of emotion as they walked through “Echoes,” a surrealist, tech-driven art installation moonlighting as a monument to their unparalleled connection with ODESZA’s Clayton Knight and Harrison Mills. The duo had anonymously shared a phone number and asked fans to leave voicemails containing their favorite ODESZA memories, which were played in 4D audio around the installation’s gleaming towers and transcribed on their LED panels.
Transforming the concerts into hubs for immersive storytelling, ODESZA proved that technology can facilitate the emotional release of their music when wielded with intention and purpose.
Words by Saad Masood and Jason Heffler.
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Skrillex — Lollapalooza, Chicago
When Lollapalooza announced that one of its most iconic stages would be renamed after Skrillex for one night only, you knew something special was coming.
Fans attending the storied Chicago festival in 2024 were treated to two performances from Skrillex at Perry’s Stage, which officially transformed into “Sonny’s Stage” on Saturday. He opened Saturday with an early performance under the Windy City sun before closing the night with a spectacular headlining set.
As you might expect from an artist of this caliber, the performance was not only one of the festival’s best, but one of the year’s best. Skrillex used his stage takeover to offer fans a career retrospective that celebrated all his groundbreaking chapters as well as the enduring legacy of Perry’s Stage and its namesake, Lollapalooza co-founder Perry Farrell.
From his ageless remix of Avicii’s “Levels” to his collaborations with Justin Bieber, Damian Marley and Boys Noize, Skrillex reminded us why he remains one of the industry’s most prolific artists.
Words by Nick Yopko.
Arca — Boiler Room: Caracas
From the shadows of systemic erasure in her native Caracas, Arca took on the pressure cooker of Boiler Room and threw down a homecoming DJ set for the ages.
“This set should be studied by at least 20 anthropologists,” one awestruck fan commented on YouTube.
Amid the ongoing, catastrophic Venezuelan refugee crisis, Arca returned home and rebuilt in sound what had been fractured in spirit. Her larger-than-life Boiler Room headline in March reunited a group of DJs who hadn’t performed in the country for over a decade, according to local photographer Augusto Silva Alliegro, who called the show “a historic moment for Venezuelan music and the country.”
Arca vogued and vibed as she threaded a latticework of distorted bass and ambient textures, curating a set that was simultaneously disruptive and deeply intimate. Highlights included spins of “Rain (I Want a Divorce)” by the late electronic music legend Ryuichi Sakamoto and Arca’s woozy remix of Frank Ocean’s “Little Demon.”
Flexing her thrashing beats and signature unpredictability behind the decks, it was a form of radical storytelling—a transgender artist reclaiming space in a challenging cultural terrain.
Words by Jason Heffler.
Keinemusik — Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
There’s no doubt that Keinemusik started a cultural movement in 2024. You were bound to spot someone sporting the collective’s “uniform”—hat, silk scarf and glasses—at any house music show this year.
However, their set at the legendary Giza Pyramids in Egypt hit different. Bringing along their signature “kloud,” Keinemusik’s Adam Port, &ME and Rampa delivered a rave experience for the ages on April 19th.
Perfectly matching the mystique of the pyramids, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the rare performance further helped propel Afro-house music globally.
Words by Brooke Bierman and Jarett Lopez.
RÜFÜS DU SOL (DJ Set) — Mayan Warrior, Burning Man
The Burning Man community was devastated by last year’s heart-wrenching loss of the beloved Mayan Warrior art car, a symbol of unity and magic that set the stage for unforgettable musical moments on the beach. But it rose from the ashes in 2024 and—reborn as Galaxyer—hered in a new era with RÜFÜS DU SOL leading the way.
After a five-year hiatus, the group returned to Burning Man for an instant-classic DJ set. The way they captured the alluring energy of the playa was magnetic and their healing impeccable, stacking beloved RÜFÜS acapellas (like “Treat You Better” and “Underwater”) atop modern melodic house jams (like “Nothing On Me” by Maz, APACHE and Maxi Meraki). The hotly anticipated performance also featured aching remixes of “Lately,” “Music is Better” and the timeless “Innerbloom.”
Add Galaxyer’s outer space-themed production and a striking sunset on the beach to the mix, and you’ve got an audiovisual feast. Black Rock City came alive.
“The energy we felt during the Mayan Warrior set was unlike anything we have ever experienced,” RÜFÜS DU SOL said at the time.
Words by Rachel Freeman, Saad Masood and Jarett Lopez.
Justice—Coachella
Seven years after their last performance at Coachella, Justice returned to the desert in breathtaking fashion in 2024.
