Head Trip is bringing dance music’s A-listers to the desert “just this once,” and Goldenvoice is accordingly pulling out all the stops.
This weekend, the Coachella producer’s one-off electronic festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, will host Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, and Skrillex alongside first-time B2Bs and rare appearances from several of the biggest names in house music. The main program unfolds on one stage over two nights at the Coachella venue on October 10-11, with no set conflicts.
Throw in a massive high-concept main stage from the production designer in Ibiza’s biggest nightclubs, the U.S. debut of Floating Points’ custom-built Sunflower Sound System, a desert sunset or two, and you’ve got the makings of a monumental. And after Apple Music announced it will be streaming the festival live, the dance music world will be watching.
Read on for the biggest headlines heading into Head Trip.
For more information or to grab remaining tickets, visit headtripindio.com.
“Just this once“
Every year, Goldenvoice executes the closest watched festival on the planet, and as EDM continues to gain mainstream popularity and market share, the time is right for the Coachella producer to give dance music its day in the sun. One stage. No set conflicts. One big party.
With a lineup to match the moment—Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, and Skrillex are probably the three biggest electronic artists of the last decade, billed alongside FISHER and Chris Lake’s Under Construction, Dom Dolla B2B KETTAMA, Peggy Gou B2B Four Tet, Seth Troxler B2B Ben Sterling, The Blessed Madonna, and DJ Harvey—its the biggest rave they’ve ever put on.
Since it was announced in March, the message has stayed the same: it’s only happening once.
Massive desert production
Known for shaping club experiences at Ibiza’s superclubs and stadium-sized spectacles at the Olympics and the Great Pyramids of Giza, Romain Pissenem, founder of industry renowned creative production company High Scream, took inspiration from the venue and the Airstream trailers he remembered from an earlier trip to Coachella to design Head Trip’s singular stage.
Overhead, lighting and lasers create what Pissenem calls “a forest of light,” emanating from “electronic trees” that tower over the event’s sea of dancers. The goal is to place fans inside the show, from wherever they are in the crowd.
Never-before-heard B2Bs
On top of beloved pairings in FISHER and Chris Lake (bringing Under Construction to the desert for the first time since 2023) and underground greats Seth Troxler and Ben Sterling, Head Trip will host two never-before-heard B2Bs.
Clubland icons Peggy Gou and Four Tet share the decks for an anything-goes set on Saturday, Then, house sensations Dom Dolla and KETTAMA make their B2B debut on night two, just shy of three months since Dom remixed “Comes and Goes.”
A world-renowned sound system experience
While the main stage rages on, Floating Points’ custom-built Sunflower Sound System will make its U.S. debut in its own corner of the festival. After traveling to events such as London’s GALA Festival, Glastonbury, and Amsterdam’s Dekmantel, the hi-fi experience, developed over 10 years by the renowned musician, composer and DJ, will set up at Head Trip inside an acoustically treated, paneled dome, where the dance floor is encircled by 10 custom-built speaker stacks.
The system will pump vinyl selections from Floating Points an artist-curated lineup of collaborators and friends: Four Tet, Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO, Octo Octa & Eris Drew, Mad Professor, Theo Parrish, and Zach Cowie.
Tune in from home
If you can’t make it to Indio, you don’t have to miss out entirely. Apple Music has teamed up with Goldenvoice to livestream every set from the main stage on both days of the festival. Subscribers can tune in on Apple Music from 4:30PM PT on Saturday and 3:30PM on Sunday.
Featured image courtesy: Head Trip.