Closing out the Outdoor Theatre, the iconic French duo unraveled a set comprising almost entirely unreleased music. It was dazzling showcase of Hyperdramatheir first album in nearly a decade, which released just a few short weeks later.
Bold, glitzy and undeniably dynamic, Justice’s Coachella set was a masterclass in live electronic music performance that bubbled over with the retrofuturistic electro that made them icons. It was one of those rare sets where you couldn’t decide whether to stand in awe or lose yourself on the dancefloor.
Words by Andrew Nguyen.
TSHA — “In The House” Defected Ibiza Summer Sunset Boat
Sun, soul, summer, saltwater and TSHA: the perfect storm for an instant-classic DJ set.
TSHA in 2024 released her long-awaited sophomore album, sad girlbut first she cruised the Mediterranean Sea on a yacht and threw down one of the year’s best DJ sets. Back in April, the influential house music producer became the first artist to perform for Defected Records’ revamped “In The House” mix series, which relaunched this year as part of the label’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
TSHA’s touch was fresh yet reverent, a perfect tribute to the iconic series. She dropped a handful of her own hits, like “Sweet Devotion,” as well as sun-kissed dance records by Amine Edge & DANCE, Monki and Todd Terry, among others. Each track felt like a conversation, where soulful vocals and dynamic production spoke to your emotions while brisk percussion propelled your body—and the boat—forward.
To that end, the radiant DJ set is a microcosm of TSHA’s artistry. It invites you to move, but compels you to listen—and in that balance lies its magic.
Words by Jason Heffler.
Michael Bibi — One Life London
It’s tough to identify an artist who had a more impactful year than Michael Bibi, the house music icon who triumphed over a rare form of cancer and made DJing history.
Her journey from survival to celebration reached its pinnacle at One Life London, a totemic and dramatic performance that marked Bibi’s return to the stage after becoming cancer-free. He played for over 45,000 fans in his hometown, setting a new record by headlining the largest electronic show in London’s history.
The show was an emotional whirlwindwith poignant visuals showing clips of his time in the hospital and scenes from his childhood. Bibi bangers like “Got The Fire,” “Different Side” and his remix of “Eyes on Fire” heated up the crowd for over three hours, and his father even joined him onstage for a mesmerizing guitar solo.
Bibi’s historic performance wasn’t just a concert—it was a testament to the power of dance music to heal, ultimately bringing to life a vision that he said kept him inspired during his time in the hospital.
Words by Rachel Freeman.
LSZEE — Red Rocks Amphitheater
LSDREAM and CloZee make up the genetic code of their brainchild, LSZEE, but the project is distinctly its own.
The renowned Red Rocks Amphitheater was a picture-perfect venue to unleash the full creative force of their self-titled LSZEE albuma record about curiosity, spirituality, nature and the exploration of a vibrant world. The duo’s two-night spectacular was an immaculate example of frequencies in perfect harmony, LSDREAM’s contagious enthusiasm bringing CloZee out of her shell and CloZee’s culturally rich music adding fascinating layers to LSDREAM’s wubs.
Maybe it was the organic surrounding nature of Red Rocks, sending LSDREAM and CloZee back to Joshua Tree where the LSZEE project was conceived. Maybe it was the palpable vibrancy of the crowd. Whatever the case, LSZEE’s remarkable doubleheader is etched in the memories of their fans forever.
Words by Shakiel Mahjouri and Madison Berg.
G Jones b2b EPROM — DEF Detroit
While the techno world flocked to Detroit for the storied Movement Festival over Memorial Day weekend, the DEF team cooked up one of the most intimate and incredible DJ sets of the year.
Sweat and hot breath filled the air like a fog machine gone haywire as fans took up every centimeter of Big Pink, a tiny venue that used to be a hot water tank manufacturing warehouse, for a chance to witness G Jones share the stage with EPROM.
Together, the virtuosic producers threw down hours of experimental bass, live acid originals, unreleased tracks and incomprehensible sounds that left everyone stunned after the house lights came on.
Words by Nick Yopko.
Honorable Mentions
ISOKNOCK | North Coast Music Festival
Porter Robinson | Hollywood Bowl
Sarah Landry | III Points Music Festival
Of The Trees | Red Rocks Amphitheater
Martin Garrix | Ultra Music Festival
ALLEYCVT | Lost Lands
Kenya Grace | Coachella
Maddy O’Neal | Shambhala Music Festival
John Summit b2b Green Velvet | EDC Las Vegas
Swedish House Mafia | Tomorrowland